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Hood Hinge Question

Posted: April 23, 2014, 9:28 pm
by LM14
My hood hinges (like about everyone else's) are really loose. I can move the front of my hood on the '62 up and down almost a foot without moving the spring. These things are junk and need replaced or rebuilt.

Has anyone used the hinges LMC sells? Are they as bad as everything else from LMC or are they decent? At $59.95 each, including the springs, it would be a way out of this. I've heard/read they were not well built and pretty flimsy. Tried a search on here but couldn't find anything about them.

Anyone actually used a set? Anyone actually had a set in their hands to at least look at them? Anyone else sell hinges that are worth buying if these are junk?

Thanks,
SPark

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: April 24, 2014, 12:23 am
by foodstick
I think the major complaint was the springs, some guys used the old springs on the new hinge body with a good result...

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: April 24, 2014, 2:38 pm
by unibody madness
Have you tried sourcing a set from Tom at flashback?

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: April 24, 2014, 8:32 pm
by 64F100StepSide
I got a set from LMC. They seem ok. Mine were made in Argentina where there are probably many Slicks still going.

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: April 29, 2014, 4:08 pm
by 1964 700
I have a set of Macs hinges, the bolt holes on the firewall have the holes in the wrong place not allowing any adjustment, I had to make some plates to space the hood up to match the cowl, also the back bolt on the hood hits on the hinge frame not allowing the hinge to fold all the way down so I had to hit that area with a hammer, I should have fitted it up before the paint was finished I suppose but time didn`t allow me to do that & I expected them to fit, they are thinner than originals & the spring is a bit weaker, they have been on for a year now but I have been lucky enough to pick up a pair of NOS hinges & will swap over when I get a chance. John

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: May 19, 2014, 7:22 pm
by Leeroy
Hey John, any chance you could take a pic of the macs hinges showing the bolt hole issues? There's been progress my end and I need to get a set of hinges. The mob who sell them down here say he purchases from DC but says they come in a different companies bag. I want to compare before I hand over the $140... EACH!

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: May 19, 2014, 7:36 pm
by Toyz
Man, Leeroy, before I spent that coin for a poor design, I'd sneak over and steal the setup from Mac's truck :twisted:
Paul

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: May 22, 2014, 6:40 am
by Leeroy
I hear you toyz!

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 16, 2014, 10:08 am
by Hookedtrout
I too am at the stage of replacing the hood hinges and searched for answers but not sure I have them so I'm draging this topic back up. There is a lot of talk on here about fit and such of the actual hinge and which is best, not that a clear "Best" rose to the top by any means. However there isn't ever any response as to how well the new hinges solved the problem of a loose hood.

My problem is when the hood is shut the front corners are loose, you can shut it and latch it and lift the front corners, I have put new rubber bump stops all the way around but the corner lift issue is much bigger than a half inch rubber stop, it's like 2-3" a side, to remedy this the previous owner put Kenworth rubber hold down straps on each side near the front, works well but not exactly the look I'm going for now that I'm restoring the truck.

My questions;
Are hinges are even my issue?
Who has the "best" hinges?
Did the new hinges help?

Thanks for any help.

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 16, 2014, 5:46 pm
by jkimbrel65
I have repo hinges on my truck.Fit is excellent after some massaging.The springs that come with them are junk.Swap your old springs onto the new hinges and you will very happy with the fit.


5932


Mike

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 16, 2014, 10:11 pm
by 69supercj
Cant you just tighten up your old hinges? I would think a nice big punch and an equally big hammer would do wonders to take some of the slop out. I've got a set of old ones that I've cleaned and blasted and they look great and feel pretty tight.

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 16, 2014, 10:15 pm
by bossford65
I had this place rebuild my original hinges and they have worked great for four years now. hoodhingerepair.com bossford65

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 17, 2014, 9:04 am
by ras4434
Although I have a real good set of hinges I bit the bullet and bought a front tilt kit from Kevin and hope to have it on in a week or so when I get a break from work. NO more hinge problems.

