MTFCA Forum

Are all 4 springs the same length?

Same length x 4

FYI

a) there are wood blocks which belong between the sheet metal hood strip and the frame rail

b) the washers supplied in your kit are too large and should be JUST smaller in diameter than the holes in the frame

c) the whole mess should be pre-assembled on the bench and then lowered onto the car...no fiddling with cotters in a confined space inside the frame rail or under the splash apron

I have the wood blocks.
Don't have smaller washers.
And there's no way the assembled headache will go in thru the frame from above without substantial drilling. Not drilling. Gotta be another way. Like cutting the spring length down.

Buy smaller washers or grind the OD down to fit through the holes.

Professor Fate wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:32 pm

I have the wood blocks.
Don't have smaller washers.
And there's no way the assembled headache will go in thru the frame from above without substantial drilling. Not drilling. Gotta be another way. Like cutting the spring length down.

Make the washers you have smaller. File or grinding wheel

well, heck, I wouldn't drill out my frame to accomodate wrong, $.10 washers either!

There's noting wrong with putting things together correctly, and several respondents have explained what needs to be done. It seems like you're simply determined to cut the spring, so go ahead do that and let everyone know how that works out for you. It's not like the wheels are going to fall off if you do...

You asked what you needed to do (cut off the spring?), and now you know (which is not cut off the spring). Not sure why you'd ask the question and then not take easily executed advice...

I just got through installing one on a 20. I used a large washer and it fit under the frame. I had trouble getting the spring compressed to put through the cotter pin. I put the handle with the spring on it in a vise and used a thin piece of stainless wire through through the inside of the spring. The handle shaft fit through the spring with that wire inside. I compressed the spring in the vise and twisted the wire to hold the spring and then went back to the car and installed the rod through the sill, frame, washer and spring. I was able to get the cotter pin in place then I cut the wire. It works.
Norm

Had the same problem.. I used roll pins instead of cotter pins, smaller washers and enlarged holes in the frame - worked better. Also cut 2 loops off each spring.. still have plenty of tension to hold your hood during normal operation.. but I remove hood when on my open trailer at highway speed.
John
Oscoda Michigan

A local parts store should have metric 6 mm ID with a smaller OD than yours. Normally fixes that problem.

Hank

Thank you Hank.
I gotta check my stash because I just remembered I have at least 2 old latches with springs. Maybe they're shorter. We'll see tomorrow.

Get washers that the ID fits the latch "shaft".
Put on a spring and one or more of the washers.
hold the whole mess against the wheel on your bench grinder until the OD of the washers is the same as the OD of the spring.

The whole fitting procedure/problem largely goes away if you use lighter weight springs than those ridiculously stiff repops. There is no need for them to be so tough, especially when they are pulling on an aluminium hood on an early car.

Others do it differently.
Allan from down under.

Have this problem disassembling customer cars. The washers need be no larger than the spring diameter. I have used flat washers designed for counter bored allen bolts. They matched original washer size close. Standard sae are way too large.

Visual comparison.

Measured the old spring is thinner and shorter than the repop.