240z hood adjustment

[richard1]

I need some help on the above subject. My car is concours and never been restored. Last week I saw that the left front part of the hood is about 1/4" above the headlight housing. When I look at the hinges, nothing is different than before and everything fits fine all the way through the cowl.

I try to figure what is going wrong and I really cannot find nothing at the exeption of one.

When I push on the hood close to the headlamp it goes down with this play of about 1/4". The right side is very thight with no play at all.

Is somebody ca suggest me what to look at to fix the problem?

Can it be one of the tension rods?

Richard

[EScanlon]

Here are two threads that might help:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4607&highlight=hood+adjustment

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2045&highlight=hood+adjustment

Although the second involves a front end smack, the adjustments are sound.

Hope it helps.

Enrique

[richard1]

Thank you for the links. The only thing that make sense to me in my case would be the tension rods because nothing has been done to the car and the hinges and adjustments have never been touched.

How could I ckeck if it is one of the tension rod that would give too much pressure on the hinge?

Again, I push back the left front side close to the headlamp bucket but it pups back. The right side is perfect.

Thanks

Richard

[EScanlon]

While it may be possible that one of your tension rods has... for lack of a better word, been tweaked, I think trying to re-temper the rod pair to match may be a good exercise in futility.

Your hood could have received enough of a twist due to a number of reasons. You had the hood open at a show and a gust of wind, or that big guy who accidentally bumped it with his thigh, no damage visible, but enough of a twist that it twisted the hood, or travelling behind that semi a gust of wind hit the car just right. A twist just enough that even though the bolts and everything are in the same spot, the hood is stressed when down and that's why your hood pops up on the left front corner.

Address the bolts to the hood. Then address the hinge bolts to the body. It may be as simple as loosening and re-tightening one by one. Or, you may need to adjust as those other posts mentioned.

Hope it helps

Enrique

[richard1]

Thank you again for your reply. My car doesn't go to shows so I am sure it is not an accident from somebody that could have hurt this delicate hinge system. The hood opens for regular maintenance and that's all in my own garage by myself.

I am bugged by this problem because I have the car since 2000, completely original, fully stock and not a single body panel has never been out of adjustment.

I am still back at the tension rod that could be the only problem I can find but I cannot figure how they bring back the front of the hood in a very tight shut without any play. The right side is free of any play at all but the left side where the problem is has this full play in excess of 1/4" just at the headlamp bucket.

I checked the left hinge for excessive wear and it seems correct compared to the right one.

Have you some clue how to check these tension rods to figure if they are weak and must me replaced? Are they still available somewhere?

I really cannot figure anything else than a bad tension rod.

Thank you for your comments.

Richard

[richard1]

It seems that a single tension rod is needed to fix the problem as per Victoria British Catalog.

Have you ever heard of that very simple solution? It cost only $30.00.

Seems a lot simple than refitting the whole hood mechanism. Thanks God I have not loosen these bolts to try to fix the problem that way.

When you look at this tension rod in their catalog it makes a lot of sense how this tension rod works. Only one is required and the proper pressure comes from the bottom right side to the left top side of the hinge mechanism.

Now it explains me a lot how it works. for sure one is a spring and the other a stabiliser of not the same alloy because it has never to be replaced.

Furthermore, you can see some different stress in the metal of both of these rods. One is stronger than the other which explain the purpose of their use.

If you look your underhood when open, you can see that the tension of these rods are not even.

I will follow up when the part will be installed and the results.

Richard

[EScanlon]

Actually Richard, the VB catalog shows that only ONE of the tension rods is available. The other components, RH and LH Hinges as well as the LH Torsion bar are no longer available. That's why they're grayed out and no number assigned.

It may be that that lone torsion bar is all you need, in which case, that's great. Let me know the outcome.

Enrique

[richard1]

Is the hood has to be removed to change these tension rods?

Richard