The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Hood Hinge Adjust ?

Any one have a better way?
Ive tinkered for hrs,I have the hood back as far as the adjusters will allow, still have a sizeable gap at the rear hood cowl meeting area, and seems like the hood itself can go back round 1/4" ...is this just as good as it gets?
as far as being centered it is Cool, I have installed all new rubber stops and seals on the hood, they seem OK,but when I shut the hood I have to push down on the back of the hood a little to seat it,
Im just tryin to describe my hood fit prob, Any One with advise or a tip will be appreciated.
P.S. all new hardware as far as hinges,shoulder bolts etc..
Thanks
Tim

I also replaced my springs and they were so strong that they made the problem worse. If you put spacers between the front bolts and the hood on the hinge it will lessen the gap between the cowl and hood.

I think what you're saying is the rear edge of the hood sticks up. If that's the case, mine did the same thing. What I did was loosen the bolts on the cowl, the ones on the inside of the cab. Then I opened the hood and had someone push up as far as they could on the front of the hood and hold it while I tightened the bolts back down. Seemed to take care of the problem. My hood laid right down where it should.

I had basically the same problem on my 54. It took 3 people to apply the correct pressure and tighten the bolts to get the 1" gap to fit tightly against the cowl.

Loosen the hood bolts, both inside the engine compartment and inside the cab. Place a 4" block on the hood latch plate so the hood is slightly raised. With an assistant on each side of the back of the hood (basically standing over the hinges) they placed one hand on top of the hood near the wiper and the other on the side of the hood. (hands about 14" apart) #3 person is inside the cab with the wrench ready to tighten the 2 bolts inside the cab. The outside helpers press DOWN and BACK with their body weight while the inside guy tightens the inside bolts. Raise the hood and tighten the 2 bolts in the engine compartment.

Once you get your cowl area flat you can adjust your fenders on the core support to bring everything into alignment. If your front cab mounts or core support mount pads are missing or flattened excessively or your hinges are sloppy it will be tough to get a good fit.

I'd suggest you try this first before messing with shims under the hood hinges. Mine was visually terrible and after using the above technique it lays flat as a pancake.

Dave

Thanks Dave. That is the only step by step I've seen on the "hood Problem".

as usual, dave has the answers. cant tell you guys how much he has helped me out with all my questions about my 57.... great guy...

leonard.

Thanks Dave !
will try your Step by Step this weekend when I can some xtra hands to help out, I been trying to do it myself and cant hold it all in place and tighten the bolts at the same time.
Again Thanks
Tim

Like Pablos49, I used the "au contraire" approach. I loosened the bolts, forced the hood UP with a push broom sitting on the bumper and tightened the bolts. I had no luck in pushing the hood down while tightening the bolts.

Before you jump through a lot of hoops, what you describe is a textbook example of a hinge needing lubed. Put some oil on all of the pivot points on the hinge. Out of all the hoods I put on and adjusted as a bodyman, maybe one or two were actually "sprung". The rest acted as though they were sprung because the hinge pivots were dry, not allowing the hinge to return to the normal resting position. Another tip that will save a TON of time adjusting hinges is to mark the fastener positons BEFORE the panel is removed. That way you have a starting point when you put it back on.