[mrmerc50]

I am restoring a 71 Chevelle Ragtop. I just installed new NOS GM hinges. When I open or close the hood, the hood kicks over and rubs the left front fender! When closed I have a even gap on both sides of the hood. This happens when the back of the hood is about 4" from the cowl. The fenders and hood are older repops from 1993. Anyone have a solution or direction to take to try and solve the problem. We thought it might be a problem with springs, so we switched them from one side to the other, and with them both off to no avail. HELP

 

[J70Chev]

no fix, but I had the same problem on my 70, then one day (yearsss ago) when it was nicely painted someone opened my hood and the hood kicked over and put a nice scratch in the top of my fender... never really could figure out how to fix it, I had new GM hinges too.

 

[MARTINSR]

I am restoring a 71 Chevelle Ragtop. I just installed new NOS GM hinges. When I open or close the hood, the hood kicks over and rubs the left front fender! When closed I have a even gap on both sides of the hood. This happens when the back of the hood is about 4" from the cowl. The fenders and hood are older repops from 1993. Anyone have a solution or direction to take to try and solve the problem. We thought it might be a problem with springs, so we switched them from one side to the other, and with them both off to no avail. HELP

You most likely are using the latch and striker to "align" the hood over where it belongs. Remove the striker, align the hood and THEN install the striker and adjust IT and the latch so the hood falls right down onto it.

Brian

 

[TechNova]

You most likely are using the latch and striker to "align" the hood over where it belongs. Remove the striker, align the hood and THEN install the striker and adjust IT and the latch so the hood falls right down onto it.

Brian

Ditto.
MAke the hood fit the opening then put the latch in and make it work without moving the hood.

Also oil up the hinge joints, open and close the hood a bunch of times to loosen them up.

 

[BlueSS454]

First you need to set the height of the hood at the back, get it level with the fenders. After that, you need to set the gaps ont he side of the hood. There are a bunch of adjustments you may or may not need to do one of which is rolling the fender. This is a little difficult to explain with out showing. There is a bolt going to the firewall. You can loosen it and either roll the fender out or in to adjust the hood gap. Another major thing you need to address is this: Is the front end squared up? To check this you need a tape measure. Use the hood stop bolt on top of the cowl as a reference point and go diagonal across the front end to a fixed location such as the point where the fender extension bolts on and do the same for the other side. Once you have established these factors, then you can adjust the hood ont he top part of the hinges. Hope this helps.

 

[storm]

spent about 2 days getting mine lined up many adjustments had to be made but when you open the hood and it swings to one side your going to have to live with i think its just a bad design but open the hood then push it up evenly !! dont open it all the way also a problem with them cars seems the hood lifts higher than the fenders. oh and make sure your the only one who opens the hood.