I may have the nomenclature wrong, but I think this is the "hood former". Anyway, I'm trying to remove it from my 16 touring (although the body may be a later model). I have removed the four bolts that I can see - attaching it to the firewall, yet it does not want to give from the bottom. I don't see any other attachments - am i missing something?

Thanks guys,

Michael

There are four more holding the fire wall brackets to frame. Getting it off will help,but getting the wood out is a bear.

Jack - I see other bolts going through the fire wall, but I don't see how they might might be connected to the hood former. Are the four you are refering to hiddden in some way?

The wood firewall has to come out with the hood former. The firewall is fitted into the hood former metal.

Hmmm..thanks Leon. The reason I am trying to get the hood former off at this point is because I'm trying to remeove the bolts that hold the steering bracket tot he firewall. I can't get to them with the hood former in place. A chicken or the egg delema. I nned to replace the fire wall anyway, so may just cut the darm thing out.

Michael -- The hood former fits over an 11/16" thickness of wood. The firewall should be made of 3/4" material with a 1/16" x 1/4" rabbet around the passenger-side edge so it will slip into the hood former. Someone may have forced a 3/4" dash into the hood former, which as Uncle Jack says, makes them a bear to get out of there. Even when they have the 1/16" rabbet, sometimes they are difficult. Usually you can reach the nuts you are talking about with an open-end wrench, if you hold your mouth right.

The four bolts I were refering to are between the hood brackets and the frame.

Don't force it Michael.... Use a bigger hammer! (Just kidding) Mike is right there's only about one way on and one way off with those 15-16 style hood formers. Good luck...

I just put the motor in Brent's 16 after installing a scat crank so the firewall had to come out. I removed the four bolts you show and the firewall bracket bolts, 2 each side and the former just tapped up with a rubber hammer and slid up and off.

Just so you won't be confused - only the early '15 firewalls were 3/4" with the rabbet around the edge to reduce it to 11/16 where the hood former edge slips over it. In early to mid 1915 they changed the entire dash thickness to 11/16 and it remained that thickness for the rest of production until the all steel dash began in 1923.