The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Front Hood Bumpers

I am going through the often discussed hood installation process. Not really happy with the final compromise but that is a different issue. I can't remember if my 1952 1/2 ton had hood bumpers in the radiator cover to grill area or not. I originally put bolts or screws in every hole but based on a recent thread and a picture supplied by Denny Graham I installed all 4 in my truck even though no holes existed for the 2 center ones- I glued them in the approximate location as the 1950 model picture showed.

My problem is they are holding the front of the hood up too high by at least 1/4" or more. If I adjust the catch any tighter the sheet metal is going to bend.

Since I am certain I added 2 bumpers that were not on my truck originally I wonder if my truck was used any originally? Even if I removed the 2 center ones that I glued in place, the 2 outer ones are thick and dense enough they will still hold the hood up. Do I just need to give these time to compress,try to trim them down, or eliminate them?

Those that have been through this will realize this isn't just an issue at the front of the hood but it creates a gap all along the hood to fender gap.

Thanks for any advise,
Chuck

Just how thick are the bumpers? How about cutting them down? I measured mine and come up with about 1/2" thick. When the hood is closed I have about 1/4" gap. I can't figure out what sheet metal your bending? If you have to slam the hood so hard it's hitting the bolts, then I'd go back to the hood alignment/adjustment! Note, a properly adjusted hood moves rearward and down when latching.

Is it possible that the inner flange on the hood lip has been bent downward and is holding the hood
up??? There should be a slight gap between the lip of the hood and the upper grill bar.
The correct rubber bumpers are 3/8" tall but the upper baffle sits about in a step 1/4" below the top
edge of the upper grill bar.
That mean the bumper should hold the lip of the hood about 1/8" above the upper grill bar
when all is straight and adjusted.

The front of the hoods take a lot of punishment and it's not unusual to have the edge bent
up or the front lip section of the hood bent out of shape.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Thanks for the responses. I can't measure the thickness of the bumpers until tonight but it's fairly clear that's my problem. They are holding the front edge of the hood above the level of the fenders as well as having a wide gap. I am not bending any sheet metal yet- just feel like if I tighten the latching bolt up any more in an attempt to crush the bumpers the only option the parts would have would be to bend the hood lip.

I have the hood sitting nice and tight at the back. Just not satisfied with the gaps yet and can't completely resolve that until the front fits right.

Chuck

Just a followup in case anyone does a search in the future- I don't remember which vendor I got the bumper from but they were 5/8" tall. I used a razor blade to slice them down to just under 1/2" and it made a huge difference in the hood fit at the front. It fits normally now and looks great.

Chuck