I just replaced my old, damaged hood, and the new one doesn't close correctly. The process of getting it balanced to close right seems pretty tricky, a lot of adjuster bolts and shims. Does anyone have any advice for me on this? Should I maybe take it somewhere and have it done by a pro and save myself some grief?

 

Did you remove hood hinges? If not should not be too much to it. I recently purchased my first vette with hood and front clip removed, I am steadily( over the last few nights ) aligning the hood. Depending on your skill level, it may be worth a body man, either way it is a PITA.

 

Align the hood to the doors. The shims will give you the correct, even gap between the hood and door. FIRST remove the hood latching pins (not the bracket or the rubber stop). When you have the correct gap, and the left and right adjustment, reinstall the pins, leave them adjusted out, and pin the latches wide open (I use a 3/8 bolt). Grease both the hood pins and the lock mechanism, and adjust each side bracket untill the pin drops in smoothly to the center of its hole. ONLY then release the pins, and adjust your latching height. Now re-adjust your front bumper to the hood. (Loosen the four 13mm nuts, the two 13mm nuts and bolts on the bottom bracket, and the 10mm bolts on the front inner fender wells. It just takes time and patience. It's very hard to get the bumper alignment perfect, so strive for as close as you can.

 

I have been working on the same issue on my replacement hood for about a week, although the car I am working on was hit in the front. It takes a LOT of time because every one adjustment throws three more out of place. Shims are the key plus up and down and side to side move are also adjusted by the hood hinges I believe when loose you can adjust side to side with hood open and when hood lowered they will then and ONLY then allow side to side movement,

 

Oh, and make sure your hinge pins are tight, a loose one will make it almost impossible to adjust correctly. Compare them to make sure they're not bent up or down between the shim surface and the pin.

 

You have to start at the cowl, once it fits the cowl, you cab shift the rest of crap to fit.
The cowl is not adjustable.

 

I went through this, Gordon Killebrew can tell you which ones to align first and make it very easy. I had his tip book, but misplaced it. I tried for three days to align mine, then read his tip book and got it done very quickly.
Shawn

 

And Gordon Killebrew said? Align the hood to the cowl?

 

How do you align to the cowl? What's the reference point? Not arguing, just curious.

 

Well, the cowl is the reference point. The hood can be adjusted x number of ways, side to side, front to back, but the cowl isnt going to move.
The hood locks to the cowl, (hood latches) the frame of the cowl is the strongest part of the car other than the frame.
The hood has to fit the cowl. Everything else can be ajusted.

What I've always done is set the hood to the cowl, 1st. Proper gap at the back of the hood, and then bring everything else in line with that.


If you start at the front of the hood at the hinges, it might end up right at the cowl but more often than not it will be to far forward or back or left or right.
I always leave the hood hinge bolts losse so you move the hood when its close to closing, then I adjust it one way or other to fit the cowl.
Once it fits the cowl, you can lock it down.

If you don't secure at least one point of reference you be all day going back and forth with the hood fit.

This is what I was taught in the body shop and its always worked for me. (Primarily metal cars)

The cowl isn't ajustable.

 

By the cowl, are you referring to the cowl seal? To someone who's done this, aligning to the cowl is unclear.....

I agree with the poster(s) who says align to the doors first. Do this with the latching pins removed. My hood had two shims under the hinge (on each side) from the factory. Removing/adding shims can help to make the door gap parallel. Or, you can get it close and shave to make perfect.

I found that having two people helps. I also found that leaving one bolt semi-tight works too. For example, leave the front, driver's side lower hinge-to-frame bolt snug. Loosen every other bolt.

Use two people to align hood to the doors. Gently raise hood and lightly snug the hinge-to-hood bolts. Re-check hood to door alignment. If you can't get this far, remove/add shims. If that doesn't work, get it close (making the gap slightly smaller for shaving).

Then snug a second hinge-to-frame bolt on the same side. Check alignment a progressively snug bolts until you get it to hold where you want it.

Install hood pin latches loosely. Lower hood and get them close. Snug bolts very loosely. Drop hood. The cone-shaped latches should force proper alignment. Raise, snug bolts, and recheck....

When that's done, align bumper to hood. The front bumper is slighly narrower and will set inside the outer edges of the hood. The bumper alignment will also require install/removal multiple times. Try about 1/2" worth of shims first. Hang and snug the bumper. Measure the gap and how much you'd like to change it on both sides. Remove the bumper and add/remove shims according to your measurements. That should get you where you need to be. Center bumper as mentioned above.

gp

 

Ok, the cowl, thats where the monocoupe starts, thats where the windshield is.

Its the strongest part of the car except for the frame.
In a wreck unless its a roll over its almost always straight.

The frame can get pushed back or to the right or the left, but the cowl will usually remain intact.

Doors can be ajusted, the cowl can't.
If the hood is straight with the cowl, everything else can be brought online.

You have to start somewhere.

You might say its akin to the foundation of a house, if the foundation of a house isn't square then everyother part of the house will have to be ajusted to the foundation.
That takes forever.

 

Okay, now I'll argue. It's impossible to adjust the hood to the cowl, there is no point of reference, and the winshield won't do. The only way to do this is align the doors to the rear quarter and then the hood to the doors, and then the bumper to the hood. There is no adjustment on the rear quarters, so that must be your point of reference. You can adj the doors in or out if necessary to match the hood width (rare). This is assuming a straight frame/unibody (or within 3/8" of true). Once and only once you get the hood to door relationship and the hood height useing the rubber stop on the cowl correct can you replace the pin and adj its position on the hood to the latch on the cowl. this procedure protects you from torqueing or bending the hood when latching, which among other things stops the hood from latching on both sides when you drop it from say 8".

 

You're rewriting the book on body and fender 101.
The car starts with the monocoupe. Not the 1/4 panels they are attached (bonded after).

Havent you ever seen a car being built?
The main structure of the car is assembled in a jig so that everything esle will fit.
They don't start with a 1/4 panel held somewhere out in space.
But whatever floats your boat.

Ignorance is bliss, this must be the most blissful forum on the planet.

 

Why the 1/4 panel, why not the tailight?

 

Now, now, settle down. I have probably done at least 40 of these C-4s (and yeah, several of them have been convertibles), and nearly that many front clips on C-2's and C3's. I'd pay to watch you hang a hood on a C-4, I'm ready to learn a better way do it, I'll admit my way is no fun (it's easier with the front bumper off, but I don't normally do it that way).

 

PITA