The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk hood prop? 1941 1/2 ton chev

So I have a new project. The 1941 chev 1/2 ton pick up has been sitting in a garage for the last 6 years. When the owner last drove the truck, it ran ok but would not stop. No brake pedal at all.
First rattle out of the box, I open the hood just to give a look at the engine. Thats when I noticed that it had no hood prop. Did it ever have one? Or two as the case may be? :confused:
It seems to me that witout a prop to support the hood half the 2 hoods would rub and scuff or damage the hinge from the extra strain.
Thanks James

James, they didn't have a hood prop though some after market ones are availabe. The rear hood corner had a small rubber or leather pad on it and it let the hood rest on it's corner on the top of the cowl when open. Got any pictures???

actually they did have hood props, but they rarely survive - the rubber corner thing is what's being used here , but it doesn't give very good access if yer doin more than checkin the oil - the real prop can sort of be seen here - it pivoted on the back of the brace bar, with a notch at the end to hook against the rod that actuates the latch, and included a cloth strap that attached to that rod to pull it up when the hood was opened

mostly by the time these trucks were 10-15 years old no one cared about buggering the paint or hood hinge and just let it flop over on the other side when opened, and the first time those rods were removed for major work, the props were left off

my 46 GMC that had about 28,000 miles on it still had them, but I never got a good pic surely someone here with a deco model has them still and can provide dimensions, they'd be easy to make

Bill

Well guys that is service, now I need to hit some swap meets with my list.
Well I dont have any pic,s yet, but I will add some in future posts.
I know I will need more info. I have had the truck for 48 hours now and have already found that it had hood props (missing), has had engine replaced with a 1956 230, and has been converted to 12v. On the plus side I found a 41 engine complete and running (when removed) and transmission. I found these at my volkswagen club meeting last night.
She is black and deep green, everything works but the brakes. I will start on them tonight.
Hey? What is the going rate on an origional 1941 engine and transmission?

Hello,

You might find this link useful http://www.tocmp.com/articles/TIPS/ChevTruckTIPS/Tip107A.pdf

Randy B.

red58 -

I think the hood prop you show in a picture as original equipment was probably added to that truck. The trucks never had a hood prop. The dealers used to install after market hood props, but they are not considered original equipment.

By request, dealers were asked to add the car horn bar on trucks that allowed the truck to be equipped with the Town and Country horn set that was a popular item. If a horn bar was added, there wasn't any room for many styles of the hood prop. That was a contrubuting factor to a low installation usage of the after market hood prop.

There have been several companies that have made after market hood props through the years. That is a picture of an aftermarket hood prop. At this time, the Gennie Shifter Company makes an after market hood prop that looks very similar to the picture you posted. I've got one on my truck and it looks similar to the one in the picture. It appears that above mention TIP is another answer to an aftermarket hood prop. All of the information supplied does not point to it being anything other than an after market hood prop.

Joe

beg to differ Joe - that TIP is from the factory hood support on Jim Proffit's truck, and seeing it now I recall him talking of it - too bad he doesn't post here anymore, but Randy may be able to add something

note it states "from all indications the hood prop shown may have been a factory item..." and it's identical to every one I've seen on a Deco truck that has one, CDN and US, never seen any other style - if there was an aftermarket for such there would be any number of different configurations, as is the case with all "better mouse traps" - note also that when closed it lays flat against the cowl and at no time would it interfere with anything under the hood

you'd hafta come up with some real factory info to back up the opinion that GM would have made a hood like that with no way to support it when open other than those rubber corners, which I doubt were intended for a support, but more likely just to prevent scratches, just like the early Ford trucks that have the same rubber corner on the butterfly hoods

I really can't believe the N Dakota farmer that was the original and only previous owner of my 46 would have wasted any extra cash on something like add-on hood supports!

Bill

Bill is correct. The little rubber/plasticky thing on the corner of the hood is there to keep you from messing up your paint when you prop the hood up on the cowl.

They are the ONLY hood props that came on the Liberty and Victory Series trucks.

I've seen several homemade ones (all of which are quite ingenius) and there was, I believe, an aftermarket dealer installed version that was available, but most mechanics did what I do when they got tired of wanging their heads on the sides of the hood.

