Bend in Hood, How to fix?

[prayers1 153]

The hood is new and I think maybe the original hood springs are getting stiff causing the hood to bend when pressing down to close.  If I lean on each side after it is fully closed I can get it to set almost level.

 

I'd like to fix it using a piece of 2x4 on the front edge and pressing down on the center but not sure if I would fix it of mess it up.

 

Any suggestions?

 

 

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

Exactly ...but be careful you can push it to far and kink it ,use a rubber sanding block to help spread the load and help keep from denting the top . I would oil the hinges well 

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

It is possible the shaker is causing the bow if it is sitting to high .

[Dave R. 85]

The 1973 to 1980 Chevy/GMC pickup trucks had the same problem but worse. Those hoods sometimes kinked when closing the hoods. Someone came up with a hood stiffener that went between the hood and hinge and extended forward about a foot. Screws attached the stiffener to the hood reinforcement. Something similar may help.   Dave R.

[prayers1 153]

It is possible the shaker is causing the bow if it is setting to high

One time I tried closing the hood with an aftermarket Shaker Assembly, that might of did it.

Also when closing the hood I can feel it starting to bend at the shaker hole, that might be a weak area.

 

Good ideal on the stiffeners but it wouldn't look good when showing the car.

 

Here's how it looks when I press down on both sides after it's closed. It still has a small gap on each side of the shaker hole.

 

I had an after thought, could the spring settle more in the pocket when I press down on each side. Therefore needing new springs instead of bending the hood?

[Kris 90]

You can try to lube your hinges at the pivot points and it may fix it but I would replace them and the springs. Mine did this too where you could press on each side of the hood after it is closed to make it sit correctly. A friend of mine that also has a mustang said to replace the hinges and the springs so I did and it fixed the problem for me.

[Brian Conway 264]

Looking at the first two pictures and gotta ask; are the hinges all the way down ?  Seems that the rear bolt hole needs to be down a bit more to get the hood to set correctly at the rear/cowel area ?  Brian

[MikeStang 247]

Get the hinges and the springs powder coated and they will be slick as glass.
My friend had his done and now the springs almost are not strong enough to hold the hood up LOL... Its just a matter of reducing friction... Try hosing the springs and hinges down with WD-40 to start tho.

[prayers1 153]

Great ideals all around! Thanks.


I think new springs would be in order since they are originals. I'd like to try that before bending down on the hood.


What color were the factory springs?

[jmlay 80]

If the hinges have any slop they will be difficult to align. Might take the springs off and see how well it aligns & check for slop. Might take the shaker off to see if it is interfering. As Brian indicated you may need to loosen the rear bolts and have someone lift the front of the hood while you tighten the bolts, bringing the rear down.

[jholmes217 65]

I've laid towels on the hood, then carefully set cinder blocks on the hood in the areas that needed to work out warped/bent hoods before.  Done it with barbell weight plates too.  Use washers, strips of wood, or something else kinda solid under the hood to keep it from bending too far.  Do what the others said on the hood springs to keep it from happening again.

[nymustang1969 22]

If when you push down at the back of the hood and it now lays flat, the hood hinges are probably worn at the pivot points. There is a company SMS Auto restoration that rebuilds them. Quality work. He did mine about 2 years ago. Hood now fits great.

[Mach1 Driver 560]

John, I took an autobody class years (and years) ago and the instructor stressed to lube the hinges. I must admit that mine is doing the same thing now too. I think I'll send them to SMS as suggested above in post 12 (thanks nymustang1969).

 

BTW that is a beautiful metalic red- whats it called?

 

not my thumbnails

[prayers1 153]

Thanks, it really pops in the Sun light. Its a 2 stage, Chrysler Deep Cherry Red. You see it mostly on the Dodge trucks and Wranglers.

[Raven R code 281]

I believe hinges should be a cast iron color.

[69RavenConv 286]

I believe hinges should be a cast iron color.

 

Agree, I believe they were phosphate and oil from the factory.

[magician 13]

You can shim the fenders also to split the difference

[RandyBob 32]

I had to shim the finders only a little but mostly I spent 2 or 3 nights adj the hood hingest you would be very suprized at how much they effect the over all hood fitment 

[Ridge Runner 1,112]

You can bend the shelf the fenders set on up ,or down , to fit to the hood .I never use shims .65-66 are the worst ,if you have the fenders off and lean over the inner fender aprons you will bend the mounting shelf down causing the fenders to be lower in the middle than the hood .The 69s are a bit harder with the shock tower being part of the shelf the fender sits on but it can be done .

[JayEstes 172]

I've heard before that it is not good to lube the hinges much at all, as if they are 'too slick' they will not hold the hood up after you lift it.  In other words, they are reliant on some friction to stay up, the springs alone are not strong enough to hold the hood if joints in the hinges are frictionless.

 

Mine behaves kind of similar, after closing the hood, it seems like the rear edge is "up" a little 1/8th to 1/4in.  I can go along and press down on the hood right over the hinge, and this height delta goes away.  This makes me believe it is a hinge wear problem, and not a lube problem.  If it is a wear problem, it seems that one could just lower the rear hinges on the wall to account for this "slop".

 

All that to say, seems like lowering the hinge mount points on the wall of the engine compartment should solve the issue...

 

Jay

 

PS, Oh, and BTW, that is ONE BEAUTIFUL CAR.  Congrats on being the owner of that machine.