1938 Ford Standard Sedan Hood latch?

S

Stokes

Member
Hey Guys- I have to hold up the hood on my 1938 Ford Standard Sedan with a stick- Is this the way they were or am I missing something in my Hood Hinges-Thx
 
There is a tricky little device towards the rear of the hood on the LH side.It locks after you lift the hood right up and lower a fraction.You have to lift the hood a little before it releases so you can shut it.A lot of hoods were bent by people just forcing them down without the little lift first hence the use of props.The mechanism is similar to that used on some trunks.Cheers Geoff
 
Unless you have a show car, do not replace the missing hood prop. Odds are, your hood is already broken and half *** welded at that point anyway, hence the reason your hood prop is missing.
 
I do not have the tricky little device that holds the hood up -my hood just goes up and down and needs a stick to hold it up-so would new hinges have the proper hood prop built in?
 
No. This is a seperate device about 12 inches along the hood from the hinge. One end bolts under the edge of the hood and one end to the front of the firewall.Most mechanics these days don't understand them and just jam the hood down doing a lot of damage.I think some one sells prop kits that fold away.Can't remember who though.Geoff
 
It's difficult to find a decent 38 hood because of these hood supports. They are one of the poorest ideas ever!! They seem to stress the hood even in normal use. And one slipup and the hood is a mess. If you look carefully down the hood line of a lot of 38's you will see the repaired hood damage. Here's what the little jewel looks like. 78-16780
 

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All 37's and 38's had that stay as original equipment.
It's said that service station attendants checking the oil and water were the main culprits for damaging the hood, by failing to lift it slightly to disengage the catch, before lowering it.
Harder to find a good LH hood stainless trim without a kink, than a RH one.
39 standards had a LH 39 deluxe/ 40 all hood support with a slightly modified arm.
Much better design.
 
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