yes, i need to remove the hood on my 70. unfortunately i have no friends near by, and i don't think my wife can help me on this one. ( i think the hood is heavier than her). any idea on how i could accomplish this task by myself? i do have a lift and eng puller.

on hondas i was able to do this by myslef, but chevelle hoods are huge compare to those.

I have doubts you could do it yourself without some damage to the hood or fenders.

I had my wife and daughter help, worked out fine for removal - to put it back on I'll pull some friends in to help.

Tip: Remove the front bolts first, then the back ones, it can rock on the bolts if you do it the other way.

Wait for the mailman and give him $20 to help you, that's a 2 man job unless your looking for trouble.

if you have an HD or a building supply company they make magnets that can hold up to 500lbs that you can hook up to a hoist. use a mat between metals.

if you don't specifically need to "remove it" but just get it out of the way for like and engine swap, you can just pull the front bolt out of the hinge to fender mounts, and then CAREFULLY lean the hood back onto the windshield, or if you are in a garage, you could tie a rope to the front of the hood and just tie it off so its straight up and down.

I've helped friends pull motors, and thats the easiest way, so there is no need to re-align the hood when putting it back on- just lean it back down. :thumbsup:

Of course if its really got to come off, then this doesn't help at all...

I've done it by myself and I'm not a muscular guy. Trick is to keep the hood from sliding down and going thru the windshield when you unbolt one side and move to the other. You could tie a rope to the ceiling and tie up the hood catch so that the front of the hood is suspended, but then you have to untie it to move the hood and it would be very hard to lift the hood away from the front of the car.
I think what I did is open the hood fully. Went to one side and stuffed a bunch of junk under the rear edge of the hood to support it when you take out the bolts. Cardboard box and rags to prevent scratching ect. With enough support you should be able to remove the bolts from one side and have the hood not move. You really gotta support it well though. Go to the other side, stand next to the car and lean against the underside of the hood with your head shoulder to provide support. Using one hand, support the rear edge of the hood and with the other remove the bolts. Now the hood is loose. Your one hand on one side and the crap you stuffed under the rear edge of the hood on the other side are the only thing keeping the hood from siding down the hinges and causing a lot of damage. Your shoulder and head pushing up against the underside of the hood is keeping the front of the hood from crashing down. Now grab the hood from the side you are on and the rear edge and lift it away. Then seek medical attention for the hernia you've caused.

I've done it once that way because I was desparate. I wouldn't do it again with a painted car. There's too much risk of damage. I'd consider it if the car needed a lot of work. I mention this only as a hypothetical way it could (and has) been done. Not that I recommend it.

I did it myself by putting a bunch of old sheets between the hood & the cowl on both sides. Loosen up the bolts, pack in the sheets, remove one side's bolts and make sure side with out the bolts can be held in place, while you remove the other side's bolts.

My '67 350SS 1st Gen. Camaro car hood!

First I doubled a heavy/thick blanket and put it on top my car!!

I then used a sharp scatch awe to mark the hinges to the hood so it would line up right.

Then I raised it all the way up and put a long board to hold her up.

Then I put some heavy towels under each corner to keep from scratching any paint and then I just very carefully undid each corner and let each slide down into the thick towels!

Last, I just lifted her off and took it straight shot out side so I could get a side bite on her in the grass, then I came back in and very gently slid her onto the blanket on top and there she sat!

And finally, last, screwed my bolts into my hood so's I wouldn't lose them later.

Good luck and I did this several years ago when I was younger so after my lower back operation, I may NOT be able to still do this..

pdq67

I do it with two people, Put the engine lift under the front with a towel, Its down to 2 people. I agree less than two people, ??????
It may be upsetting, BUT consider what may happen if you drop it or partly drop it, windshield,fender, buying a new hood.
If you were in the Pitt, Pa. area I would help. Maby some T-C guys could help. Bob

Your wife should be able to handle it. Mine can and has! Take the front bolts out then take the back one out on her side of the car and have her hold the side of the hood steady. Then go to the other side and remove that back bolt while holding onto your side of the hood. After you remove your bolt just lower the front end of the hood until it is level with the back end still resting on the hinges. Lift and carry forewards until you clear the front of the car!:thumbsup:
If you want roll up a blanket or use an old cushion between the hood and windshield just to be safe!

I've done mine so many times by myself it's not funny.A lot better now that there's a 'glass hood.Seems like I do a r/r twice a year,sans help.No biggie anymore after I figured it out.Real similar to previous post by pdq67 and JohnC.I tape the hood/fender edges,cardboard and towels along the windshield and cowl.Then,I loosen the 4 hood bolts AFTER MARKING WHERE THE HOOD IS ON THE HINGES,remove the 2 forward bolts,then on one side take some of the weight on your shoulder and remove remaining bolt,EASE it down onto the cardboard and towels,now move to the other side keeping a hand on the hood for a "just in case" scenario.Take the weight on the shoulder again,outside hand on the corner of the hood helping to balance (pushing down somewhat) and remove the last bolt and ease this side down like the other but still taking the weight.I then work my way to the front carefully and get centered on the hood.Now it gets tricky.The hinges are still up and will stay that way,I tilt the front of the hood down,when it gets level I work it a little closer to me,being extra careful to keep the hood from dropping off the hinges.When it gets just far enough out I tilt the nose down into my beltline,and with my hands spanning the hood near as I can get to center I curl the hood up the vertical,it is now nose down,I bend at one knee slightly to take some of the weight on my thigh so I can re position one hand on the nose end of the hood so I can carry it and set it where ever.Usually across the truck bed,piece of cake.If it's windy the thing turns into a sail,so be careful.Hopefully it'll be a long time before I have to do it again,but the 'glass is so much better.

