The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Hood latch and hinges

A few days ago I removed the hood springs in an attempt to get better fitment. While that worked well I have two resultant problems. One is that the hood latch does not work as it did and it's difficult to open. I don't see how to adjust the latch or if it even is adjustable. The bolts or screws holding it down have a strange kind of head on them...never seen such before or a tool for it.?

Second problem is that when I now use the hold up bar on the hood the other side sags a LOT and I fear it may become sprung. Maybe I should replace the hinges or the spring on that side. If I do the latter I can shorten the effective length by lengthening the lower attachment notch a bit so that the hood fitment to the cowl will remain as good as it is w/o the spring.

What say you experienced Bolters ?

The bolts are clutch heads and the tools to remove them are available from McMaster-Carr and any of the Chevy truck parts vendors. There are three good tech tips on working with the hood and springs. The hood if set up correctly and with good springs does not need a prop.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/hoodspring.html
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/hood_lock.html
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/bodywork/ad_hood_alignment.html

Thanks Brad. I had never seen the top two before. The springs on mine don't look anything like those coil springs though. I'll look for that tool you mentioned...I use McMaster all the time.