Has anyone modified their hood hinges to allow hood to raise to full vertical, like an 87 Mercedes 420 sel, among others? I'm thinking about putting a set of Mercedes hinges on my 84 fj60, but will have to modify inside fender walls and relocate carb fan to do it.
Hood hinge modification for better access?
- Thread starter ford
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I may be missing something here ( I often do), but why ?
If I need to climb up into the engine bay for something, it's usually not a 10 minute job. I always take the hood off. After the first time figuring it out, you can do it yourself easily.
I used to have a similar issue with an Austin Healy. I installed hood pins in the hinges. That way I could open the hood in the normal fashion or pull the clips out of the hood pins and remove the hood completely.
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- #6
Can you explain the correct step by step procedure for removing the hood? The springs and their attachment points separate from the hinges have always seemed a little problematic to me. thanks
Here's what I do. Open hood and prop open with the stand. Take off the bolts for the tension springs and fold them down into the engine bay. Loosen the bolts for the hinges and take out the top bolt on one side, only loosening the bottom. Remove both on the other side and set hood down on cowl. Go back to other side and remove last bolt and rest hood entirely on cowl. Stand on front bumper, remove the hood stand while holding hood and then pick the hood up, stepping down from front bumper. Viola, hood has been removed with one person.
will this be good enough? i did this and climb in all the time. no biggie.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/95168-hood-shock-conversion-writeup-pics.html
https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/95168-hood-shock-conversion-writeup-pics.html
Never had reason or need to crawl into the engine bay ... Unless I was hiding from the wife 
Seriously? With pictures too I assume?
I hope you are joking.
If you really need to ask to have this explained, then I am not sure than doing your own maintenance is a good idea.
Mark...
Ok, having just spent 2 months working on a car that does this, I can
truthfully say that it's great.
It's not for the room, it's for the LIGHT!
Can you tell I'm getting older?
Anyway, pop the 'service' bolt, and the hood gets right out of the way
and you can SEE what's going on. Opened the hood on the Cruiser...
and then went looking for some big lights.
Again, 3 months ago, i woulda laughed. Now, I'm gonna try to
adapt the BMW idea to the 'yota...
...jus' my ol' eyes bitchin', I guess....
t
truthfully say that it's great.
It's not for the room, it's for the LIGHT!
Can you tell I'm getting older?
Anyway, pop the 'service' bolt, and the hood gets right out of the way
and you can SEE what's going on. Opened the hood on the Cruiser...
and then went looking for some big lights.
Again, 3 months ago, i woulda laughed. Now, I'm gonna try to
adapt the BMW idea to the 'yota...
...jus' my ol' eyes bitchin', I guess....
t
I agree completely about the benefit of a hood the lifts completely out of the way. i never use the hood strut on '40, but instead toss a rag on the lip of the roof to protect paint and flip the hood all the way back. I considered years ago adapting FJ40 hinges to my '55 for that reason, but never did it.
Mark...
Mark...
- Thread starter
- #13
Which model BMW did you work on with vertical hood hinges? Do all BMWs have them?
Do you think the BMW hinges might adapt to the fj60?
After a closer look at the '87 Mercedes 420 vertical hood hinges, they are bulky and probably too big to be reasonably adaptable to an fj60.
My mission now is to find some stock vertical hood hinges that are reasonably adaptable to the fj60.
I'll be checking out some BMW hinges. Do you know what other cars have vertical hood hinges.
If a vertical hood is good for Mercedes, BMW and FJ40/45, then its got to be good for a fj60!
- Thread starter
- #14
Checked out Mercedes and BMW vertical hood hinges at junkyard. Mercedes 300E hinges are a possibility. Counter balance springs are located in the fender well. Plan to pull a pair of 300E hinges and study their fj60 adaptability.
Check 240 and 740s out. They have the same mechanism but it is very simple.
- Thread starter
- #18
Thanks for the procedure.
I guess I was overlooking the spring stops. Hood removal is certainly the way to go for garage work, but I want a solution that works on the road, trail, highway, etc. I have removed my hood springs and will probably leave them off. Its easy enough to raise hood without them. Removal gives a little more access.
THe shock conversion is neat and simple, but I want a 90 degree hood, not the appx. 45 degrees that the shock conversion provides. Its bothersome enough to have to replace the back window shocks periodically without adding periodic hood shock replacement!
The problem with putting'40 hood hinges on a '60 or '55 is that the cowling od pretty light sheet metal and will not handle the stress of hinges. You could reinforce it, but you could not use it as is just by drilling holes for the bolts.
Mark...
Mark...