Hello all to this group..
Im a new person to your Forum,

Were having some trouble with the Hood Latch Mechanisim for restored 1940 Ford Pickup under the Hood.. I was wondering if anybody has a Schematic or picture , as I cant get the Thing to close properly and its only on the Safety Latch right Now ,,

Was looking at Bob Drakes Diagrams, and he has two springs, on line , and it is not real clear. , but all I got is a Small spring near the Little latch .. somebody Jimmied gerried this thing up... before we bought It ,..

If somebody has a few photos of Under the Hood and How its supposed to Look ,, and operate,, would be very helpful...

If you can send photos to Jcesp at where it is Hot Out Dot Come

Appreciate the Help, as I do not want the Hood to Fly Open , and get this thing set up right .

 

Out of 198 Lookers not one Response on this Message Board....Surely someone must know the Original Setup of a 1940 Ford Pickup Hood Latch ...

 

now i cant help you as to how it works but it looks to me that someone has put a new piece of metal in there i would start with that maybe it is not the right length. undo it and see if it latches proper then go from there.

 

jcesp, don't be too discouraged about the number of views versus the number of replies. I felt the same way when I joined here a month ago. I decided it was best to join several other like-minded forums, partly because, being new to restoring trucks, I had far too many questions to let them go unanswered...
My '47 still in not in my driveway, so I'm afraid I can't answer your questions about the latch. Maybe next time though...
Bill in StAuggie

 

We also try to give real answers instead of guessing. I haven't gotten to the point of putting my own hood back on, so I am of no help. Check your fenders and grill alignments. With so many parts to adjust, one of them could be off slightly and throw the whole mess off a lot.

 

My '40/'41 hood came with a top latch plate like yours but no other connecting pieces. I opted to go with a different mechanism altogether. Here's a link to a brief discussion on the HAMB web site that may be useful.

'40 Ford Pickup - THE H.A.M.B.

 

If you haven't figured it out by now, post your question on the FordBarn.com

 

I have the same Plate and Latch configuration and can't figure how the "mouse trap" spring should be set. All I've seen is the traditional 2 spring set up. Did you figure this out on yours? Any help would be appreciated.

 

I had to figure out the latch on my Dad's 40 Deluxe sedan a decade ago, but I don't remember the details. I too think the best place to get this information is the Ford Barn forum.

 

If your still needing help I can take a picture of my dad's 41 should be the same.

 

41 ford pickup hood latch springs.

 

Still looking for the single "mousetrap" type spring as shown in jcesp post above . It was on my 41 pickup but must have been added as an aftermarket part. Anyone know about this type setup?