I need some help. I am rassembling a '51 F1 after a tear-down for painting etc. My hood is from a '52 F1 so the safety latch is a little different than the '51. My problem is I cannot figure how it installs. It looks simple enough as to how it drops through the hood and latches, but it makes no sense as to how it mounts. My painter tool it off so i am not sure it it is missing sometheing, etc. Can anyone help?

 

Did you look through my pictures that I posted in your other thread? The only difference between a 51 and a 52 safety catch is that the bracket that holds the safety catch in the hood is spot welded to the hood. In 52, that same bracket is bolted to the hood. So, line up the holes in the bracket with the holes in the hood. Look at the pictures I posted in your other post again. It'll make sense.

Otherwise, everything else (hood latch bolt and spring, hood latch mechanism and safety catch hook) are the same.

 

Ilya is the expert. This is my '52 hood and the hook points to the rear. The latch mounts above the cross brace with the latch going through the L shaped slot.

 

Those are nice pictures, Pete. Oh, and I'm not an expert. I just happen to know a little about these trucks.

 

That latch has been a continual source of frustration. I wish they made new ones. The base of mine is not in good shape.

 

Yes the bases rust out. I have this issue and I am on the hunt!! but my problem is that one hood was spot welded in and one was bolted in...

 

One hood must be a 51 (welded) and the other a 52 (bolted).

 

Yeah, I never did understand that. Or why in late '52 they welded the grille teeth in the grilles..

 

I thought the teeth were welded in 51 and bolted in 52. My 51 and 52 are set up that way.

 

No, its 52 were welded all three 52s have worked on were welded

 

Mine definitely bolts in. When it is removed the bottom "exterior" side of the hood (where the latch penetrates the hood itself) is clear. The mechanism is in several pieces as per the drawing shown in Panelman's post, and there are a couple of bolts in the hood itself that appear to connect to it, but are "we;ded" by rust. I will take the picture tomorrow and send it to you . Maybe it will help explain my situation.