Proper Hood Support Attachment
 

My hood is attached to the hood support with well nuts. In the picture, the fully-extended hood support is attached above a set of threaded holes.

This seems hokey. Is the hood support really supposed to be attached with well nuts? Seems like those threaded holes are the way to go, but my hood support is already fully-extended (locked out) and those holes are lower.

I'd appreciate some advice. These well nuts do not inspire much confidence (you can see the stress is already pulling one of them out its hole).

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...a558eb4771.jpg

What year is your car and what hood do you have?

I know they changed styles over the yrs. That looks different than mine. The two lower bolt holes are for a mercury switch hood light, I believe. Which was on all day at car shows, so it was removed and stored in a parts box.

It is a 1969 with a small block hood

Thanks for the tip on what those threaded holes are for.

Oh, I also have no idea if this is an original or replacement hood. Two owners ago the car was restored and I know at least some body panels were repaired if not replaced in that process. I'm still learning something new about this car every time I drive it!

About 1972 the hood support changed to a shorter one. The long one, like you have was used up to '72.

If your two sets of mounting holes are about 4 3/4" apart, then you likely have a newer hood that was designed to use the shorter support. The shorter support can be used in place of the one you have.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...c9f2df8f35.jpg

It doesn't really matter. Hood supports used two bolts, not well nuts. I'd say someone did a repair.
:thumbs:

I had to google what well nuts were lol. Looks like they are rubber with a nut in there somewhere. Doesn't seem quite right but if they are secure they might be fine. Not a ton of holding power is required there. Mine are threaded inserts.

I would prefer threaded inserts. I might have to source some that will fit.

My 69 big block hood has bolts but no well nuts. The above has been repaired with well nuts probably due to a stripped nut.

Yeah my holes are about that far apart. Does the shorter support only use 2 of the 4 holes?

Thanks for the insight. So my hood appears to have 4 hole positions (blanked off) and two more holes where the support is currently attached.

Can someone explain what the various holes are for?

Is this kind of a one-size fits all aftermarket hood to accommodate several production years?

AH but it does, the hood support for my car uses 3 bolts, if the hood was aftermarket it could have been made incorrectly and someone may have used well nuts to attach the hood.

Well, the four recessed circles seem to be there for attaching something. The top two are smooth, but the lower two seem to have round plugs in them.

It looks like my hood support did not line up with the hood support attach points, so some bubba drilled some holes and inserted well nuts to make it work and get the proper line up in the extended support.

Does that seem to be a good assessment of what I have going on here?

and as mentioned earlier those could be for under hood lights or possible for different hood supports.

My original 69 hood also has those recessed circles right beside the mount with no well nuts but only one set and not two. It's a big block hood though.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...4dbb380028.jpg

My 72 with the same type of prop rod (folding type that came out in 72 (maybe late 71?))
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...117b005ba.jpeg

you can see the original recesses for the longer style hood prop rod farther up the hood and the new "short" location with the bolts stuck in them
The recesses were where the rivets went to hold the metal nut-plate inside the hood that held the hinges and prop rod etc.

My guess is that they had a later hood and drilled and installed the well nuts to fit the early extension prop rod.
Since there isn't anything likely in there behind that location (I could be wrong but I don't see the rivet heads that would be there in those recessed area) I don't think you can install threaded inserts or anything in that spot. Maybe only option is to switch to the shorter folding prop

That said, maybe it's a repro hood that had nut plates in both locations so it fit either style of prop rod and it's stripped... need to know if there is steel behind those well nuts (would be drilled so bit to fit them it wouldn't matter much anyway....)
M

Thanks Mooser. So by that logic, might the threaded holes in this picture be the same ones you are using for the updated/folding bracket?

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...f5cd2a12f0.jpg

Earlier it was mentioned they were for a hood light. But if they are for the shorter bracket then I definitely want to switch to that.

With a tape sitting on the top of the hood hinge like this
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...e1a3cb1f0.jpeg

The bolts for my folding prop (and what I think those two tapped holes you have there are) are here
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...51677aa36.jpeg(roughly 8 and 9-1/2)

and the other two recesses (where I believe your well nuts are) around 13 and 14-1/2
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...044c0f560.jpeg

Now at no time did you mention if you have the proper short hood with the wiper door or if someone changed to the longer hood.
The short hood never had any light as far as I know.
HIH
M

I do have a wiper door. I will check my measurements soon and post them. I really appreciate the info. Not sure how I would solve some of these mysteries without this forum.