holding the hood down.

[Makdaddymac]

My car had hood pins when i bought it; but they were installed from what must of been a monkey or a kid. so i patched up the fiberglass and sprayed the hood. it came out really good. considering im waiting to paint the car....
anyways is there any ideas out there cause im worried about it flying open when im in the 60mph plus range. It doesnt move until im going about 60mph but none the less that doesnt mean the latch cant give at 30mph and crack my windshiled or something. Im thinking of maybe some kind of mod in the hinges or something.....

 

[rdharper02]

I came up with an idea not long ago. Use two six inch pieces of stranded wire (small gauge, similar to that used on gym equipment). Get the appropriate crimps (x4) Make a loop on each end of the wire using the crimps. Ensure the loops are small enough to be held by the stock hood latch bolts. Use heat shrink over the wire to prevent scratching of paint. Mount one end using the upper hood latch bolt. Do the same with the other piece on the lower. Now you have one end of each bolted down. Use a cheap carabeener to attach the two. This will act as a safety. The carabeener is remopvable. Nothing more than a six dollar safety.

 

[Makdaddymac]

man can i get some pics or something

 

[rdharper02]

Havnt made mine yet, but will post picks when I do.

 

[Marlboro_Man]

Ha i had basically the same idea, I just haven't had time to go to home depot and get some cable.

I think it would really work to keep the hood from smashing windshields and cowls. At least long enough to pull over and reclose the hood.

I'll post pics if i do it first.

 

[rdharper02]

mock up pic

View attachment 45558

I havnt got around to going to lows and I know your in a hurry...so...the picture is small, but here is a mock up. The green tape will be your crimps. Ask your local hardware store for these. They look like small sections of a double shotgun barrel . The wire used in the mock up is speaker wire, but your local store worker will be able to find the heavier stranded cable. This cable can be bought with a plastic sheath, but use wire heatshrink if it doesnt. The crayola sketch (failed art class) shows the upper safety latch (remove one of the bolts, stick it through the loop and reinstall). The lower represents your stock catch and release. Do the same with one of these bolts. The carabeener is a cheapy that is used for keys etc., but should be enough to hold a light hood.
This is nothing but a safety. If the hood comes up, you should have enough time to pull over and latch it. If not use duct tape....lol

 

[ryan218]

i dont get it. we had out 5.0 at 100 plus and the hood stays down duh . just latch it

 

[rdharper02]

Ford places a safety catch there for a reason. Hoods flex, latches dont catch, or just dont work at times. If you trust yours a 100%...good on you. Im sure youve worked on a couple of Mustangs....do you truly trust Ford engineering? A little extra safety cant hurt. Besides its a hell of alot cheaper than a new hood, window or roof.

 

[ryan218]

or a new head if its a convertible...but still i have never ever seen a hood fly up because the latch failed i have seen them fly up because ppl don't latch them though and that's its.

the latch isn't the problem. its just remembering to latch it.

like even some drag car i have seen that do 150 in the 1/4 dont use hood pins.

i trust mine because i went threw it when i bought it and made sure it all works. none else works on my car. that way if something blows up i know it was my fault.

 

[rdharper02]

Your right, but unfortunately this seems to be a regular occurance for some people. It could be consistant operator error, or component error. I agree I do my own work, because I can ensure the quality, or blame myself if its bad.

 

[MyBad70]

cirvini hoods.....quaranteed not to fly up...without pins

 

[Makdaddymac]

alright harper thanks, so this mod is for the front(latch) and the cabeener connects the two(one on the latch and the other maybe on the frame or something) wires leaving enough room for you to go reach underneath and undo it..

 

[rdharper02]

Sorry for the late reply. Use one of the bolts going through or around your lower catch. Youve got the right idea though. Should leave just enough room for you to reach in and remove the carabeener. Let me know if you get it done before I do. Take it easy.