I have a 1953 3800. I have three original hoods, all very poor. I have kept my eyes out for a nice original hood, but haven’t found any nearby. So I broke down and ordered a new one. It came today, and I test fit it on the truck, or at least tried to. The shape looks mostly right, but I can’t even get it back onto the cab. The support at the back of hood is not shaped real well. How normal is it for these hoods to fit this bad? I have used a bunch of repair panels, new rear fenders, new roof panel, and was actually impressed with how well they fit. I think I might have to cut/weld, or use a porta power to do a controlled bending of this hood before I can even get it test fit in place. Any thoughts? Pretty discouraged this evening.
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
I’ve read that. It’s not really alignment, at least not yet. The shape is not right to fit over the cowl. The passenger side is closer, but the sides are not curved enough, it’s a tight bend and doesn’t match the cowl. I think it’s going to take bending the rear hood support, but it’s glued and welded to the skin. I’m not sure how it’s going to like getting bent.
Some pictures of the initial hood to cowl fitment would help us understand the issue.
Phil Moderator, The Engine Shop, Interiors and Project Journals
1952 Chevrolet 3100, Three on the Tree, 4:11 torque tube Updated to: ‘59 235 w/hydraulic lifters, 12v w/alternator, HEI, PCV and Power front Disc Brakes Project Journals Stovebolt Gallery Forum
Have you tried just laying the hood on the truck without hinges? You will need to have the rubber cowl seal in place, and the radiator support and the upper radiator baffle in place. This will give you a good baseline from where to start the fitment process.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Yes. To get it down on the cowl, I had to use about all my strength to spread it. I think it needs to be over spread and then relax to a more comfortable fit. When it’s sitting on the cowl, the passenger side fits ok. The drivers side of the hood is almost too tall, the bottom of the hood is real low on the cowl, but the top of the hood is about 1/2” above the cowl seal. I’ll try a picture, but this is my first time.
There is an adjustment that controls the fit of the hood to the anti squeak weatherstripping. That may need to be relaxed to widen the hood. Here is a link to an online Chevy Truck Service manual, that covers this adjustment. This site is graciously hosted by our friend Keith Hardy.
Last edited by Phak1; 05/24/202512:32 PM. Reason: Additional info
Phil Moderator, The Engine Shop, Interiors and Project Journals
1952 Chevrolet 3100, Three on the Tree, 4:11 torque tube Updated to: ‘59 235 w/hydraulic lifters, 12v w/alternator, HEI, PCV and Power front Disc Brakes Project Journals Stovebolt Gallery Forum
Like 52Carl says, no springs, no hinges, no latch. Lay it on there to see how it fits the opening relaxed. Adjust from there. Once you are happy with the fit, add the hinges, no springs, no latch. Continue with the basic adjustment procedure.
I got it to a fits “fair” point and think I’ll be able to get it to a good fit. Shimming the adjustment in the center of hood helped, and I had to use a ratchet strap and some body weight to tweak one side, but it’s much better than out of the box. It’s not there yet, but it’s going to work. Thanks for the help!
