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Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please #227105
02/16/09 07:44 PM
02/16/09 07:44 PM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,102
Cochise County Arizona
SPWC Offline OP
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Cochise County Arizona
Drove my Swinger up to Tucson today(about 65 miles) and it ran great the whole way. When I pulled into the mall,I decided to pop the hood(Like I have a hundred times before,nothing different this time) and give everything a good once over for leak and such. Everything looked ok so I went to close the hood and the drivers side wouldnt budge.

I carefully drove the car across the street to the Dodge dealership(with the hood up) where I was hoping I could find an old school tech who might know about these old things. This has NEVER happened to me so I didnt know what to do or how to fix it.

A service advisor gave it a shot. He squirted some WD-40 on the hinge area while I attempted to gently push down. It worked,but now my hood sits up on the drivers corner. Is this repairable or does another hinge need to be installed? If this is repairable,what do I need to do to remedy it? The hood opens and closes now with no problem but that corner wont sit down. Ive tried pushing on it and I get nothing.

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Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: SPWC] #227106
02/16/09 07:45 PM
02/16/09 07:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,102
Cochise County Arizona
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Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: SPWC] #227107
02/16/09 08:04 PM
02/16/09 08:04 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,144
Arkansas
340727dart Offline
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My Dart's hood did that a couple of years ago.
The hood spring was so rusted on the inside of the coils that it just locked and I couldn't get it down.
I took the hinge off and soaked the spring with PB blaster to break the rust loose.
After a couple of days, I cleaned the PB off and sprayed a lot of Teflon lubricant into the coils.
Once you get it freed up, make sure to spray the coils a couple of times per year to keep them moving freely.


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Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: 340727dart] #227108
02/16/09 08:09 PM
02/16/09 08:09 PM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,102
Cochise County Arizona
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So you think the coils are just in need of lube? Ive opened the hood on this car at least 3 times daily(The shift rods get caught up between 1st and 2nd gear at times)and its never given me this trouble. Im gonna try shooting some lube on it to see if I cant get to settle down.

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: SPWC] #227109
02/16/09 09:32 PM
02/16/09 09:32 PM
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Posts: 255
New Jersey Bergen
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rjadart Offline
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It may have moved out of adjustment oil and reset. loosen rear bolt on hood and push up on front of hood if you see the hood come down on rear bolt it moved. It might take a little time to get it right. Tighten rear bolt with hood held up.

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: rjadart] #227110
02/16/09 10:31 PM
02/16/09 10:31 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,572
Jacksonville Florida
elitecustombody Offline
pro stock
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Jacksonville Florida
it's possible that the guy that helped you may have bent the hood,make sure there are no bends,kinks around the hinge, I'd take the spring off the hinge and soak it with PB blaster,clean it and keep working it it untill is free and easy to move,then pop the spring back on, easiest way to remove the spring is with hood open, slide tight stack of cards between each coil of spring and then you'll be able to remove spring very easy, hope that helps

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: rjadart] #227111
02/16/09 10:35 PM
02/16/09 10:35 PM
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a cornfield near you
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BlakDak Offline
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Quote:

It may have moved out of adjustment oil and reset. loosen rear bolt on hood and push up on front of hood if you see the hood come down on rear bolt it moved. It might take a little time to get it right. Tighten rear bolt with hood held up.




Looks like the hood bolts weren't tight, and the hood has slipped out of adjustment.

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: elitecustombody] #227112
02/17/09 12:37 AM
02/17/09 12:37 AM
Joined: Feb 2006
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Cochise County Arizona
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Quote:

easiest way to remove the spring is with hood open, slide tight stack of cards between each coil of spring and then you'll be able to remove spring very easy, hope that helps




That is of course after I take the fender off first...Right?

Quote:

Looks like the hood bolts weren't tight, and the hood has slipped out of adjustment.




You mean to tell me theres that much adjustment in those hinges? WOW

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: SPWC] #227113
02/17/09 01:01 AM
02/17/09 01:01 AM
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Eagle, Idaho
Neil Offline
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Eagle, Idaho
The hinges have no adjustment at all since they are attached to the door casing with two studs and some retaining washers.

My dart was like that when I bought it off my brother. The hinge was flexing out to the side and starting to rub the paint off the edge of the fender when you tried to close the hood. I tore the car apart for paint and just had the hinges rebuild. The hinge moved freely when I took it off so I can't say for sure what it was that caused it to stick up like that. Maybe the spring has slipped or is stuck in one spot?

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: Neil] #227114
02/17/09 01:10 AM
02/17/09 01:10 AM
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a cornfield near you
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BlakDak Offline
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no, the adjustment is on the hood, the bolt closest to the windshield has up and down adjustment.

I bet it slipped.

I had the same thing happen to me about 3 months after putting a new engine in. I was checking the oil and went to put the hood down, and it was all screwed up...... I loosened the rear bolt, and played with it a bit, then tightened it back down, and wallah! no more problems.

Check the obvious, and easiest before you go tearing your car completely apart.

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: SPWC] #227115
02/17/09 10:13 AM
02/17/09 10:13 AM
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Posts: 8,144
Arkansas
340727dart Offline
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Quote:

So you think the coils are just in need of lube? Ive opened the hood on this car at least 3 times daily(The shift rods get caught up between 1st and 2nd gear at times)and its never given me this trouble. Im gonna try shooting some lube on it to see if I cant get to settle down.




My Dart's hood gave no prior hints of problems until I had just taken a trophy at a car show and went to close the hood.
I ended up needing to take the hood off the car so I could drive the car home.
I took the hinges off without removing the door or inner fenders. It's tight in there but can be done.


Your life is not my fault.
My life is none of your business.

Speech is free only if you agree with those in control.
Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: SPWC] #227116
02/17/09 02:00 PM
02/17/09 02:00 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 612
Nampa, ID
None2Slow Offline
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Quote:

(The shift rods get caught up between 1st and 2nd gear at times)





Not to get off topic, but his sounds like your synchros are bad. My 63 Valiant convert did this. It slowly got worse and worse. I eventually had to go to 3rd, then back to 2nd to be able to use 2nd. I pulled the trans and that's when I found that I had a couple bad synchros. Just an FYI.

Re: Couldnt close my hood today...Hinge Help please [Re: None2Slow] #227117
02/17/09 06:45 PM
02/17/09 06:45 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,344
Cincinnati, OH
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6T6Cuda Offline
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I bet if you look down at the hinge it is bent, a-bodys do this all the time, if you look carefully when you close the hood they bow out slightly, if some thing sticks or binds, this slight bow out turns into a bend and the hinges are more then likely junk...

Fortunately they are the same (I think) for most a-bodies; this is an issue if everything is "perfect" but the fender keeps them from kicking out too far (thus the one guy talking about scratching the paint) one needs to be very careful when the fenders are off...







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