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Hi there. New to the forum, new to corvettes, new to old cars. Recently acquired a 68 convertible. I noticed the hood sits a little crooked (one side has more clearance while the other side is close to rubbing). Is there a way to adjust the hood to even out the gaps? Thanks.
Is it tight all the way along?
The front is adjusted by loosening and shifting the hinges where they are bolted to the inner fender
The rear is adjusted by shifting the hood latches and pins (if it closes and opens good, move them both), be very careful as it's possible to move them and jam the hood so it doesn't want to release
M
You shouldn't need to remove the hood
The hood hinges are frequently very loose on the pivot but will "find" their place.
Loosen the side with the gap and move it outwards slightly and then tighten, then move the tight side.
Just move it a little at a time and make sure they don't shift fore/aft while you're doing it, be very careful lowering the hood so you can see if it will touch or not.
Watch the latches, if they don't feel right, don't force it
M
The easiest and safest way to adjust is to have a buddy on one side of the hood, you on the other. Both of you should have a ratchet / socket for the hinge bolts.
But first, I would lay some 2" masking tape along any edge that might get chipped.
Both you and a helper can loosen the bolts slightly, gently shift the hood left / right, snug bolts, test for fit. If you have any height issues of the two edges matching, perhaps the rubber bumpers are missing that hold up the mid point of the hood.
So you're saying do this before messing with the hinges? I read the instructions and they mention that if the locking cable is not properly adjusted the hood may become unlatched due to vibrations. I'm having this issue if I hit a hard bump like going over railroad tracks.
Careful....starting to adjust stuff can cause some more serious problems. If you can take a sheet of paper and slide it around the whole hood without interference and it opens and closes OK you may want to leave it alone. Also recommend to mark you original positions so you can return back if necessary. I would be glad to have the fit you have on my car but since everything is working right I am not going to touch it.
Careful....starting to adjust stuff can cause some more serious problems. If you can take a sheet of paper and slide it around the whole hood without interference and it opens and closes OK you may want to leave it alone. Also recommend to mark you original positions so you can return back if necessary. I would be glad to have the fit you have on my car but since everything is working right I am not going to touch it.
Good luck!
Redvette2
I was concerned about this when the hood is open. I will check with a piece of paper to see if its touching. I still wouldn't want the latches coming undone while I'm driving though.
The easiest and safest way to adjust is to have a buddy on one side of the hood, you on the other. Both of you should have a ratchet / socket for the hinge bolts.
But first, I would lay some 2" masking tape along any edge that might get chipped.
Both you and a helper can loosen the bolts slightly, gently shift the hood left / right, snug bolts, test for fit. If you have any height issues of the two edges matching, perhaps the rubber bumpers are missing that hold up the mid point of the hood.
This is how my Old Man and I used to do it.......you shut it a bunch of times but better than the alternative.
I was concerned about this when the hood is open. I will check with a piece of paper to see if its touching. I still wouldn't want the latches coming undone while I'm driving though.
To fix my hood would not open or latch issue I actually had to loosen the passenger front hood bracket and move it very slightly up. A fraction of an inch up or down there made a big change at the hood latch area. I went too far at first and the hood hit on the drivers side fender. Took about six tries to get everything right. Also suggest going real slow when lowering the hood after any adjustment and/or the tape as others have recommended.
I will (hopefully) have the opportunity to finally try this soon and I wanted to be sure. From the attached picture of the hood latches, which are the bolts that I am supposed to loosen, the ones that attach the latch to the inner fender (on the bottom), or the ones that attach the latch to the hood (top). Are the holes slotted? If not, then how is this going to give me any adjustability? Thanks in advance.
Loosen the ones that are on the HOOD Holes aren't actually slotted but they are oversize and allow for a little adjustment. There is a little in the ones on the fender as well (if I recall correctly). Remember, a 1/16 move here is 1/8 on the hood (doubles)
M
Actually I think after looking at some pictures, on the later ones anyway the larger holes are in the hood side of the hinge not the fender side. So fender side shim for height and hood side for front/rear & left / right.
M
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
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On my 68 the hood ones are slotted. To make it easier I put towels over the latches so it would not shut all the way while I was adjusting it. I had just gone through all of the problems everyone mentioned except of the hood hitting the fenders this winter. I had everyting off and repainted it and going together was tricky.
youhave your hood attached which is the scariest part. I did it alone and was able to get it aligned nicely. loossen the drivers side and pull it in the direction you want to give more room to then tighten it. You only need to move it 1/8th of an inch at a time. then go to the other side and do it again. then lower it making sure it doesnt latch. This is where it got me. I hadnt tightened up the vertical spring on the hood pin yet and the hood latched under their own weight. more in that later. My hood is evenat the bottom and some of the sides but not the top. I cant get all four side the same and its either the aftermarket hood, or its the way the car is put together
once you get it near where yo want it, use a hood alignment tool, whether is Willcox's or you make 2 out of wood. Make sure they fully seat in the hood latch hole. Mine wouldnt in the passenger side because when it was punched at the factory , you could see the punch didnt make a clen finish and the hole wasnt road. I couldnt take enough material off the tool with 40 grit so I ground the hole round. When the tool fit I lowered the hood an aligned the rear latches. It fit like a charm after that.
Before getting the tool to fit properly, the passenger side latch got stuck 4 times and I had to climb under the carand reach up with a 1/4 inch drive socket to loosen the hood pin plate.......fun
On the hood popping. Mine was the passenger side. I was able to adjust it so that it only poppped once a drive but it wont go away. My friend John K's Dad had 68 new fron the factory and the first set of tracks he hit the hood popped. We blelieve its becuase pf body flex since the 68 didnt have the rear transverse reinforcement in the frame that 69 and later does. I've gottne used to it and I have the passenger just push down on that side when we stop for gas or ice cream...
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; 04-19-2019 at 07:19 AM.
03-12-2019, 06:11 PM
Crooked hood
