| buford8 | -- 03-21-2013 @ 7:39 AM |
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The hood would not stay up by itself so I ordered a pair of hood springs from Mac's Antique Ford parts. Now the hood will almost stay up and will stay at about half-mast...it is obvious that these hood hinges need stronger springs...anyone have this same problem? how did you solve it? ( incidentley my hood hinges are in very good condition and are adjusted properly for good hood fit and alignment) You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park!
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| supereal | -- 03-21-2013 @ 2:03 PM |
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I'd send them back and order a set of supports from C&G (800/266-0470. Their part numbers for the set is 91A-16782/3, $55. Hood supports that don't hold up the hood are caused by weak springs and/or poor quality construction. I have used the C&G, and never had a problem with either hood or trunk lid support. Putting new springs on old supports often jams the pivots. Be sure the hinge to hood bolts are the correct shoulder type if there isn't a shoulder on the hood. The part number for the bolts is 3110, a 1/4"-28 with a 3/8" shoulder, $2 each. This message was edited by supereal on 3-21-13 @ 2:04 PM
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| TomO | -- 03-22-2013 @ 7:18 AM |
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The Mercury hood is heavier than the Ford hood, so the support arms pivot cannot have any play. Because your hood almost stays up, I would guess that you have a little play (1/64" or less) in the support arm pivots. This can only be determined when the springs are removed from the arms and the arms moved to about the open position. Stronger springs usually do not fix the problem. Unfortunately I do not know of anybody that reproduces the support arms for the 41 Ford or Mercury. The P/N for the 41 cars is 11A-16782 and 11A-16783. The 91A arms do not have the lower bracket and the geometry may be different. If you are a member of the Early Ford V-8 Club, check with Fred Killian for a source or solution. Tom
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| buford8 | -- 03-22-2013 @ 8:38 AM |
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Thanks for the input...I realize the four inch longer hood on the Merc is heavier so I very carefully checked for play in the hinges when I replaced the springs, also put all new proper bolts to hold the hinges to the cowl and the hood. The hood now fits the cowl and opens and closes great...it just seems that the springs are not quite strong enough to do the job...the old springs are made of slightly smaller wire than the new ones from Mac's.(the old springs would not hold the hood up at all) I wonder if the replacement springs for a Merc should be different from the Ford items? In Mac's catalog they list the springs as the same for Ford and Merc The situation with my hood problem is almost acceptable cause the hood will stay up about half way to where it should be when fully open. You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park!
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| supereal | -- 03-23-2013 @ 12:07 PM |
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C&G shows the 21A-16796/7 hinge brackets for the 41-48 Merc/ $50/pair, if that is part of the problem. As Tom says, any slight play in the pivots is magnafied by the geometry of the brackets or arms. C&G shows the springs for the 39-48 Merc as 91A-16789, $6. They are the same as Ford per their catalog.
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| TomO | -- 03-24-2013 @ 10:53 AM |
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The Mercury uses the same supports and springs the the Ford does. The 41 / 42 hood support arms were barely adequate when new, so they were changed. The Mercury Chassis parts catalog shows that the service replacement is the 51A-16782/83. I have never tried to fit the later support arms to a 41 hood and body. Here is a link to Drake's hood support arms. http://www.bobdrake.com/SearchForm.aspx?Search=Hood+Arm+Spring+Supports Maybe you can find one that will work on your hood. Tom
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| buford8 | -- 03-29-2013 @ 11:09 AM |
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Well I ordered the hood arms and springs from C&G the new ones don't work any better than the old ones with new springs. I am starting to think there might be some heavy Bondo or lead in the hood...it still sits at half-mast when left on its own... You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park!
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| supereal | -- 03-29-2013 @ 11:48 AM |
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As TomO said, the Merc hood is longer than the Ford and, thus, is somewhat heavier. The same springs, 91A-16789, are listed for 39-48 Ford and Merc, so you may be right about lead, etc, but it is unlikely, I think. You could try shortening a set of springs by annealing one end, cutting off a coil or two, and reforming a hook to increase the tension.
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| TomO | -- 03-30-2013 @ 8:52 AM |
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Buford, could you post some photos of the hood support arms installed in your 41? I would like to see the arms with the hood all the way up and another where it has settled to. Tom
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| buford8 | -- 03-31-2013 @ 9:53 AM |
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I can take some pics but I don't know how to post them on this site. If you will email me at: dingmanjk@gmail.com I will send the pics to you and you may post them. Thanks, buford8 You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park!
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| TomO | -- 03-31-2013 @ 10:58 AM |
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It is very east to post photos on this site. Start a new reply At the bottom of the reply box is a box called "Image Attachment: Click on the Browse box and navigate to the folder with your photo. Select your photo and then click on the "OPEN" box. A link to your photo will appear in the Image Attachment box. You can only attach one photo per reply. These instructions are for Internet Explorer. Other browsers are similar. Tom
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| buford8 | -- 03-31-2013 @ 5:41 PM |
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Hooray! I have solved the great hood spring mystery! I took the advice on this site and cut two coils from the old hood springs and "VOILA" the hood acts like it should. Stays all the way up like the Ford people meant it to.. Thanks everyone, buford8 You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park!
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| TomO | -- 04-01-2013 @ 7:22 AM |
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Good, I am glad that Supereal's advice worked for you. Tom
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| 42oink | -- 04-02-2013 @ 8:07 AM |
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For what it's worth, a friend of mine has a 41 Merc coupe with exactly the same problem, and replaced springs with Macs as well. Same deal! His hood was stripped to bare metal during resto and had no bondo or lead. Is it possible to find a stronger spring in an industrial supply house that might fit? At least it would narrow the problem down. I think they say this is the "fun" of old cars! Cheers! Oops! just saw page 2. Glad you got it. And I'll pass it along. This message was edited by 42oink on 4-2-13 @ 8:10 AM
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