Hood Misaligned

[leoandgrauce]

First off, thank you all for alll your help/support. I bought two 80 series in the last 5 months and your assistance has been invaluable.

Having trouble figuring out why one side of my hood is not flush though (I believe they removed the hood during the repaint). The passenger side is flush and the gap gets worse going from near window to front of vehicle. Not only is the gap wider on the driver side but it is raised as it gets closer to the front (about 1/4"). I had Slee take a look at it and the owner said it might be bent but that's not his expertise.

My guess is the back hinge is not square but I'm no expert.

Any ideas on how to correct?

See pics

 

[Heckraiser]

Ha, if that's misaligned, i'd hate to know what you call mine!

Yeah, getting them lined up is a bit of a chore. There is some slop in the mounting holes on the hinge so you can adjust the position. Basically, you loosen the 4 bolts on the hood hinges and wiggle it around, tighten it down and close the hood, realize you got it wrong, try again, rinse, repeat. Having a buddy help is pretty much mandatory, two buddies are even better (one guy with a wrench, the other two manhandling the hood from either side). When you're done with that you can adjust the bumpers on the radiator support if needed to raise/lower or keep it from "fluttering" at highway speed.

 

[Tools R Us]

How is the gap across the back of the hood and on the other side? If it's all cattywampus, loosen the hinge to hood bolts and slide that side of the hood back a bit. If it's been wrecked, may not be that simple.

 

[voodu3]

there are adjustments in the hinge. If they didn't mark it when it was removed for paint it wouldn't necessarily be in the right spot on the hinge. Also the hinges get bent too over 20+ years of opening and closing.

 

[leoandgrauce]

Ha, if that's misaligned, i'd hate to know what you call mine!

Yeah, getting them lined up is a bit of a chore. There is some slop in the mounting holes on the hinge so you can adjust the position. Basically, you loosen the 4 bolts on the hood hinges and wiggle it around, tighten it down and close the hood, realize you got it wrong, try again, rinse, repeat. Having a buddy help is pretty much mandatory, two buddies are even better (one guy with a wrench, the other two manhandling the hood from either side). When you're done with that you can adjust the bumpers on the radiator support if needed to raise/lower or keep it from "fluttering" at highway speed.

This is what I wanted to hear, that I can "fix" it without a mechanic or new parts. Thanks!!

 

[leoandgrauce]

How is the gap across the back of the hood and on the other side? If it's all cattywampus, loosen the hinge to hood bolts and slide that side of the hood back a bit. If it's been wrecked, may not be that simple.

It's perfectly aligned along the back from side to side, no wrecks.

 

[leoandgrauce]

there are adjustments in the hinge. If they didn't mark it when it was removed for paint it wouldn't necessarily be in the right spot on the hinge. Also the hinges get bent too over 20+ years of opening and closing.

Hoping it's just a realignment and not a hinge

 

[Tools R Us]

It's perfectly aligned along the back from side to side, no wrecks.

The height is adjusted by the latch and/or the post/bumper/pads on the core support. If you can easily push that side of the hood down and the other side raises, the latch is too high. If it can't be pushed down, the corner pad maybe adjusted too high.

 

[leoandgrauce]

The height is adjusted by the latch and/or the post/bumper/pads on the core support. If you can easily push that side of the hood down and the other side raises, the latch is too high. If it can't be pushed down, the corner pad maybe adjusted too high.

I just bought a new bumper pad for the side of the bumper in question as there was some vibration. However wouldn't it be a hinge issue if there is only one side in question (the other side is perfect)? The latch sits off just right of center of the hood and there isn't a lot of space there. When I push down on the raised side it doesn't affect the other side of the hood.

 

[Tools R Us]

I just bought a new bumper pad for the side of the bumper in question as there was some vibration. However wouldn't it be a hinge issue if there is only one side in question (the other side is perfect)? The latch sits off just right of center of the hood and there isn't a lot of space there. When I push down on the raised side it doesn't affect the other side of the hood.

Adjust that bumper pad lower, enough to allow the hood to be even. May have to adjust the latch lower by about the same amount to pull the hood firmly down.