crease in the hood

[wazzabie]

My 78 has the crease in the hood on one side. The other side is OK. I don't want to use one of the hood stiffner plates that are made. Since this is metal I figure I could bend it back. I may need to remove the hood. I figure I could apply pressure or use a weight to make it straight. Anyone else been able to fix their hood? thoughts?

 

[yellowK20]

Once there bent there ****ed , the stiffner plate will keep it from bending worse.

Oil your hinges, and our replace them

 

[rampage]

The hoods are weak in that area for a reason. In case of a head on collision the hood is meant to bend there instead of possibly coming loose from the hinges and flying through the windshield at your head. I wouldn't use those hood stiffener plates.

 

[dremu]

I have unkinked one; the paint flaked a smidge and the kink was still visible on one edge. I did have to remove the thing to do it, which is a pain.

Lube the hood hinges at every oil change to prevent this.

Once kinked, however, it'll want to kink again. You will need stiffeners, whether the LMC stamped jobs (see http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/bzc/full.aspx?Page=28 bottom left corner) or just some angle iron.

There is so much other metal involved I have difficulty seeing how stiffeners would somehow decapitate you in a crash. Except, of course, in New Jersey, wherein all accessories for our trucks are illegal

-- A

 

[rampage]

I'm sure the engineers didn't make the hood weak in that spot on accident, I'm sure it was in case of an accident. But maybe it's just me and my old school way of thinking. At least I have comfort in numbers knowing that other's like HarryH3 think like me as well as dhcomp and mr.smartass. I'd rather err on the side of caution and not detract from a possible safety feature. If you'd like to take that feature away then by all means do, at least it won't affect anyone's safety but your own. Hope that didn't come across as me being an a$$, ... just respecting your opinion.

The braces are just a band-aid fix in my opinion. Get to the heart of the problem as suggested by lubing the hinges before the problem happens. Or better yet upgrade to a more modern design like using gas shock struts instead.

 

[yellowK20]

Yeah because every idea an engineer has is a good one.................

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Yeah because every idea an engineer has is a good one.................

Hey now...

Honestly, I doubt anyone here knows enough about crash testing on 70's GM trucks to know how that really affects things.

In an old truck like these, I could see it's ideal crash speed designed to be ideal at one speed. It's possible they designed the truck to have ideal crash characteristics at 40 mph, faster than that and the truck crumples into the passenger area, slower than that and the crash is overly violent. If you reinforce the front end, you may increase that some (I personally don't think a hood reinforcement would really change anything, the hoods bend so easy I don't think they have much influence).

Regardless, if you're *that* concerned about impact safety, you need to be driving a much newer vehicle because little things like that are nothing compared to new trucks.

 

[yellowK20]

Hey now...

If all of GM's engineering was great you guys wouldn't have a Job

 

[82355]

Every time I hear that silly old wives tale about the hoods are meant to bend there for accidents, I laugh. Thanks for making me laugh again today.

Just put the stiffeners on there. Like was posted, you can either buy a set, or just make a set out of lighter gauge angle iron.

Martin

 

[rampage]

I don't know why you're blaming this on a bad engineering design. It states in my GM manual that the hinges should be lubricated every year or more often if needed or replaced if they don't operate correctly. They work for many years until they are neglected by the owner and then fail to operate correctly. If anything, you should put the blame on the owner/PO. It's like not adding oil to your engine and having your (insert favorite engine part here) break and blaming it on a bad engineering design for being weak.

I'm sure the engineers at Volvo had a bad idea too when they designed their hoods. And that's probably why they laugh every time someone doesn't follow their recommendations:
"Volvo Genuine Hoods, for example, are an integral part of the front energy absorbing structure. In the event of an accident, the Volvo Genuine Hood is designed to fold so that it doesn't go through the windshield. It is also designed to stay firmly attached to the car body. Non-genuine hoods may not perform this way in an accident and could pose a serious threat to your safety."

Volvo isn't the only company to have this concern. In fact Mercedes introduced the crumple zone in 1951 and companies have been integrating the idea into their vehicles ever since, including GM. So go ahead and don't believe in science and engineering, we'll see who's laughing in the end when you win a Darwin award.
Now where the fauk is my flame resistant suit?

 

[wazzabie]

So intetesting discussion.... I'm just interested in the best way to bend back a bent hood. Mine is only bent on one side and not all that much. oh course I oil the hinges. I may get some from the junk yard since mine are well used

 

[dhcomp]

So intetesting discussion.... I'm just interested in the best way to bend back a bent hood. Mine is only bent on one side and not all that much. oh course I oil the hinges. I may get some from the junk yard since mine are well used

It sounds like the consensus is that, because its a weak section of the hood, it is difficult to bend back and make look good.

It can be done, but often bends there again once creased. No harm in trying though.

The main discussion is in objection to adding stiffener plates to keep it from bending again.

The risk isn't getting hurt by the stiffener plate, the risk is the hood not folding in an accident like design and coming through the windshield as one stiff, flat piece of metal.

