The Stovebolt Site Forums Swap Meet Truck Parts Wanted Wanted for my 1953 model 3100

I am in need of a hood latch plate for my 1953 half ton pickup. This is the plate that mounts in the front of the hood, that holds the latch bolt, and safety catch.

Do you still need this? I think i have this, but will need to take a look when i am back on the farm.
Gene

I have a good selection of those that have been restored & rebuilt....complete with the 2 supporting rods & stainless mounting hardware.... ready to install....PM me for more info.

Thanks for the reply. I found one locally. Today, I was cleaning it up, and noticed that it does not have the 2 holes for the support rods. Otherwise, all of the mounting holes line up with the hood OK. Also, there is a wide groove that runs side to side on it, that is not on my old one. Do you happen to know what truck this would have come off of?

Mike, if you post a pic of the one you found, it would sure help people figure out the application.

yes, i thought about that right after I posted it. I'll post a pic tomorrow

OK, here are pics of my hood latch panels. The black one is the one that came on my hood, which was not on the truck, so I can't swear it's original for my 53 half ton. But for purposes of this post, I'm going to call it the "original". The gray, sandblasted one is the one that I just bought. You can see the wide groove running across it, which the original does not have. The new one also does not have holes for the support rods either. The captive square nuts on both panels are in the same positions. Either panel would bolt to my hood front. But, when I put the panels side by side, for the pics, I found that one panel has 1 inch more drop from the ends to the center than the other does. So, I'm not sure that I can make the new one work. I'm curious to know if either one is correct for my truck, plus, what is the other one correct for? The original would probably been OK, except that the spring seat is completely ate away on it.

Mike, your "original" piece looks just like the one on my '51, and suspect it's correct for your hood. You say the spring seat is eaten away on it, but I think that could be fixed by welding on the back side. The new gray one has a problem there as well, as the nut for the latch stem is gone, so that would have to be fixed to use it.
Checking on the parts list for that hood latch panel shows a difference in the 47-55.1 year range between Commercial and Utility meaning smaller trucks and Big Bolts, so maybe that new one came off a big bolt hood.
As far as fixing the original, welding the rust holes would fix it up. I'd try forming a piece of copper to fit in the spring seat to keep from having to grind off burn thru on the spring side.

Hi Kevin,
Your right, that my original could be fixed. My thinking was just that, if the positioning of the welded patch were off even a tiny bit, then that would throw the latch stem end off by quite a lot. In hind site though, I should have given it a try. Yes the gray one is missing the nut, plus the metal around the center hole has a crack that needs welded up. The plus side is that the metal in that area is still heavy & thick. The original doesn't just have rust holes, it is actually eaten up nearly all of the way around the outside. It's just hanging by a thread of metal. Still, it could be fixed, as you said. I think that I'll give it a try. I've got nothing to lose at this point. Thanks as always for your help.

P.S. If the book shows a difference in that piece for the big trucks, compared to the pickups, then I'll bet I have one of each.

Mike - Sounds like this ad is all done then? Let me know and I'll give it the old "poof" treatment.