1946 Ford hood adjustment.

trainguy

Well-known member
Both my 46 Ford and Merc. the hood does not fit at the cowl.On both cars the hood is raised up about 1/8" from the cowl seal.I can push it down somewhat but when I drive it raises back up.How do I adjust the hinges for this problem? Thanks Phil
 
Our '47 Ford Convertible has a similar problem. I was able to correct it for a while by adjusting the hinge where it mounts to the cowl, from inside the car. That fix lasted for a while but now the hood is back where it was before the fix. I also need to fix one of the hinge arms on the driver’s side as I think the cage nut is stripped, that has caused the hood to move out away from the cowl on the side.
 
Be sure that the Hinges are Ok and not "sloppy".
You need to remove them to be able to check them properly.

When they are good the hood will fit nice.
 
Good advice. No slop. This may not seem right, but to lower the hood, loosen the bolts on the hinge and raise the back of the hood. Then without letting the hood move tighten the bolts. Helps to have someone to help with this and might take a few adjustments to get it right. Tom...
 
This procedure was posted by “Blue Coupe” a couple of years ago.
I loosened the bolts, shut the hood and moved it around to where I liked it. Before I shut the hood I had removed the rubber cowl lacing and taped the cowl with a good layer of masking tape to protect it. The hood ends up lower than it needs to be at this point. (The cowl lacing, when replaced, will hold the hood up to the right level.) Then I tightened the bolts inside the car. That holds the back of the hood down where it belongs. Next, I reopened the hood to adjust the hinges and tighten the remaining bolts. They have to be loosened and tightened a few times to complete the adjustment, but don’t loosen the bolts inside the car or you will have to start all over. If, when you’re finished, the hood and cowl line up, but there is a big gap between the fenders and the hood, the fenders and grill assembly will have to be raised and adjusted to finish the job. Hope this helps.
 
I found that if you can take off the hinges and check the play.. Sometimes you can heat the rivit cherry red and hit it with a punch. It will take the slop out of them. Ken
 
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