Customs How many 49-51 Fords HOODS FLEW OPEN?

Mine just rattled open. I put a stronger spring in and it never happened again.

 

Purchased a 51 that had just had the hood fly off of it. The previous owner had roughed it back into shape and chained it down. I plan to do the same if I ever finish the darn thing!

Lux,

I know on this one that the pin on the hood was solid and quite intact. I can only guess that the latches just rattle open.

 

Thats because they made Millions of them,simple mathmatics bro....

 

I had a '49 Ford convertible in HS with a 331 Caddy with tripower...so I put a small choke pull type latch on it for security, and one night coming back from somewhereville, the hood popped up...but got stopped by my security latch. I found out later (from other shoebox owners) that this is a fairly common problem.

"got a two-pack habit and a motel tan"

dj

 

Looks like time for FORD to do a recall!

 

When I bought my son's Shoebox from Fordole500 I noticed an identicle hood with the corners bent hanging on the wall in his shop. I guess he was driving it behind his shop and it flew up! It has a chain with a lock on it now,that connects to the radiator mount.

 

Did happend to my 50´Fleetline too. Saw the hood begin to lift, braked and try to reach it before a truck come p***ing................didn´t!
Crushed the hood,rear front fenders, and roofedge and of course the both windshields broke!
Yet, i´m using a safety wire from the radiator frame, and it would never brake my windshields again!

 

It happens past that. Happened back in high school to my 53 just as I was going to get it inspected in Texas. I even checked it to be sure it was closed before we hit the highway. It flew open and ripped the right hood hinge out. Every junk yard I went to the fords were missing the hood and hinges...they cost a lot now, even the repops ($700 a pair)!

 

Hasn't happened to my '50.5, but now I'll worry about it anyway.

 

The hood on my 51 flew open at 2:30 in the morning on the interstate doing 75mph coming home from an all day thrash doing inventory at my store. needless to say I **** the golden brick when it happened but to my surprise my spotlights saved it from wrapping around my top. Just a couple of kinks in the hood was all that happened, I am amazed that the filler didnt come out of the area where I took off the bull nose strip when it slammed back down when I slowed down to stop.

 

Not a Ford - but the reason my '49 is chopped... hood flew open at 25 mph (was lucky I did not hit anyone)... sure made a damn mess!

 

My 50 had a chain and a bolt on it when I bought it. It was a pain in the *** so I took it off. It has a secondary catch, don't they all? Somebody please post a tech about a simple backup. I like the hood pin idea. Could it bolt to the brace behind the hood lip, protrude down through a hole in the rad support?

 

Was on the 5 freeway about 3 years ago going south just before p***ing dodger stadium in the fastlane, it was 2am, my cousin was driving his 51, and all of a sudden, DARKNESS!! we both looked at each other and yelled.. "SHH**TTT!!" and stuck our heads out to pull over, i walked down a ways and found some rope, tied it down and drove it to my house and pulled it off.. scary thing.. f*ckin pos..

 

when I

 

Ops!Try again.When I bought my 51 ford the hood corners was destroyed.Have to change it.That not so easy to find a hood here in sweden so I have to take a 50 ford hood instead.55-56ford hoods have the same problem.

 

Just as many as any other make of car whose owners do not check the hood every time after opening and closing it.
I've seen hood flops on 40s cars, 50s cars, 60s cars and more, pickups too.
It's the most damage causing correctable "problem" ever.

 

I started panicking as i read this thread, (have a nice 51 club coupe) then i realised i have adjusted the hood latch properly and am damn sure the secondary catch works.. i would bet NO ONE who has had this happen can say the same.
as said above, totally preventable.

actually, if a lot of these accidents happen to customs can i ***ume secondary catches arent considered very custom and are ditched? haha.

 

Mine was my own fault, I had the upper grille off the 51 and was too lazy to run two bolts through the safety catch... Lesson learned!

 

Got home from P & P Sunday then left early Mon AM and have been away from a computer, so this is the first I'm seeing this thread. Yep it happened to me, it will never ever happen again. **** a zip tie would have been better than nothing....

Incidentally, make sure your hood springs are installed as well. Not onlydo they ***ist in opening the hood, but they create the tension that holds the hood down on the cowl side.

Anyone have an extra 51 hood in the central Texas area?

 

My first car was a '49 Ford (1963) and my second one was a '50 Chevy and then a '50 Plymouth. In those days we got into the habit of checking to make sure the hood was indeed latched properly when we closed it. Every older car I drive or just look under the hood I make sure it is latched. Nothing scarier then looking out across the hood at 60/70MPH and see your hood bouncing around and you hope it stays latched until you get stopped and reclose it.

 

I fixed the safety catch on our shoebox with some angle iron. The section of the hood where it catches was a weak-kneed piece of **** before it rusted away.














I had to slightly reshape the latch as well.



Now you cant pry the hood off the secondary latch with a pry bar!

Havent fixed the primary latch yet, next trip to the s**** yard will get me something to work with I'm sure.

 

If anybody is interested i did a quick tech on my install of a late model Dodge hood latch on my shoebox. It came out of a dodge van, can't remember what kinda but there were a dozen at pickapart.

linky

 

Happened to me. 40 mph on the street. SCHWAK! Cant see!!!!
Lucky for me it didnt ruin the hinges or hit the roof or windshield. Just mangled the hood.
that was exciting ill tell ya.

 

rope?? lol

 

Happens to Chevys too, on my way home from work 70 mph in the fast line of 1-4, scary, you bet!

 

my brother had this happen too, lucky the hood wasn't too bad and he repaired it but this time switched it to flip open from the back instead of the front.

 

I visited an old-timer friend of mine last nite who bought his '49 shoebox coupe brand new. I was telling him about this thread (after about a half hour trying to explain the internet, chat rooms, etc.) and he told me the hood on his coupe flew up and bent it when the car was only a few months old. He replaced the hood and still has the car today.

 

If you think about it; the hood is really shaped like a big parachute (as are most of cars of this era and just a big collection point for force. I know I'm a real Einstein, but I can't help but think about it...

 

Hell you guys are lucky. I can't even get the hood on my 49 mounted! Both corners are mangled so it looks as if it's already flew open on one of the previous owners.

 

It happened to me too. Driving from Cruisin the Coast somewhere in La. and the latch pin came unscrewed. The secondary latch caught it so there was no damage. Happened to find a truck tarp strap laying by the side of the highway and tied it down for the rest of the trip.