Art & Inspiration Figured out why rounding hood corners was popular

Yep-feels better when it quits hurting.

 

Hello,

Something did not look right with the photo. So, enlarging it shows that the culprit corner of the sharp edge was bent out instead of curved and rounded like the rest of the hood’s leading edge. I have hit my head on the edge of my old 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery raised hood. The hood was raised many times for various reasons and at one time or another, it was bound to happen.

But, the edge all along the hood seemed to be folded over and safe from sharp edges. It was still a conk on the head, and it hurt.

When the hood was raised in my flathead version, it was a bump or two. Then nothing to the time I sold it. The head banging radar told me to watch out every other time the hood had to be opened.

Jnaki

Many years later, my wife and I bought a project 327 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery. It was fine, except it did not handle and stop well. So, months later, after tons of suspension repairs and replacing parts, including shaving new tires, new brakes, did the whole thing get safe and sound for driving in So Cal. Now, it was difficult to get first choice of our two cars to go someplace. My wife was out of the door with the keys to the Sedan Delivery as it rode and handled better than her high school purchased car.

But, one time I opened the hood to replace a simple thermostat and by opening the hood with the lever… a no-no, it broke. In addition, the hood did not open high enough and I hit my head on the point. Soon after deciding a new way to close and lock the hood, I raised it again to make the fix. We all at one time assume the hood is raised to its full extent and absent mindedly hit and edge or two. The new lever was a simple matter as the Ford Parts Obsolete was near our mom’s house in Long Beach and they had a N.O.S. version in stock.

Note:

No need to go full change over from your hood to a custom created and finished hood style. Just fix the bent down end and make it smooth like the rest of the metal form. The red outline on your hood, shows the bent down corner with the sharp edge. The green shows the original format of the edge of the hood. Fix it and you have saved a ton of money and time creating a new style hood, which may not look as good as the original… once done, your brain will learn to open the hood each time to its highest “out of the way,” position and then no more dings… YRMV