53 Fender Support Rods
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
Likes: 124
From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
Does anyone have a stock fender hood support rod handy they can measure for length? I am talking about the two rods that run from the firewall to the front corner of the fenders. My aftermarket S/S rods appear to be a bit too long. What a shock that a repro part might need to be tweaked 
I am going to use the bullet nuts on the end (basically a deepwell acorn nut. That may be the reason they appear long. Also, do the rods normally pull, push, or adjusted to neutral tension? The shop manual is pretty thin in this department.
Thanks
I am going to use the bullet nuts on the end (basically a deepwell acorn nut. That may be the reason they appear long. Also, do the rods normally pull, push, or adjusted to neutral tension? The shop manual is pretty thin in this department. Thanks
Last edited by fatfenders; Jan 19, 2003 at 07:06 PM.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 231
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From: MOYOCK NC
53 Fender Support Rods
Fenders
I just measured mine and the length from the threaded end to the center of the firewall bolt hole is 38 and 3/4 long over all the total length is 39 inches hope this helps oh yeah the rods are off my 54 f-100
I just measured mine and the length from the threaded end to the center of the firewall bolt hole is 38 and 3/4 long over all the total length is 39 inches hope this helps oh yeah the rods are off my 54 f-100
Last edited by fordgo; Jan 19, 2003 at 07:44 PM.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Midland, Texas
53 Fender Support Rods
Fenders... my 54 measures 38 7/8. I have lifted the fender slightly by tightening in my attempts to make the hood alignment work out. The shop manual indicates that fine tuning these supports in conjunction with their counterparts on the hood, will bring a zen-like meeting of the sheet metal. The guys who wrote that had full, rich imaginations. best. himmelberg
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
Likes: 124
From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
Thanks guys, mine are exactly one inch longer than yours. Hard to believe Ford would screw up both of your trucks up so bad
Oh the life of a rodder boy. My aftermarket luck has just been unreal lately. Just received my Rod Doors headliner kit a few days ago. "Hey, I ordered a smooth one, what's that funky design embossed in the roof? You know, the one that doesn't match my flamed door panels"
And do tell Himmelberg, what is a "zen like" meeting. I guess my vocabulary needs work.
Oh the life of a rodder boy. My aftermarket luck has just been unreal lately. Just received my Rod Doors headliner kit a few days ago. "Hey, I ordered a smooth one, what's that funky design embossed in the roof? You know, the one that doesn't match my flamed door panels"
And do tell Himmelberg, what is a "zen like" meeting. I guess my vocabulary needs work.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
Likes: 124
From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
OK, I found the adjustment section in the book. New question. Which side of the firewall bracket do the rods mount too? Inside or out? I would have thought it would be obvious. No such luck. I have them on the outside at the moment. One side seems fine but the other misses the front fender bracket by quite a bit. Looks like some bracket tweaking will be necessary once I know which side of firewall bracket is correct. I can attempt to post a PIC if necessary.
Thanks
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 528
Likes: 2
From: Hanau Germany
53 Fender Support Rods
hey 'fenders and the other 53 to 56ers,
... I totally miss the rods as well as the bracket on the radiator support (... or whatever that thing is called which streches from fender to fender). The rods I can figure out and make my own, but I was wondering if one could post a pix plus some dimensions of these two brackets. I plan on making my own and guess some info on the original ones could help.
THANX !!!
... I totally miss the rods as well as the bracket on the radiator support (... or whatever that thing is called which streches from fender to fender). The rods I can figure out and make my own, but I was wondering if one could post a pix plus some dimensions of these two brackets. I plan on making my own and guess some info on the original ones could help.
THANX !!!
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Midland, Texas
53 Fender Support Rods
'fenders... zen-like= the sound of one handed hood closing. The support goes in from the outside.
Kai... will send pics and dimensions as soon as I get posting pics in the new era figured out. best. himmelberg
Kai... will send pics and dimensions as soon as I get posting pics in the new era figured out. best. himmelberg
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
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From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
Originally posted by himmelberg
'fenders... zen-like= the sound of one handed hood closing.
The support goes in from the outside.
Kai... will send pics and dimensions as soon as I get posting pics in the new era figured out. best. himmelberg
Himmel
'fenders... zen-like= the sound of one handed hood closing.
The support goes in from the outside.
Kai... will send pics and dimensions as soon as I get posting pics in the new era figured out. best. himmelberg
Himmel
So zen-like = Eureka!= Woo-Hoo!= Ya Baby, I rule!
Why didn't they just say that in the book
I'll propably continue settling for, "No paint scratches this time, that's twice in a row nothing bad happened"
Thought the support went in from the outside, time to bend my truck, prepare yourself for the shrill shriek from a man who just cracked red paint
Kai
I will photograph too while I am back apart today.
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Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,730
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From: Waynesville, OH
53 Fender Support Rods
Originally posted by fatfenders
So zen-like = Eureka!= Woo-Hoo!= Ya Baby, I rule!
Why didn't they just say that in the book
So zen-like = Eureka!= Woo-Hoo!= Ya Baby, I rule!
Why didn't they just say that in the book
Thread Starter
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
Likes: 124
From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
George
Ahh, the peaceful tranquility of inner hoodness. The feeling I will never know. Now I understand fully.
