As previously posted, I have been trying to improve the fit of the hood on my ‘54 3100. I removed it from the truck, adjusted it by placing washers under the center piece that connects the two stiffening frames as per a tech tip , filled and faired the dent that I managed to cause while doing that adjustment (that’s another story), loosened the fasteners that secure the hinge assemblies to the cab , and re-mounted the hood.
And now - for some perverse reason - the back end of the hood does not want to go all the way down! This was not an issue before I took the hood off the truck.
WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???
Last edited by Peggy M; 11/28/20236:04 PM. Reason: added less offense word in the title
Yes. Since my initial post I tried removing the springs from the equation- and most of my fitting problems disappeared.
–- I should have mentioned in my first post that my hinges are repop. –-
About a week ago I posted a piece about a heavy duty ‘53 pickup owned by a friend of mine. (Sighting Network sub forum) In the course of looking over that nice old survivor I took a close look at the hood springs. They appeared to have less mass than my after market springs, and the resistance to closing was noticeably lighter.
Conclusion: My new springs are too stiff. I think I will contact some boneyards looking for originals.
Carl - I will be occupied all day tomorrow, in fact I am playing in an end of season wrap-up golf tournament- I plan to go in style driving my ‘54 to the golf course. The hood is not perfectly fit , but it is much improved albeit without springs. I will open a p.m. line of communication later in the week; hopefully you can help me with further improvements. Thank you for that generous offer.
I wonder how many Stovebolts are out there without hood springs. I swear my repops are too strong.
As long as the springs are the correct length and attached to the original location on the firewall, the strength of the spring won't matter. I have a pretty good idea what you need to do. PM me when you're ready.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Update: My new/old spring assemblies arrived. I lubricated them , clamped each in a vice , worked them loose then applied a scale. The originals required 14 - 15# of tension to initiate motion. The repops required 20 - 21# to initiate motion. HUGE difference on a percentile basis.
Today is the last day of a nasty cold streak here at 43 north. 12 degrees f. at dawn this morning. I probably will not install the original spring assemblies till tomorrow. My hood to cowl match is presently good. I have followed the tech tip instructions completely - except for the final step which is installing the spring supports. I am cautiously optimistic that the new/old springs will allow the hood to close nicely- unlike the stiffer repops.
On my '57 LCF, I actually tightened the tension on the hood springs in order for them to hold the hood open all the way. It didn't alter the fit of the hood at all. I know we are talking about 2 different animals, just thought I would add my experience to the equation.
1957 Chevrolet 5700 LCF 283 SM420 2 speed rear, 1955 IH 300U T/A, 1978 Corvette 350 auto, 1978 Yamaha DT175, 1999 Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy
Again, we’ll find out soon. On a side note , someone edited my thread title. I had typed a Beetle Bailey cartoon style “cuss word” using entirely random punctuation marks ; that has been replaced with “blasted”. Well I’ll be a @#%**Â¥!
You bet I did. If you don't like "blasted," you can change it to something else. One of us can "re-title" the rest of the posts in this thread.
~ Peggy M 1949 Chevrolet 3804 "Charlie" - The Stovebolt Flagship In the Gallery "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill
Maybe “BLANKETY-BLANK” would be appropriate, since blasted implies a paint removal method. 😉
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
~Charley 1954 Chevy 3100 with 235 “Bud” Follow along in the DITY 1963 Chevy half ton stepside short box 230 1954 GMC 3 ton 302 And several more Chevy camper and work trucks 1979 1987 1996
~ Peggy M 1949 Chevrolet 3804 "Charlie" - The Stovebolt Flagship In the Gallery "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." -- Winston Churchill
Resolution of the problem posted HERE. Locking this thread down.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
If you don't like "blasted," you can change it to something else. One of us can "re-title" the rest of the posts in this thread.