Guys, some help plz.. I took off my hood rods this morning to paint them, marking where the nuts were to put them back just as they were. Darned if I didn't paint right over my marks.. Now the hood does'nt want to shut correctly, the "point" on the hood that engages the locking mechanism is off center, and my side seams are out of wack. Could someone explain the relationship of the rods relative to the hood to me? I don't want to fuss with them too much and make the situation worse. Thanks

 

Jim -

As you can see, the rods do a lot to keep or change the hood shape. Mostly, they stiffen the hood shape, but they can be played against each other to reshape it. You'll just need to install them and play with them for a bit.

I did the same thing as you. That's how I know about the rods.

 

Thanks, Randy. I am going to the S.E. Street rod Nats in Tampa today, but when I get back, I 'll remove the rods for a default fit and start from scratch.

 

I did the same thing and it can be frustrating. In my situation, the hood closed nicely without the rods, but I wanted the rods for the support as Randy mentioned. I found that if you install them with zero lash (meaning no pressure on the nuts and bracket) you start there, then slowly tighten the nuts. It doesn't take much pressure to change the alignment on the hood. Then open and close until you find a good point, the hold one nut in that position and tighten the other nut to lock it into place. Takes a little foolin with but not too bad.

 

Thanks guys. I'll fiddle with it later in the week. Wore out from street rod nats today. Some of the rods there... OMG!!