What is the condition of the paint on your truck?

I would think that a "new", uncreased hood could be found for pretty cheap.

Good luck!

 

[yellowK20]

So intetesting discussion.... I'm just interested in the best way to bend back a bent hood. Mine is only bent on one side and not all that much. oh course I oil the hinges. I may get some from the junk yard since mine are well used

You can bend it back and put new hinges on it and oil them every day once it bends it WILL bend again unless you add a stiffner plate.

If you don't want to run a plate then you need to get a new hood

 

[yellowK20]

I don't know why you're blaming this on a bad engineering design. It states in my GM manual that the hinges should be lubricated every year or more often if needed or replaced if they don't operate correctly. They work for many years until they are neglected by the owner and then fail to operate correctly. If anything, you should put the blame on the owner/PO. It's like not adding oil to your engine and having your (insert favorite engine part here) break and blaming it on a bad engineering design for being weak.

I'm sure the engineers at Volvo had a bad idea too when they designed their hoods. And that's probably why they laugh every time someone doesn't follow their recommendations:
"Volvo Genuine Hoods, for example, are an integral part of the front energy absorbing structure. In the event of an accident, the Volvo Genuine Hood is designed to fold so that it doesn't go through the windshield. It is also designed to stay firmly attached to the car body. Non-genuine hoods may not perform this way in an accident and could pose a serious threat to your safety."

Volvo isn't the only company to have this concern. In fact Mercedes introduced the crumple zone in 1951 and companies have been integrating the idea into their vehicles ever since, including GM. So go ahead and don't believe in science and engineering, we'll see who's laughing in the end when you win a Darwin award.
Now where the fauk is my flame resistant suit?

I've seen trucks with stiffeners after a massive front end wreck the hood does NOT GO INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT . it bends in another spot or it bends the stiffener plates .

Show Me one, just example of some one injured from running stiffener plates

 

[dremu]

I'm sure the engineers at Volvo had a bad idea too when they designed their hoods. And that's probably why they laugh every time someone doesn't follow their recommendations:
"Volvo Genuine Hoods, for example, are an integral part of the front energy absorbing structure. In the event of an accident, the Volvo Genuine Hood is designed to fold so that it doesn't go through the windshield. It is also designed to stay firmly attached to the car body. Non-genuine hoods may not perform this way in an accident and could pose a serious threat to your safety."

Volvo isn't the only company to have this concern. In fact Mercedes introduced the crumple zone in 1951 and companies have been integrating the idea into their vehicles ever since, including GM. So go ahead and don't believe in science and engineering, we'll see who's laughing in the end when you win a Darwin award.
Now where the fauk is my flame resistant suit?

Aaaaand this is not in any way Volvo or MB trying to get around the Magnussen-Moss warranty rules that say that aftermarket parts are equivalent to OEM for warranty purposes.

So how come the hood stiffeners aren't illegal to sell, since they obviously make the vehicles into driving deathtraps? (Again, we exclude New Jersey, wherein everything ORD sells, at the least, is illegal )

-- A

 

[dhcomp]

Show Me one, just example of some one injured from running stiffener plates

Don't think anyone has one.

Its just a way to defeat a designed safety feature.

Not trying to start an argument, just making sure the poster is aware of why it was designed the way it was.

Just like its not advised to drive screws through the XJ steering shafts, although no one has an example of one of those causing injury.

When it comes to vehicle occupant injury, everyone around here seems to be fine with each other doing just about whatever they want, as long as they understand what they are doing.

Its not until you are going to cause injury to others that people get upset.

its all good, you are now educated, do as you please

 

[wazzabie]

I figure if I bend it back and be carefull with it then I should be good. I don't care for the stiffeners. Mine only sticks out about 2-3in on one side where it bent.

 

[yellowK20]

I figure if I bend it back and be carefull with it then I should be good. I don't care for the stiffeners. Mine only sticks out about 2-3in on one side where it bent.

Ok fine we get it, you don't want to run a stiffener thats cool.



Now Under stand this, you can bend your hood back . but it WILL BEND AGAIN IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO TO THE HINGES.

the Hood is ruined, the only way to keep using that hood is to use.............................................. wait for it...................................


















Stiffeners

 

[ryoken]

agreed.. but I'm of the "just get a new hood crowd" why even waste time and effort with hokey stiffeners on a "never be right" hood.. stock hoods are the easiest sheetmetal part to find. tho it makes a perfect opportunity to go cowl induction.. heck, I have 2 perfectly good stock hoods sitting out back, anyone want one, feel free to come by and pick em up, soon they'll get cut up into patch material...

 

[yellowK20]

I'm off the get a new hood crowd as well, But its getting tough to find a good non-bent 73-80 hood these days. The China hoods suck, so your pretty much left with a cowl-hood . which is cool or a fiber glass hood which is also cool. but neither is cheap and they have to be painted to match the truck also adding to the expense.