front tilt
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,297
Likes: 1,059
From: NM
Can't say which is best, but I saw another potential donor the other day. It was an early 90's Buick LeSabre. I never realized they tilted forward! Anyway, the mechanism was wonderfully simple, bolts to a flat, horizontal surface on each side of the engine bay, and the hinge itself provides the "stop".
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,415
Likes: 3
From: Comox Valley, Canada
Originally Posted by ALBUQ F-1
Can't say which is best, but I saw another potential donor the other day. It was an early 90's Buick LeSabre. I never realized they tilted forward! Anyway, the mechanism was wonderfully simple, bolts to a flat, horizontal surface on each side of the engine bay, and the hinge itself provides the "stop".
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
To clear the stock latch panel and fenders all the aftermarket front hinges are double action: they move the hood forwards before swinging up. This action means there must be some sort of guide rails at the cowl to lift the back of the hood as it moves forwards so it doesn't get trapped between the fenders. This guide mechanism adds complexity and seems to be the weak link in the system. None have the perfect solution although the ones that use solid plate guides seem to be more reliable that the ones with bent rod guides. I have no experience with either system, since I am building my own, just passing on other's opinions I found when researching them.
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Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,005
Likes: 2
From: Santa Clarita
Mid fifties, No Limit has a nice set, and check out Classic Performance Parts. CPP. They'll have what your looking for as a tilt hood kit.
I saw a 55 truck with the La Sabre hinges at a local car show. I know what AX is saying about the double hinge, but don't recall this guy using the bend wire or plate method. I do recall that he used hood pins at the rear of the hood and drilled two holes just under the cowl where the hoods sits. The hood pins acted as a guide for the hood when closed. It also appeared that he used the hood latch mechanism from the Buick and mounted it in the center of the cowl engine area. I recall he had a cable going to his dash, to release the hood from the locking mechanism. Then simply opened the hood. Sure wish I had taken pics now.
I saw a 55 truck with the La Sabre hinges at a local car show. I know what AX is saying about the double hinge, but don't recall this guy using the bend wire or plate method. I do recall that he used hood pins at the rear of the hood and drilled two holes just under the cowl where the hoods sits. The hood pins acted as a guide for the hood when closed. It also appeared that he used the hood latch mechanism from the Buick and mounted it in the center of the cowl engine area. I recall he had a cable going to his dash, to release the hood from the locking mechanism. Then simply opened the hood. Sure wish I had taken pics now.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
Since the hood fits between the fenders and is wedge shaped it cannot slide forwards without being lifted out from between the fenders first. Without some sort of guide at the rear to do the lifting, IMHO it would require two people (or one extremely strong one) to lift the hood and guide it forward. I modified my latch panel by eliminating the bumpout so my hinges would not need to move the hood forwards.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,005
Likes: 2
From: Santa Clarita
AX- I agree the hood the cannot slide forward without being lifted above the fenders. However this truck I saw, was stationary. It did not lift or slide forward, etc. When he released the hood latch, the rear of hood lifted slightly, He then lifted the hood from there. Now I didn't look close, so I can't say what the front of the hood was doing or if hit the grill etc. Same as closing the hood, he simply closed it, aligned the hood pins and let it drop slightly to engage in the latch mechanism. Even with the taper of the hood and fenders, with the rear of the hood lifting straight up, I don't see why the hood can't be opened? If I recall, the older jaguars had a very similar hood setup?
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,094
Likes: 654
From: Brentwood, TN
I have a No Limit on my 56 and it works great. As Ax mentioned, the cowl has guides that allow the hood to both slide up and forward when opening and down and back when closing...the No Limit hinge system uses billet aluminum to build these guides and they work much better than the bent metal rod schemes that I have seen. I personally have no problem opening or closing my hood by myself...however, if you are on a hill you may find that gravity can make things a bit more difficult.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
I spent a lot of time and failed attempts before I was able to make simple pivot hinges work, the geometry is a lot trickier than it looks at first glance. At a minimum the latch plate requires major surgery. I will be using gas lifts to aid opening and (hopefully) a powered soft latch to latch.
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: jersey shore
As usual -this is the site to visit when detailed knowledge is needed. Thanks for all the imput.
One after thought- where do I find the No Limit site?
One after thought- where do I find the No Limit site?
Last edited by 03Snake; Jan 3, 2007 at 08:07 AM.