Rusty knuckles
Well-Known Member
Any ideas what's up with my hood? Is it bent in the middle? It latches fine and raises and lowers alright. The front and rear also seem to match the fenders but it's 1/2" higher than the fenders in the middle.
71 charger hood fit
- Thread starter Rusty knuckles
- Start date
Did you buy it that way? History helps to tell why its like that. I have seen hinges that were rusted tight and when trying to close the hood it got bent in the middle.
Arlo Price
Well-Known Member
Are fenders & hood original factory pieces? How is the fit & finish at the front & back of the hood? Sometimes if the hood latch is a tad too far back & the hood is a tad too far forward on the hinges, it will cause the hood to bow. Make sure the latch & hood hinges are lubed & operate with ease. You will probably need someone or two to assist you but you should be able to work it out.
Rusty knuckles
Well-Known Member
Well it's kind of a put together. The hood is from a different car. I'm wondering if others have seen this too. The 3rd gen hoods are quite long so I can see a stiff hinge and a little brute force could do this.
Sometimes you can examine the hoods under structure and see a buckle. Sometimes it is flexed and stretched over a larger area. Look it over closely and play with adjustments. If all else fails you can try to reverse engineer what caused the damage. This requires some out of the box thinking. Bad thing is stress stretching makes it weaker.
One other thing to look at is the fender to inner fender mounting. If the slots show that the fenders can be raised you could loosen everything up and try raising the fenders.
Rusty knuckles
Well-Known Member
I might try both suggestions. I don't need perfect but I'd like to get it a bit better.
The rear of the hood at the hinge area is OK?
71-74 hinges are notorious for weakening and not closing all the way.
Can you push down on the hood, adjacent to the hinge, and correct the closure?
If the forward hinge adjustment is too high, that can cause the middle of the hood to sit too high.
A combination of both could theoretically cause your condition.
71-74 hinges are notorious for weakening and not closing all the way.
Can you push down on the hood, adjacent to the hinge, and correct the closure?
If the forward hinge adjustment is too high, that can cause the middle of the hood to sit too high.
A combination of both could theoretically cause your condition.
moparvinson
Well-Known Member
You could try removing the hood latch and close it to see if it's binding up there?
64fury74charger
Well-Known Member
Check the structure under the skin and if that appears good then it’s a matter of finding the right balance between the hinges and the middle part of the hood to lay flat along the fender. Really long and heavy hood with short attachments on the top of the hinge. Mine has been a constant struggle and doesn’t seem to stay where it’s supposed to be. May need at least one helper, 2 would be better.
My Satellite does the same thing as the post above.
The left hinge is getting weak.
If I push the hood down with the palm of my hand directly next to the hinge, it goes down even and stays until I open the hood again.
The right side is fine.
I've seen them so bad that they wobble going down the road and creep up while driving.
Are your centering spring/wedges installed correctly?
The left hinge is getting weak.
If I push the hood down with the palm of my hand directly next to the hinge, it goes down even and stays until I open the hood again.
The right side is fine.
I've seen them so bad that they wobble going down the road and creep up while driving.
Are your centering spring/wedges installed correctly?
...also I recently learned in another thread that some hinges have different coil numbers in the springs.
I wonder if that is a difference between Charger springs and E body/Plymouth/4 door springs that all have shorter, lighter hoods.
I wonder if that is a difference between Charger springs and E body/Plymouth/4 door springs that all have shorter, lighter hoods.
I have found there are 3 different springs Light weight for AAR/TA hoods, Normal spring for 71-2 RR standard hoods then heavy Duty springs for A/G hood... That being said that hood is bent springs won't help..
64fury74charger
Well-Known Member
I hope this picture helps. This is the spring loaded plastic wedge that helps the hood lay along the inner fender. I have cleaned and lightly lubed both sides and it helps. This is the only picture that I could find that shows this part.
That actually a body Bumper. The spring loaded plastic wedges are located further back behind the hood springs..
https://www.classicindustries.com/product/1971/plymouth/cuda/parts/md2601.html
Last edited:
64fury74charger
Well-Known Member
You are correct and I realized that after posting the picture. I don’t have any pictures on my iPad for that piece. Please disregard my previous message.
I just posted a pic of the wedge location..
64fury74charger
Well-Known Member
Those spring bumpers are barely visible in this picture. I tried to circle them but not very well.
The left side is more visidle.
The left side is more visidle.
1 Wild R/T
Well-Known Member
Anyone ever read the factory service manual body section? There is info about correcting exactly this scenario...
It is suggested to place short lengths of 2x4 under either side of the high area along the edge & and carefully apply pressure to the top side, stay close to the edge where the hard 90 degree fold in the sheetmetal will help prevent denting the metal....
It is suggested to place short lengths of 2x4 under either side of the high area along the edge & and carefully apply pressure to the top side, stay close to the edge where the hard 90 degree fold in the sheetmetal will help prevent denting the metal....
That's why I said there are out of the box thinking for making corrections. I also have some of my own. Not seeing the hood makes it hard to tell whats best to try.
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