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 17, 2014, 12:49 pm
by Hookedtrout
Thanks for the input everyone, I have a parts Uni I guess I could pull those hinges and send in for a rebuild and see how that goes?

Does, or has, anyone else had the issue I describe where the front corners are loose like that? Is that common of an issue? Most of the searches I do reveal that the bigger issue is the hood to cowl doesn't line up rather than the front corners being loose, I'm not even sure it's a hood hinge issue, maybe my hood is missing some braces or something?

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 17, 2014, 3:14 pm
by Blackwaterforge
69supercj wrote: I would think a nice big punch and an equally big hammer would do wonders
Words to live by!

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 17, 2014, 3:42 pm
by ICEMAN6166
Hookedtrout wrote: Does, or has, anyone else had the issue I describe where the front corners are loose like that? Is that common of an issue? Most of the searches I do reveal that the bigger issue is the hood to cowl doesn't line up rather than the front corners being loose, I'm not even sure it's a hood hinge issue, maybe my hood is missing some braces or something
this issue is caused by pulling down on the center of the hood while closing when the hinges are too tight from lack of lubrication
pretty sure everyone has seen the 70s chevy truck hoods that used to bend just past the hinges :lol:
slick hoods are curved on the side so no bending occurs there but the hoods are fairly weak with very little bracing so over time they can concave slightly.
i can close my hood with 2 fingers because i keep my hinges well lubed but since its not the original hood the front corners are not as tight as they should be
also the oval shaped press in rubbers are not adjustable, the later 65-66 screw in round type you can shim up to tighten up the play.

the hood to cowl alignment can usually be fixed by the addition of flat washers between the hinge and hood on the front bolt.

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 19, 2014, 11:39 am
by Hookedtrout
Blackwaterforge wrote:
69supercj wrote: I would think a nice big punch and an equally big hammer would do wonders
Words to live by!
Agreed however having the knowledge to know where to punch! Priceless! I have no clue!

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 19, 2014, 11:42 am
by Hookedtrout
Thanks ICEMAN, this is exactly what I was looking for and makes a ton of sense! Anyone have suggestions on a remedy? Weld in some braces to get her stiff again?

ICEMAN6166 wrote:
Hookedtrout wrote: Does, or has, anyone else had the issue I describe where the front corners are loose like that? Is that common of an issue? Most of the searches I do reveal that the bigger issue is the hood to cowl doesn't line up rather than the front corners being loose, I'm not even sure it's a hood hinge issue, maybe my hood is missing some braces or something
this issue is caused by pulling down on the center of the hood while closing when the hinges are too tight from lack of lubrication
pretty sure everyone has seen the 70s chevy truck hoods that used to bend just past the hinges :lol:
slick hoods are curved on the side so no bending occurs there but the hoods are fairly weak with very little bracing so over time they can concave slightly.
i can close my hood with 2 fingers because i keep my hinges well lubed but since its not the original hood the front corners are not as tight as they should be
also the oval shaped press in rubbers are not adjustable, the later 65-66 screw in round type you can shim up to tighten up the play.

the hood to cowl alignment can usually be fixed by the addition of flat washers between the hinge and hood on the front bolt.

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 19, 2014, 8:33 pm
by LM14
A big hammer and punch would not help my hinges. The holes where the pin passes thru the metal arms is all egged out. Tighten them up as much as you want and it won't fix anything on mine.

Guess I'm leaning towards the replacement hinges and putting my original springs on them.

Thanks for all the feedback.

SPark

Re: Hood Hinge Question

Posted: September 19, 2014, 9:12 pm
by ICEMAN6166
Hookedtrout wrote: Weld in some braces to get her stiff again?
ever see a 67-72 hood
big X brace on the underside
makes them a lot stiffer (and heavier too)

aside from rebuilding a set of hinges, yes it can be done if you have the time and a few tools

personally i like Kevin's (kstone's) reverse mount hood kit

i have a 4x4 with a yblock and the distributor is in the rear of the engine and i run points
having the hood open the other way would be very nice.
getting tired of climbing up in and hitting my head on the hood :lol: