air grabber hood flex - it it common?

[Deleted member 214]

The hood on my 70 Air Grabber car has always flexed and sound tinny when I shut it. I can see the back of the hood in front of the cowl bounce. I though it was because the goop between the brace and hood skin was loose, which it is on my car. I was at a cruise today and another 70 air grabber car pulled up next to me. When he closed his hood to leave, his sounded and looked just like mine! He and his buddy (who knew these cars enough to point out that my horn was in the wrong position, and recognized the V code on the VIN) said due to the weight of the air grabber, and that a lot of the hood bracing had to be cut out for it, they all did that. Please, if you have a 70 with air grabber, let me know if your hood sounds like a trash can lid too!

 

[jaws]

Yep, trash can full of tin cans.

 

[kiwigtx]

Nope, mine sounds fairly good considering how much bracing was cut from factory to fit the A/G unit. I think that my painter might have added some extra glue to the frame prior to painting, but apart from that it sounds fine. I never slam my hood down (only Chebby guys do that) - always carefully closed. :headbang:

 

[70beeper]

I owned a 70' Road Ruuner in the early 1980's & it had the turn signals in the hood and a crack in the hood, it started at the base of where the call out bolted on, I recall seeing a few more back then with the same crack. It was there when i bought it, BTW I never slammed hood shut, there is enough weight for it to close.

 

[Deleted member 214]

I don't slam it down, I drop it and usually just close it with hand pressure. Still sounds like a trash can, still flexes.

 

[NJRR]

I never noticed any flex in mine. I also lower it down tho and then close it with hand pressure.

Not to hijack the thread, but can someone post a pic of the hood lift spring and how it attaches to the rad support? Looks like a tiny tab broke off of mine opposite the hole where the spring end goes in. I have also seen pics that had small clamps screwed into the rad support that hold the spring down. Anyone know what they are called and/or where to get them? Thanks guys.

 

[Photon440]

No flexing or low-rent sounds out of my hood either. And while there may be some bracing cut away, the stiff A/G housing bolted fast to the hood seems to more than make up for it on my car at least.

 

[HawkRod]

I haven't seen any flexing from my hood. It sounds solid and sits well when I'm driving - at least it did before I tore the car down for restoration!

 

[biomedtechguy]

If anyone has a spare, I will gladly field test it and submit timely reports ;-)