They'd let it flop over onto the other side.

Or, if they were really cheesed off, they'd just take the whole bloody thing right off. (I've done that, too!)

The hood prop shown in the great drawings and on my red 46 are original. The story as I heard it, these were GMC items, just to keep a step up from Chevy. Met a guy at a car show with them in the orginal GM package, they also came with a lanyard that would lift them up from under the hood as you raised the side. The ones on my truck are from stainless, as I copied my original set that were pretty rusty.

Another GMC item on my truck is the front bumper, twice as thick as the Chevy, GMC was all heavy duty stuff.

Also, per the original instructions, the notched tip of this prop was for resting the opening rods inside the hood and not for the edge of the hood side.

So what is an original set of props off a 46 GM worth?

Interesting discussion. I have seen many 41-46 Chevy trucks and have only seen the hood props one time on a 46 GMC. Jim Profitt's truck is a 39 GMC.

OK, Guys - I give up!

I was next to sure that Chevrolet didn't offer this accessory. I'm going to go with you on this. GMC, then, just like today, did have a few hat tricks over Chevrolet, but I still contend that if you saw any on a Chevrolet, they were an aftermarket item installed by the dealer, or someone who bought them from a GMC Dealer. I think that the foregoing statement is correct and still allows hood props to be found on some Chevrolet trucks. The statement, "...may have been a factory item..." pretty well speaks for itself, the key words, "may have been".

The real deal is that the trucks need them and if you can't find an NOS or some good old originals, Gennie does make a nice hood prop.

I think I have done a nice job of gracefully backing out of what could have been an argument!

Joe

Looks as thow I sturred up a hornets nest on this one. Thanks for all the input. I guess I realy just need to build something to hold the hood for now, and look at other trucks to see what ingenious props other ppl. have come up with. James

Oh Randy I just saw the link on the hood prop and am printing it off now. That is very helpfull thank you. I can build a couple of these in no time. James

I didn't even think about the GMC being different.

Yes, the GMC trucks were nicer, and "heavier", and came with options that weren't available to the Chevies.

But -- I am sure that the Chevies didn't, and I was going by what Toyvo said he had.

red58
Your correct, I used the picture in 04 to make
a pair for my truck. Works great.

yeap two words "Just GMCs" is that a word?

Someone mentioned something about an original 41 engine and tranny? I would only buy that if your not going to drive it. They have no oil pressure and almost all 41-46 trucks had them replaced with a later motor.

I reposted the engine thing in the engine forum. It gonna be a parade truck, and it is to close to orig. not to put he back orig. Her name is Betty Boop.

I've seen a whole bunch of '41 thru '46 chevy trucks 'farm fresh' and have never seen any hood props on them, or any indication there ever was a hood prop on 'em.

I just let my hood flop over on the other side.

And that is the way I have seen alot of trucks done. But a neat prop would be cool.

I know that this is an old discussion but I saw this hood prop at a local car show. Unfortunately, the guy who owned the truck didn't remember where he got it. If anyone knows of a source let me know.

Don

Toyvo, Red58 is correct about the GMC having a hood prop, but it was never offered on the Chevrolet. The 235 engine was an option in 41 for these trucks so if it has the 235 pressure oiler why change it!! We need PICTURES !!!!!!

I have a hood prop like the one Down2sea posted. A couple of years ago I went to look at a 46 parts truck and should have taken some photos for the, ran when parked. After we brushed the leaves and pine needles off the hood so we could open it there were the hood props with rusted cotter pins and castle nuts it sure looked original or at least a dealer installed option. They sure weren’t new. I had not seen ones like it so I bought the truck. A little cleaning and paint and they work nice.

I have seen many 41-46 as well and no hood props on them. I think Bill is putting his opinion as fact when he shouldn't. You can beg to differ all you like but please show us some FACTS that it IS an original part. My 35 Dodge sedan has the same style hood with leather/rubber corners and no hood props. Whether they were aftermarket or GMC originals you can probably find something to work. Just don't waste your time searching for "original" Chevy ones.