question on hood shocks and hood gaps

[dwelle]

my '76 is in for paint, and we're down to getting all of the gaps on the fenders and hood straight.

i've done an all steel backdate and used a short hood with an extension welded on maintaining the original latch system. i used new LWB fenders as well. so the fenders and hood are new to the car.

i put the shocks back on the new hood to set it with them in case they push the hood up at the cowl. they do. the hood lays flat when they're off.

i don't recall having this issue with them on the car originally, although my hood gaps weren't the best.

the hood shocks are URO, and by looking at them on our hosts site, they seem to be the strongest option, and there are others that maintain less pressure.

curious if anyone has any experience on hood shocks potentially pushing the hood up and out of alignment at the cowl?

secondarily, would a softer shock ease the gap down at the cowel, or do i need to chase adjustment elsewhere.

never figured i'd be this close to the end and be hung up on hood shocks!...

[jferrante]

Just a guess but the pressure may be moving the hinge - you could probably put spacers on the hinge where it attaches to the body - this would bring the hood more flush, however may require adjustments elsewhere. Would like to hear a solution that fixes it without creating more needs for adjustment

[juanbenae]

ive got a couple old tired ones ill trade ya?? heck, ill even throw the old fiberglass tent stakes I use to prop when it's hot out.....

[porschenut]

Yes, I've had that exact same issue when replacing old hood shocks with new ones, and so have many others here. There have been threads on this in the past, so you might try searching. I don't recall the solution.

[Uwon]

The whole adjustment process is a real pain and requires lots of patience. Put masking tape on all the edges. Take your time learning how the hinges adjust. Try spacers on the front frunk/hinge which will pull the frunk down depending on the placement of the hinge at the three bolt base. One adjustment the we all forget is that bracket that fits almost vertically between the wipers which actually is used to adjust the height level of the cowl where it meets the back of the frunk lid.
Patience and good luck.
Cheers,
Johan

[dwelle]

porschenut, i searched and didn't come up with anything applicable.

there were washers (spacers) between the hood and the hinge on the bolts closest to the cowl. trying to wrap my head around how that might bring the hood down?...

[proporsche]

Hi dwele..as the boys said it is very delicate work so be careful on the edges so you not hit the body with the ends while opening.
Your adjustment is on the hinges them self.I would in your case take the hood off and play with the hinges untill you get an idea which way they move.
...this adjustment is the solution to your problem plus the shims of course...
Ivan

these 3 bolts on each hinge is the adjustment place

[dwelle]

awesome, thank you.

i'll dig in...

[Uwon]

Originally Posted by dwelle

porschenut, i searched and didn't come up with anything applicable.

there were washers (spacers) between the hood and the hinge on the bolts closest to the cowl. trying to wrap my head around how that might bring the hood down?...

Washers at the rear bolt will bring the hood up.

Washers at the front bolt only will bring the hood down as the hinge has now travelled the additional distance of the washer thickness. Look where the actual axis is tucked under the cowl.

Rotating the three bolt base also moves the arm up, down, forward and aft. In order to make ANY adjustment here you will have to release the pressure from the shock. You will have to re-attach it after you make any adjustment to close the hood for testing because there is always a bit of hinge slop that will be taken up with the shock installed.
Raise hood. Put a thick towel between the rear hood corner and cowl to protect from any accidental hood sliding back into the cowl. Now you will need a patient buddy or a broom handle just trimmed enough to hold the hood just high enough to slacken the pressure so the you can pull out the top shock pin. Mark your starting point with pen markings on masking tale. Carefully undo the three bolts until you can move the hinge base with some assistance. Remember that a small movement here translates to a much larger one at the arm tip so be patient. Re-tighten, put shock pin back in (no need to lock until you are finished) remove towel, remove broom handle and very carefully start closing the hood. You may have to repeat this procedure many times along with sliding the hood forward or back to get it right. Don’t forget the the cowl adjustment in my previous post.
Patience and good luck.
Johan

[bkreigsr]

Since the shocks anchor to the trunk, and are pinned to the hinge, not the hood, I don't see how the height of the hood could be affected.
Unless the pivot bolt (actually a giant rivet) is worn to the point that it has radial movement.
This is not a typical wear issue.
Bill K

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by dwelle

my '76 is in for paint, and we're down to getting all of the gaps on the fenders and hood straight.

i've done an all steel backdate and used a short hood with an extension welded on maintaining the original latch system. i used new LWB fenders as well. so the fenders and hood are new to the car.

i put the shocks back on the new hood to set it with them in case they push the hood up at the cowl. they do. the hood lays flat when they're off.

i don't recall having this issue with them on the car originally, although my hood gaps weren't the best.

the hood shocks are URO, and by looking at them on our hosts site, they seem to be the strongest option, and there are others that maintain less pressure.

curious if anyone has any experience on hood shocks potentially pushing the hood up and out of alignment at the cowl?

secondarily, would a softer shock ease the gap down at the cowel, or do i need to chase adjustment elsewhere.

never figured i'd be this close to the end and be hung up on hood shocks!...

I had that problem when I put new hood shocks on my car. I ended up adjusting the hinges and got it about as good as could be expected. I fought with the hood to cowl alignment for a while then ended up realizing I had to rotate my hinges to allow for better fitment.

BTW, masking tape is your friend when adjusting. I put tape around the opening so if I got out of alignment I would hit the tape rather than going right into the paint.

[Mike Billings]

I think it's well known that the fiberglass hoods do this. Mine does.

So maybe your steel hood is flexing slightly?

[dwelle]

thank you johan, that is precisely what i was looking for.

cheers...