I just picked up a '70 LS6 and the hood doesn't quite sit flush. It sits up about 1/2 inch from the fender at the left rear (d/s) and ends up being a bit low at the left leading edge. The right side seems to be fine.

I'm a complete idiot when it comes to lining up body panels. I've tweaked the hinge adjustments a bit with no success. I should also mention that when the hood is pushed closed there is quite a bit of tension the last few inches. Meaning I've really got to push on it as if it's bending forward to meet the latch rather than just closing.

Any body experts out there that could explain to a novice what I might be able to try? Thanks!

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LS6, 4spd, 4.10, Cortez Silver
1 of 231 exported to Canada

Explaining or trying to give an answer to a alignment problem without seeing it and how it reacts when pushed down is tough but Ill give it my best.

All right first the hood on the left hand side or drivers sits about 1/2 too high near the windshield right and low in the front?

You mentioned that you moved the hinges around right? Loosen but dont fully loosen them and get a friend to help you support the hood as you make adjustments, loosen the bolts that bolt the hinge to the fender. Push the hinge down and tighten the bolts. Does this make any difference as it should move the hood down to fit flush? How much low does it sit on the leading edge? Maybe all you need is to adjust the hood stoppers up. Those are the little black round rubber headed screws on each side of the core support. Moving that up will adjust the leading edge up if not to severe of a gap.

Also the hood hinge on that side could be tweaked or bent. That also would throw the alignment out in the back and front and cause that tensoin on the hood. As the hinge isnt shutting all the way,bending the hood around until it fits where the bent hinge will allow it to fit. My best bet is that the hinge is junk and you need to replace it, and you can still get them through your gm dealer, part number 3976675 and get a new spring too I believe the right number for the ss hood is 3848272...Eric

Eric - Thanks for the reply. I'll try what you suggested. I know it's hard to explain what to do without actually seeing it. It's not too far down in the front. The hinges appear as new as the car was restored before I purchased it but could still be tweaked as you mention.

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LS6, 4spd, 4.10, Cortez Silver
1 of 231 exported to Canada

Eric, I am sorry but you are not a little off. You want to "rotate" the hinge on the fender. Just pushing the hinge up and down will give you very little movement on the top of the hood.

This is the strange little trick that you have to remember, if you raise the back of the hood on the hinge or raise the back of the hinge on the fender the hood will go up. If you raise the "front" of the back of the hood ON THE HINGE or the hinge to the fender it will go down. What you have to remember is you are working with a pivit point in the hinge, not a stationary part.

If you loosen the FRONT bolt on the hood (where it bolts to the hinge) and put a shim, or washer between the hood and hinge, this will LOWER the hood on that side. If you put that same washer under the rear bolt it will RAISE the rear of the hood on that side.

So, if you loosen the bolts from the hinge to fender and close the hood, the hinge will rotate on down in the front right? This will raise the REAR of the hood like putting a shim in the back bolt between the hinge and hood!

What you need to do to lower the back the hood is to loosen the bolts (only slightly) and PUSH UP on the front of the hood. This rotates the hinges back, thus raising the front of the hinge and lowering the hood in the back.

The hinges don't change how high the hood sits when the wear, not by more than a fraction of an inch. And I have never seen a car with these style hinges that you couldn't put the hood a half inch LOWER than the fenders if you wanted to. The adjustment is HUGE on these cars. That is one of the things that is easy to do on them is align panels.

I recommend to remove the striker or latch from the hood so that you can move it up and down without worring about the latch grabing the hood. After you have aligned the hood, take a piece of dumb-dumb or clay or something and put it on the latch. This way you can see exactly where it hits when you do install the latch. You bring the hood down till you just tap this dumb-dumb but DON'T LATCH IT. Just so the hood makes an indendtaion in the clay/dumb-dumb. This tells you where you have to move the latch.

I do this at work everyday, by my self so if you can't get help this is the trick. Always leave one bolt on the hinge tight. If you want to rotate it back, leave the front bolt tight. If you want to rotate it forward, leave the rear bolt tight. When you move the hood forward of back on the hinge, leave the bolts snug enough that you have to tap on the edge of the hood to get it to move. Or if it needs to go back, leave the bolts a little snug, and wiggle the hood up and down and the weight of the hood will make it slide down. Remember it only needs a 1/16" or so to make a 3/16" or more change at the front. To pull the hood forward on the hinge loosen them so they are still a little snug so you have to pull up on the back of the hood to make it slide that little bit. If you loosen it up so it moves aNywhere you want it, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH YOU MOVED IT AND YOU WILL MOVE IT TO MUCH, GUARANTEED.
Get the hood laying flat first, then move the hood forward or back on each side to make the hood fit the hole between the fenders. If the gap is large on the front right and small on the front left, then the hood needs to me moved back on the right side. As you move the hood back on a side it will close up the gap in the front of that side and open it at the rear of that side.

You may need to move fenders too. Just do each change slowly, move it VERY LITTLE. Look at the bolt and washer as you move the panel, you will see where the washer used to be, the amount is much easier to control if you watch the washer movement. Good luck.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"



[This message has been edited by MARTINSR (edited 01-05-2002).]