Unbolt the hood, get in the car, rev it up to 6500 RPM and put it in reverse. Problem solved. ;)

piece of cake. I do it all the time. Well, I've done it a few times :)

Take a blanket and cover the engine and fenders. Take another blanket and place it between the hood and windshield with the hood up. Make sure this one is big and poofy and thick. Unbolt the back bolts on the hood and remove. Then loosen the front bolts and gently let the hood slide back to rest on the blanket. Make sure you hold the front of the hood so it doesn't fall down. Remove the front bolts completely, making sure you keep the front of the hood from falling. Then, lower the front of the hood and let it rest on the blanket that you put over the radiator support and engine. Now this is where you need some strength in your back. Go to the side of the car and grab the hood at the front and the back as close to the middle as possible. Lift up and back. It's best to have a pair of sawhorses ready to set the hood on. I've done it this way several times, and not a scratch yet.

well the wife helped me. its off now. thanks. front and rear main is leaking. so i figured i would remove the motor, and give it a "krylon" re-built while i'm at it. anyways, now i think the bug is starting to bite. i feel i should start un-bolting stuff "well since this is out, might as well do this, then this, then this...

I removed it myslef. It wasn't too bad if you have the arm length down. I put two towels inbetween the hood corners and the cowl, unbolted it, tipped it up to balance it on the brackets, stood in front of it, grabbed both sides as far away as i could reach, and lifted. Once you have it off the brackets you can tip it up and let it slowly slide to your feet. Same thing when putting it back on, the trick is to balance it on the brackets.:thumbsup:

did it a few times using a few heavy shipping blankets and a few cardboard boxes on the engine. I also mark the hood and fenders with a pensil around the hinge to get the adjustment location right back where it was. The pensil marks can then be wiped off.

I've removed numerous hoods over the years and have done every one by myself. Being 6' tall and built like a linebacker helps. I've got George Foreman mits. Having strong hands helps. I just pulled the hood off a 1974 Nova, with the hood hinges still attached.

Usually I'll just unbolt the hood hinges while holding the hood, move to the other side by walking around the front and holding the hood up, then unbolt the other side and move towards the front. Tip the hood down in the front and place the edge at waist height. Then grab on both sides and lift the back straight up. Once the hood is vertical, you can slide your hands up, lowering the hood till you are able to sit one corner on the ground. Then figure out which way you want it to lean and move to a wall or up against something sturdy.
For installing the hood, the towells on the fender method is good. Better if you have 1 helper.

well the wife helped me. its off now. thanks. front and rear main is leaking. so i figured i would remove the motor, and give it a "krylon" re-built while i'm at it. anyways, now i think the bug is starting to bite. i feel i should start un-bolting stuff "well since this is out, might as well do this, then this, then this...

See! I told you she could get it done! Never under estimate the power (and strength) of a good woman!:thumbsup:

I did it myself also, using a cherry picker. Fist I removed the rear bolts, and replaced them with studs, or bolts with the heads cut off. Attach the front end of the hood to the cherry picker, raise until there is tension, then remove the top bolts. The studs will slip down to the bottom of the slots in the hinge. You can then get under the hood, and lift on the bottom, and push the picker away from the car. A little tricky, but it does work.
Gary

I did it myself also, using a cherry picker. Fist I removed the rear bolts, and replaced them with studs, or bolts with the heads cut off. Attach the front end of the hood to the cherry picker, raise until there is tension, then remove the top bolts. The studs will slip down to the bottom of the slots in the hinge. You can then get under the hood, and lift on the bottom, and push the picker away from the car. A little tricky, but it does work.
Gary
i was thinking about this, minus the stud part. but my wife showed up here at the shop so i asked to help me.
funny when i asked her to help me removed the hood, she had that "ohh no how much will this cost me now" look.

I did it a few times back when I weighed 130lbs... wouldn't try it anymore though. :o

I did it a few times back when I weighed 130lbs... wouldn't try it anymore though. :o

at least not until you get rid of that baby weight :D

I almost removed the hood of a Mustang once, but I was driving at the time! :D

When I worked at the lumber yard I used to throw 2 4X8 sheets of 3/4" ACX into the back of customers trucks.....by myself .....and at the same time !
Think about that for a minute.

Taking a hood off a car by myself is easy.

Now I see why your called MR. Mister. 1 sheet is plenty for most of us.