Hood Hinges???

Topic: Hood Hinges??? (Read 4783 times) previous topic - next topic

Hood Hinges???

Reply #15 – October 17, 2012, 08:59:03 PM

here is the futon hing as requested...

Hood Hinges???

Reply #16 – October 17, 2012, 09:09:55 PM

The hood hinge doesn't just open up, it opens and lifts as it opens, otherwise, the back of the hood would hit the cowl.

Hood Hinges???

Reply #17 – October 18, 2012, 10:03:38 AM

yeah, it kinda rotates on a pivit with a radial swing ... son and i were looking at this hinge last night seeing how we would do it.

it would work but the hood would certainly open very differntly.

Hood Hinges???

Reply #18 – October 18, 2012, 10:27:47 AM

I'm 6'5", if I do anything more then an oil change, I pull the hood off. Just not worth the hassle, prop rod or not. I just hate hitting my head on it.

I would also think about swapping hood hinges, just to make everything simpler, even if its not easier or neccisarly better. I also like how a prop rod will not drop the hood down. I have spent some time working on my car when it snows, or had to throw a quart of oil in, and had the hood drop from snow on the hood. My crownvic is 10 times worse then the bird was in this respect.

Hood Hinges???

Reply #19 – October 18, 2012, 06:33:59 PM

has anyone looked at installing gas struts on the hood?

Hood Hinges???

Reply #20 – October 18, 2012, 10:49:43 PM

Quote from: EFFalcon;400745

has anyone looked at installing gas struts on the hood?

No, I thought about it, but the steel hood is very heavy, much heavier than even my Super Duty, which is aluminum, as is the Exploder.

Hood Hinges???

Reply #21 – October 18, 2012, 11:25:09 PM

My Falcon has a steel hood, with gas struts.
might have to weigh them to get an idea.

Hood Hinges???

Reply #22 – October 18, 2012, 11:51:45 PM

Using the 1987-88 hinges on the convertible was an issue due to the fiberglass hood. The springs kept pushing the back of the hood upward when it was closed.

I tried mocking up the gas struts but kept running into a big problem: there's no place for them to "fold into" when you close the hood.
At least, that was the case with the ones I used (old Ford Probe hatchback struts that had lost their pressure). They kept hitting the strut towers.

Then I discovered the magic of the bolt-on Mark VII springs. Solved all the problems. It's low pressure enough to let a fiberglass hood stay flat when closed. But they're heavy duty enough to hold up a steel hood. They have coils that appear similar to GM-style ones, so replacements are readily available.

The only thing that is maybe an issue to someone else is that the hood doesn't go up as much when it's open. It's not real low, but it's not as high as when there was a prop rod. I'd estimate maybe 2" lower. Otherwise, it's the best solution I've seen so far.

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #23 – November 13, 2021, 08:07:06 AM

Quote from: EricCoolCats – on October 18, 2012, 11:51:45 PM

Using the 1987-88 hinges on the convertible was an issue due to the fiberglass hood. The springs kept pushing the back of the hood upward when it was closed.

I tried mocking up the gas struts but kept running into a big problem: there's no place for them to "fold into" when you close the hood.
At least, that was the case with the ones I used (old Ford Probe hatchback struts that had lost their pressure). They kept hitting the strut towers.

Then I discovered the magic of the bolt-on Mark VII springs. Solved all the problems. It's low pressure enough to let a fiberglass hood stay flat when closed. But they're heavy duty enough to hold up a steel hood. They have coils that appear similar to GM-style ones, so replacements are readily available.

The only thing that is maybe an issue to someone else is that the hood doesn't go up as much when it's open. It's not real low, but it's not as high as when there was a prop rod. I'd estimate maybe 2" lower. Otherwise, it's the best solution I've seen so far.

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #24 – November 13, 2021, 08:09:52 AM

I’m thinking of replacing my hinges on my 85 with 87-88 style. Are they a simple bolt on install or is more required? Also Eric mentions springs from a Mark VII bolting onto existing hinges. Any more info on that?
Ray

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #25 – November 21, 2021, 06:01:18 AM

Eric, I sent you a PM. Had a couple questions about the springs.
Thank you

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #26 – November 21, 2021, 08:58:36 AM

Ray, got the message, and I'll post here for the sake of helping others out if they've got the same questions.

The Mark VII had the same hood hinges as the 1983-86 Cougar/T-Bird except for one thing: they had a bolt-on coil section to help keep the hood up. The coil spring looks just like those on older GM vehicles but it's lower tension.

This is the section on my own hood:

The 1987-88 Cougar/T-Bird hinges are redesigned and have a higher-tension coil. That's fine for a stock hood, but in my case, they were pushing up the aftermarket fiberglass hood too much when it was down. The corners stuck up like 3-4". I also did not want the prop rod solution either. So one day in the boneyard I found the Mark VII hinges and tried them out. For me they're not perfect as the hood does come up just a bit, but it's way better than the 1987-88 hinges. It's a nice solution for any hood though...so long as you can find them.

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #27 – November 22, 2021, 07:09:29 AM

So it’s still a complete hinge swap? I was hoping somehow the springs bolted to existing hinges.

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #28 – November 22, 2021, 08:02:19 AM

No, they DO just bolt on, no messing with changing out the stock hinges at all. Only problem is, bolt-on the hinge section seems to have a unique clip and there may not be a substitute for it. Long as you get that you're golden though.

Re: Hood Hinges???

Reply #29 – November 22, 2021, 10:34:10 AM

Deleted. Did not read the entire thread and Eric answered my question with regards to fiberglass cowl hoods.