Kai
I got your fender support rod and bracket PICs and measurements taken. Start looking for some 3/8 rod x 40" or metric equivalent. Something better than grade 2 is recommended IMO. I must now return to the garage and ruin my paint with a bid crescent wrench.
I will wait for PIC posting guidance from "the wise man from the east" East of Iowa anyway, before I post the PICs.
Ahh, the peaceful tranquility of inner hoodness. The feeling I will never know. Now I understand fully.
Kai
I got your fender support rod and bracket PICs and measurements taken. Start looking for some 3/8 rod x 40" or metric equivalent. Something better than grade 2 is recommended IMO. I must now return to the garage and ruin my paint with a bid crescent wrench.
I will wait for PIC posting guidance from "the wise man from the east" East of Iowa anyway, before I post the PICs.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,730
Likes: 13
From: Waynesville, OH
53 Fender Support Rods
Originally posted by fatfenders
I will wait for PIC posting guidance from "the wise man from the east" East of Iowa anyway, before I post the PICs.
I will wait for PIC posting guidance from "the wise man from the east" East of Iowa anyway, before I post the PICs.
I just uploaded the pics I wanted to post to my Club FTE web site and copied the URLs from there. Read the "vB Code [help]" page and you'll see you need to surround the pic URL with "[img]" and "[/img]". That's about it.
I can't get into the old user gallery to upload images that I want to post. That's what I used to do to keep my Club FTE area from getting cluttered with post images. I suspect Ken is still getting things in order so I'll use my Club FTE area for now.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
Likes: 124
From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
George
I was talking to you, Kai is from the Far East. I am going to have to find a place to host photos off FTE for now. It is VERY inconvenient for me to grab photos from other FTE sites due to my AOL security don't like FTE issues. I have to switch browsers back and forth. Not handy! I am going to dump AOL someday but for now I'll host elsewhere. I was hoping I could upload PICs off my HDD. I'll figure it out when I get a minute. I know there are probably a lot of places I could host photos. Probably AOL for one.
I was talking to you, Kai is from the Far East. I am going to have to find a place to host photos off FTE for now. It is VERY inconvenient for me to grab photos from other FTE sites due to my AOL security don't like FTE issues. I have to switch browsers back and forth. Not handy! I am going to dump AOL someday but for now I'll host elsewhere. I was hoping I could upload PICs off my HDD. I'll figure it out when I get a minute. I know there are probably a lot of places I could host photos. Probably AOL for one.
Thread Starter
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,328
Likes: 124
From: Iowa
53 Fender Support Rods
Kai
Just experimenting with hood rod PIC upload. If the AOL websire trashes it, let me know. I can email it of course but am trying to learn how to use the new features.
http://hometown.aol.com/dewayneredin...age/photo.html
Just experimenting with hood rod PIC upload. If the AOL websire trashes it, let me know. I can email it of course but am trying to learn how to use the new features.
http://hometown.aol.com/dewayneredin...age/photo.html
Last edited by fatfenders; Jan 20, 2003 at 12:43 PM.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 528
Likes: 2
From: Hanau Germany
53 Fender Support Rods
'fenders,
... I can see one pic, but there's more than one subtitle. Guess the other pics got "trashed" by AOL. You know what, I hate AOL. I had been one of their Beta users in the stone ages of internet and finally quitt about a year or so ago. AOL does not like other Internet related programs next to it and I had problems with my company computer. In fact my company said I can't have AOL on the Laptop they provided me.
I am now using a Free Mail provider called GMX here in Germany who gives everyone 10MB of free web space, too. I have a free web site, my daughter has one and I guess as long as I can dream up new names I can add one per day until we have tons of GIGABYTES. However, I got better things to do.
OK, back to the subject. That pic is a good lead. Guess when I compare dimensions between the various bolts I should be able to build my own bracket. Thanx.
... I can see one pic, but there's more than one subtitle. Guess the other pics got "trashed" by AOL. You know what, I hate AOL. I had been one of their Beta users in the stone ages of internet and finally quitt about a year or so ago. AOL does not like other Internet related programs next to it and I had problems with my company computer. In fact my company said I can't have AOL on the Laptop they provided me.
I am now using a Free Mail provider called GMX here in Germany who gives everyone 10MB of free web space, too. I have a free web site, my daughter has one and I guess as long as I can dream up new names I can add one per day until we have tons of GIGABYTES. However, I got better things to do.
OK, back to the subject. That pic is a good lead. Guess when I compare dimensions between the various bolts I should be able to build my own bracket. Thanx.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,002
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From: Midland, Texas
53 Fender Support Rods
This pic posting is easier if it works... mine come from my document files...
here's your bracket @ the firewall, Kai.... It measures 4" tall.
'fenders... nice shiny paint and ss... looks like you will be trimming some threads. I would do all my adjusting before I tried adding that cut little acorn. best. himmelberg
here's your bracket @ the firewall, Kai.... It measures 4" tall.
'fenders... nice shiny paint and ss... looks like you will be trimming some threads. I would do all my adjusting before I tried adding that cut little acorn. best. himmelberg