Hood Does Not Open All The Way

[Surfmerc]

Hi Everyone - I posted this in Technical but decided to post it here also.

I am not really sure what the problem is so here it is!

I am assembling the body parts on my 49 Sub. I am working on the hood now. It has a 50's hood. I noticed that there is a forward bolt hole on the hood that the hinge bracket does use. I am not sure if the hinges or the hood is the problem. The hood will only raise about 18" above the latch plate. The overall alignment is not too bad and does need adjustments, but trying to understand why the hood does not open all the way!

Thank you

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

these hoods do not open a great amount.....always seems shy of what you need...

[Surfmerc]

Ok that makes me feel better. I actually was able to get it to about 24" from hood latch to hood latch base plate. 

I don't know if you can tell from the pictures but The springs are a round coil type not A vertical spring like I'm seeing in the books. 

Thanks 

[desoto1939]

the coil type hood springs are correct. There special miller factory tools to remove and install the spring. I have one of these tools for the 49 hoods.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

Edited July 4, 2017 by desoto1939

[classiccarjack]

Whenever I work on my friends 1949 Coronet, I have to be really cautious, as I have "scalped" my bald head a time or two.  I wish that they opened more also, being tall brings on this dilemma. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

it is not so much a tall thing....bending over a fender will get you every time if you loose track of where you are...

[Surfmerc]

Thanks for the comments! I will continue now to adjust hood and move on to other body parts as I'm working from the front to the rear! I will post pictures when I have a complete Suburban!!

 Thanks 

[belvedere666]

I remove the hood while I'm working on it. Test drive without the hood on. There's just not enough room. This is my old P20 with the hood on. Not much room AT ALL.  How is a normal sized human supposed to fit in there and get anything done? 

[Don Coatney]

Is it possible to use a broom handle to prop it further open?

[Mike36]

1 hour ago, belvedere666 said:

I remove the hood while I'm working on it. Test drive without the hood on. There's just not enough room. This is my old P20 with the hood on. Not much room AT ALL.  How is a normal sized human supposed to fit in there and get anything done? 

How about you guys that own one of these, is that full open? Doesn't look right to me, but I never owned one.

[belvedere666]

19 minutes ago, Mike36 said:

How about you guys that own one of these, is that full open? Doesn't look right to me, but I never owned one.

This is full open for both of my P20s.

i don't have a lot of experience with them outside of the two I have but unless they both have the same hood hinge problem, this is the way they were made.

its awful, and if there is a fix, someone create a step by step thread on it. Please.

[medium_jon]

4 hours ago, Mike36 said:

How about you guys that own one of these, is that full open?

Looks pretty full open to me. Here are photos of my P20 taken with an iPhone at dusk (photos are grainy)

I have a friend in town that remanufactures hood hinges for 60's & 70's muscle cars. I asked him to take a look and he agreed that there was no way it was going to open any further. But he said that the way it was made, it was never going to need his services. It sure is a pain to work on things under the hood if they are other than next to the fenders. 

Edited July 6, 2017 by medium_jon

[dpollo]

These hood openings were designed to create an intimate bond between the mechanic and your car's engine.

[keithb7]

Stock '53 fully open. No complaints. I just did a valve job at home, never took the hood off. Sure, I bumped my noggin a few times. Only on the hood latch. Dang that hurts.

 

Edited July 6, 2017 by keithb7

[chopt50wgn]

I got a piece of aluminum pipe 1 inch dia. Then got some rubber bumpers ,the ones you use on the bottom of a metal table so it doesn't scratch the floor.

I put them on either end of the pipe and use it to prop open the hood on my 50 Ply wagon. Here's another helpful tip.......the latch that hangs down in the front is most always a place that you whack your head on the way out of the motor area. I took an old tennis ball and put a slit in it and it slides over the latch. So if I am doing any kind of prolonged work under the hood, when I back out if I hit the latch, my old head is protected.

[medium_jon]

@keithb7 wow your 53 opens a lot wider than the OP's 50 and my 50. I wonder if the hinges could be transplanted.  Hmm

[Mortimer452]

Relying on the springs alone to hold it up, they just don't open very far.  You can get another 8-10" or so holding it open by hand or with a scrap piece of lumber as a prop.