I currently have the hood on my '26 T coupe fastened with 8 Dzus fasteners to the side panels. The side panels are fastened with 4 more Dzus each. The hood is one I fabricated in one piece, not hinged in the center as stock. I don't mind the side panels fastened with the Dzus, as they only need to come off for major surgery. But that hood has gotten to be a pain in the *** to take off for just inspection or to check oil or what ever. I saw a set up at the Ducktail Run on a 30's truck that hinged the hood forward over the radiator shell. It was pretty slick. I would rather hinge it forward than to one side or the other. I have seen the aftermarket kits for the side hinges. Kinda salty. I would rather fabricate my own setup anyway. I have made a mock up and have figured out the linkages needed to hinge the hood forward, but haven't come up with a good way of fastening the hood in the closed position. Just wondering what you guys have done for access besides a lift off hood on these early cars.
same issue here . thinking of putting on top only. just don't know how to fasten down. will be hinged over rad. also. lets see some ideas...
This is the mockup to find the right length linkages and hinge points to hinge the hood up. The ruler represents the top of the motometer. Having to get the hood straightup over the motometer really complicated the problem. I went through a half a pad of graph paper just getting close. The mockup let me fine tune it in full scale. I think I have the whole project figured out except for how to fasten it down when closed. I don't want to use outside latches, but access to unlatch for opening is tough due to the hood sides. The example I saw at the Ducktail didn't run hood sides, so he had access to the releases.
Thanks. I'm not familiar with either of those cars. I'll have to do some research. I had thought about a cable release, but couldn't figure out how to release four points without a lot of linkage. I think the hood needs attachment at all 4 corners.
There's these I've used the last two both on the track and street, but I think you might prefer the first style.
a friend has a tilt forward hood on his 37 chevy truck .[ it is just the top, the side panels are fixed it just sets there with no latch. we have run 75/80 on interstate with no problems
I was thinking more about a positive lock latch that would keep hood in place while driving, and security while arked. But if it is usually tucked away in a garage at night, that car with that color would look great with either a light , medium or dark brown leather straps/buckles holding the hood down.
I can really relate to this since I'm presently making a hood for my car too. After overthinking the whole thing, I decided to just fasten the hood top with lunchbox latches. Would love to have one of those kits that allow you to hinge the hood on either side or remove entirely but entrenched poverty won't allow it. Anyhow, here is what I found in Rodder's Digest #35.
since the wind would keep it down, how about a few pieces of velcro along the back edge of the hood top?
Add a spring to your hinge design so it pulls the hood closed. No hardware visible that way when the hood is down.
Just a suggestion, take it for what its worth. To have your hood hinge forward, you're probably going to have to lose that motometer. If not, your hinges will have to have room under the hood to fold down, and I'm sure that with a Model T, there probably isn't much room in that engine bay. I think that if you're set on the forward tilt, you should either lose the motometer and make hinges like goldmountain posted, or make it totally removable and latch it with by adapting one like a modern day car uses and run the cable up and under the dash. The issues you're experiencing are why you see so many of the side tilt opening one piece hood tops.
The way my proposed hinge system works, I am afraid if the hood wasn't fastened, the wind would catch it and it would hover about 4"-5" above the grille shell. LOL. I'm pretty sure it would rattle around on rough roads. I may have to give up on the hidden latches. The first set of latches posted by wisdonm or the boat latches or the lunch box latches posted by HRP would do the trick easily and cheaply. I'm just not sure I like the look of the added "bling", for lack of a better word. You just reminded me. Madfish did a photoshop of my car a while back and added leather hood straps. They look pretty good. (My car is not chopped and does not have wire wheels, or the hood straps) Thanks Madfish. I really like his version. That may be Gen III for this car. The hood straps may really be the answer, but probably a lot more expensive. There is a local harness maker to at least obtain the straps. I'll have to research the hardware to do this. I think Madfish may have had the easier job of it. In that pic it looks like a really big (70") regular pants belt would work if there was some type of spring tensioner on the other side of the hood. Food for thought.
Thanks, but I am sure this will work. The center of the hood clears the motometer with the linkages and hinge points that I showed in the pics above with nothing hanging below the hood when closed. I'm not ditching the motometer. LOL. Here is a sketch in plan view of the linkages. I just need to decide how to fasten it down.
I like hood straps but since you have sides in place you could go with a short strap form the hood to the side panel rather than all the way down to the frame And to make it easier to open the hood, you could attach them to the side panels with strong rare earth magnets.
Wow. There is something I hadn't thought of. Magnets. The hood frame rails will land on the side panel tops when closed. I could just use those magnets to hold the hood closed tight to the side panels. I wonder how hard it would be to pull the hood open with those rare earth magnets. I suppose I could size the magnets for strength of pull. That just might work. I like the idea of the hood straps also, but the magnet idea intrigues me. Thanks.
Just my opinion and apparently not a popular one, but nothing brings to my mind crude, ugly, last minute afterthought so quickly as seeing ugly effing leather straps over the hood of an otherwise beautiful car. May as well just throw a couple bungees over it. An over center spring (think under dash clutch pedal helper spring) would hold the hood down and with some careful engineering, which you are obviously capable of, it would also hold it up. No latches required. I like your hinge design a lot.
I had that idea first but I erased it. I used rare earth magnets on a removable trunk panel in my 34. I used 6 of them and attached them to steel plates (not to each other). The only problem is I couldn't get the panel out so I had the upholsterer install a leather pull strap to make it easier. On your hood you need something other than digging your finger nails under the hood lip to pry it open, that's when I came up with the strap idea. Women's handbags use magnet catches under what looks like buckles all the time. I don't know if a remote door popper would have the force to break the magnetic bond or not without causing damage to the painted hood?
Jeez, this is getting good. OK. How 'bout if I replace the two rear linkages with gas pressure struts and use proper sized rare earth magnets to fasten it down, then install door poppers. Hit the ****on and the hood pops open. It also would allow better access by ****ing the hood up at a greater angle. That's gonn'a take some more engineering. Hope I got enough graph paper. I'll bet this would be a lot easier if I knew anything about CAD. My old pencil and paper ways still work, though. I need to check into struts.
Check this thread out. These magnets are unique in that they work as a pair and repel each other until they are in close proximity then they attract. Maybe your hood pooper could lose their bonds and the magnets would hold the hood ajar so you can open it? Watch the video on the website on how they work. Like an air shock absorber. https://www.magnetics.com/product.asp?ProductID=165
Just running the top held on by leather straps and spring hooks Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Electric magnets. Only work when the powers on. https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Stock-2...=item214ed943e3:g:e4gAAOSwI9FcGTnw:rk:14:pf:0
OOOHHHH! YEAH! Electromagnets! That would work well. Only thing is the hood would be unlatched at key off. That wouldn't really be a problem. Keep the ideas coming, guys. Nothing is written in stone yet.
Install a latch in both rear corners of the hood. Open them with a pair of door poppers. Everything would be out of site, and would function well. If the poppers bother you, you could attach a cable and open the latches manually. Gene
The way this hinge and linkage system kinda scissors open, just fastening the rear will still allow the front of the hood to bounce a little. It really needs 4 corner fastening. I tried it on my mockup.
I got a couple of these for the front of my hood (Triumph TR sumpthin latches in back) but haven't got around to it, hood stays down at all speeds for some reason. They are motorcycle fairing mountings, smaller than a dime. Another option my old hood had, was the edges of the sides, where they rolled back in, 'snapped' over an edge at the radiator support, such that you had to reach from the front and pull the hood apart before it would open. Might just go back to that.
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