'39-'40 Hood alignment

[gkgeiger]

I have read a couple other posts on this subject but nothing is working for me. I am using aftermarket 91A-16796-7 brkts. but the rear of the hood is too high and too far forward. I had a hard time just getting the arms to attach to the hood, the mounting surfaces on the brkts. weren't parallel to the surface on the hood. Are these hinges ever going to work or do I need some NOS or good old parts? By the way mine fell apart when I took the hood off so I threw them in the trash.

[gmc1941]

The hinges should work. Check "Street Rodders" for an article on hood alignment. Strange as it may seem, raise the hinge to lower the hood. Also several articles on hood alignment in the HAMB Forum.

[39 STD]

Gene, I had about the same problem, on my 39, with aftermarket hinges. Using them, the hood would set high on left side but would fit if I pushed it down. The arms were binding up.
I still had my stock ones and I rebuilt them by making new hinge pins.
Fits good now. Try to find good or a rebuildable set of old ones.

[V12Bill]

I had reversed my hinges left to right on my 39 pickup and had the same results that you are having. Is it possible to reverse the hinges on a passenger car hood?

[gkgeiger]

Originally Posted by V12Bill

I had reversed my hinges left to right on my 39 pickup and had the same results that you are having. Is it possible to reverse the hinges on a passenger car hood?

They can't be reversed. As 39 std said I think mine are binding, I can't even push the hood down in the back.

[19Fordy]

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This is just pure speculation, but I bet the rivets in the "repop" hinges are just too tight.
More play might help?

[gkgeiger]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

This is just pure speculation, but I bet the rivets in the "repop" hinges are just too tight.
More play might help?

My first thought exactly, so I removed them and made sure they would move freely. I've done a little bending and tweeking on them and have made an improvement, but I'm still not pleased. I'm on the look for a '39 -'40 guy in my area to beg for some help.

[DICK SPADARO]

Before criticizing the part because it is a reproduction you will have to determine if the problem is in the part, the hood or the installation.

First to examine is the hood. If the hood has been tampered with or repaired at the rear hem where the sheetmetal folds over the rear hood mount brace. If it has, that is a sign of potential problem.

Second place to look is the hood to hinge mount panel this panel should be positioned tightly against the hood sheet metal , if there is a bow in this bracket to the center of the hood the alignemt of the arms will be disturbed.

Third, at the attachment point of the hood hinge arms to the hood ther should be a 3/8" x 1/4" threaded shouldr that sticks off the hinge mount panel. this shoulder is the bushing that the hood actually pivots on. If this shoulder is worn or rusted off the hinge mount panel you will have to construct a new hinge pivot using tubing as a spacer so you can get the hinge to rotate properly.

Fourth position the hinges on the body and view the hinge front to rear. Position the arms vertical and insure that the arms transition perpendicular to the firewall as the operate. If they are bent inward or outward as the rotate they will bind on the hinge mount during opreation and will not allow the hood to fall on the cowl.

Fifth, use the correct short 1/4" hex bolts for the hood hinges, if you have a stepped bolt with a shoulder it is the wrong bolt and will damage the hood.

[gkgeiger]

Dick,
Thanks for the reply. I'm good in all areas but I haven't checked item four. Will do that next.

[39 STD]

Gene, this is what I did. Lay the hood upsidedown with hinges installed and check to be sure both are freely moving thru their cycle. You'll be able to see which hinge is binding and where.

[flatmotor40]

I had the same problem with repops and the hood would not go down in back at cowl so I cut arms and rewelded them and now it worked for me arms were a litttle longer than org

[gkgeiger]

I just thought I'd show you the difference between the aftermarket and old worn OEM hinges. I'm so happy I could S%$!. All I did was remove the new ones and replace with old originals. I bought them on Ebay for $31 shipped. If I made minimum wage I would have earned a lot more then that for the time I had invested in trying to make the new ones work.

before right side:


After:


before left side:


after:

[19Fordy]

Gene, That is excellent. It sure is a nice feeling when you solve such a critical problem. Well done.

[okiedokie]

Boy, my Drake hinges could not fit and work any better.

[gkgeiger]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Gene, That is excellent. It sure is a nice feeling when you solve such a critical problem. Well done.

It sure is. I lost a lot of sleep over that thing.

Originally Posted by okiedokie

Boy, my Drake hinges could not fit and work any better.

I'm sure you're not the only one, but for me they didn't work at all.

[3340]

Good Job, Nice Fit, It Pays To Be Patient,

[Karl Wescott]

THANKS FOR THE FOLLOWUP

Our experiences with the repro hinges are that the bases (which bolt to the body) are OK, the arms are horribly misshapen. All of the offshore (Vintique, Dales, Drakes) are similar (early Drake were US and better).

Just as a review for those who cannot find good originals:

Start by aligning the cowl/fenders/hood/grille without hinges. If this is not right the hinges cannot correct it.

The first part of the hinge fix is to first rebend the arms so they work square to the center plane of the car, out of the box they are angled and bend skewed.

The second part of the fix is to tighten up the bends on the rear arm so the hood sits at the proper height when down. (the back arm controls this)

The third part of the fix is to adjust the bends on the front arms so the hood sits properly front and back.

A pain in the anterior anatomy however sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

[Roger/Sacramento]

If I ever do another 40 coupe or 41 pickup I will assemble the front end with no motor and crawl inside to observe and make adjustments.

[nospartsman]

Here is one area that hasn't been mentioned, on 1939 Dlx and 1940 Standard and Dlx the straps where your hood hinges bolt into are often misshapen from the old worn hinges. This strap metal lays very tight to the hood when in pristine condition, it gets bowlegged when distorted. Again this is the metal strap that has the two shoulder receivers for the hood hinges on the cowl to bolt into. These straps must lay tight to the contour of the hood. Check this area first, they will bend inward in the direction of the center of the car. Most hoods have some distortion in this area, if not cracked and torn loose from the weld and the back of the hood. I have some NOS 1939/40 hood hinges but one side only, check the swap meet section soon.

[cryobug]

Align the hood to the cowl then move the fenders to match the hood.