Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

When I purchased my '28 (halted restoration), the fellow who painted it had it "tacked" together just enough to deliver it to the previous owner. It had no fender or cowl welting and fenders were attached with a couple of bolts. I removed fenders, running boards, and splash panels to do the fenders and loosened the cowl for welting. I got everything to bolt up fine except for the hood (removed for painting). It fits tight to the cowl on the right side, but with a larger gap on the left at the cowl. Also the hood does not "roll" with the contour of the cowl very well. It gaps at the rounded corners before it drops to the louvered side panels. I have rolled up some towels to place under the raised hood and then tried to gently bend a better curvature. Long story short, it there a thread or help file for this problem? Thanks for any suggestions. BW

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

I think I would take the hood apart and set each piece on individually to see where the problems are. If it's painted with the new auto paints, you should be able to carefully bend it without cracking the paint. Stretch a string from the center if the gas cap to the center of the radiator cap to see if it intersects the rear hood rod clip. Your radiator may need shimming or deshimming on one side or the other. Hood alignment is often a hastle. Keep trying.

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

I'm having the same trouble with my hood (29 coupe). I've raised/lowered the radiator. Tried adjusting the support rods. Moved the shell in and out up and down but still uneven where it meets the cowel. I even shimmed up the front of the body.
Pete

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

Bob & Peter,

Did you check the frame for diamond and sag? This is a BIG deal. There should be
some posts...check the search section. The body needs to be off the frame, but
somebody had a post about checking with the body on, I think.

Dudley

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

Thanks Dudley, I didn't mean to but in but it seems that the cowel is always an aggravation.
Pete

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

i'll bet they didn't fit that well when new from the factory. if things fit "perfect" it ain't real....

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

You might want to reconsider making that bet. Based on the many factory photos that many of us have seen and studied, that really is not an accurate statement. Because of the sheer amount of vehicles being manufactured each day, and because of the many fixtures & jigs used during assembly, everything fit "very well" (correctly).

Shoddy construction never lasts very long, ...and notice how well these cars have stood the test of time.

.

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

Brent is right on that. Just attend a national meet and look at some low mileage original Model A's like Dave Lopes' 29 and you sill see how well the doors shut, how nice the hood fits, and how quiet the engine can be.

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

Just how much of a gap are you talking about.(pic's) There isn't a chance you have a 30-31 hood. I've seen such things happen.

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

Dudley is probably correct. It probably has to do with frame sag. However you don't have to remove the body to deal with it. I have a piece of 6" I Beam about 12 feet long that I slip under the car, then wrap a chain around the I beam and the frame front and rear, and put a bottle jack between the I Beam and the frame at the rear motor mount. Then slowly jack up the frame until the chains are tight. Then watch the gap between the hood and cowl as you continue to jack. As the frame straightens the gap closes. Here is an article in the subject: http://www.icehouse.net/overland/framestraight.jpg

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

I forgot to add, if the car was " T Boned " , would show up when checking for
diamond also.

Dudley

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

:D May be but the thing is, while I personally do not enjoy, --nor care to work on electronic controls and in tight places, today's kid don't know any better, so they dive right in on the "rice rockets" and tuner cars cramming all kinds of "plumbing" (turbos, intercoolers, tubes, etc.) in these narrow spaces like its no big deal.

The true question might be, WHAT will be popular 30-40 years from now that everyone will be wanting to restore? A Prius???http://model-a-ford.com/LOL.gif

.

Re: Hood alignment on 1928 AR Roadster
 

i am prestenly doing my hood on my 29 coupe. it is not a easy process to align the hood. i have done this several times on other a's i have done. i also have seen factory photo's where ford put the hood's on metal jigs to check the fit on them before they were installed on the car. you can put some spacers under the cowl hinge pivot, either the right or left side depending on which side you are wanting to adjust. you can also shim either side of the radiator. is your hood an original or repo. sometimes the repo's are not stamped true. it is one of those adjustment's that take's time. after i get mine done i will post and tell you how it went and what i did.