Let's talk HOOD SUPPORT

[badmix]

I seen LMC sales "hood supports" this is to keep the hood from "buckling" when closing it.

Has anyone added these and/or done their own reinforcements. If so, what did you do and PICS are always welcomed.

 

[blazinzuk]

I am sure there are better solutions but I would spray mine hinges with WD-40 about once every 3 or 4 months. My hood progressively got easier to open and shut. After a couple years it felt like it was brand new. Opened easy, didn't take much effort at all to shut it.

So in my estimation skip the hood stiffeners and lube the springs/hinges that cause the problem

 

[dremu]

Zuk's right in that if you lube the hinges at each oil change, you won't have a problem. I use silicone grease, but like a graphite spray or something thicker than WD40 might be better.

Also don't yank down suddenly on the front of the hood to close it; pull steadily. The shock is what does 'em in.

That said, you may need to reinforce the hood, especially if it has been kinked (right in front of the hinges there's a gap in the factory sheetmetal T shape, worse on 73-80 than 81-87's IIRC.)

I used the LMC kit preventatively on a 1990 Burb, but it was barely more than sheetmetal itself. I used thin L-angle iron on my Chalet, like 1/8 thick 1" x 1/2", cuz the hood had kinked and I had to straighten it out by removing and standing on it Some folks here went on about safety concerns and how my hood won't collapse in case of accident; I just didn't want it to collapse when I tried to close the damn thing.

-- A