If I am lacking in the hood latch department, please be sure that the hood is secured in the closed position before going on a test drive down the road. Doing so will prevent you from replacing one hood and one windshield from the destruction caused otherwise.

Ouch. Something like that happened to my brother about 30 years ago w/ a rusty Mustang, along w/ the added drama of being on a bridge going about 60 mph with a carb fire..

Edited September 12, 201113 yr by Cubical-aka-Moltar

That sounds like something I would do!

Once I accelerated in the GP with some critical component missing there, and the hood flew up- but all it did was jettison both hood springs out to either side; the hinges did not overextend and there was no damage. Found 'em in the ditches and reinstalled them.

New windshield is in... old hood is bent back into a reasonable position and ducktaped to car until a replacement can be found.

doh!

Once I accelerated in the GP with some critical component missing there, and the hood flew up- but all it did was jettison both hood springs out to either side; the hinges did not overextend and there was no damage. Found 'em in the ditches and reinstalled them.

Which is one cool things about old cars...much tougher than the cars sold today.

wow. I've had a hood fly up on me before, but I haven't had one break the windshield...

Once I accelerated in the GP with some critical component missing there, and the hood flew up- but all it did was jettison both hood springs out to either side; the hinges did not overextend and there was no damage. Found 'em in the ditches and reinstalled them.

Which is one cool things about old cars...much tougher than the cars sold today.

well most of the new cars I've seen have gas struts attached to the hinges, so I don't imagine that's even an issue.

well most of the new cars I've seen have gas struts attached to the hinges, so I don't imagine that's even an issue.

I wouldn't say that. I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort to pull a hood strut apart... its probably the weakest in that direction. Besides, I've seen many hood strut attachment points snapped right off on cars. Granted, more on the older stuff than new.

well most of the new cars I've seen have gas struts attached to the hinges, so I don't imagine that's even an issue.

I wouldn't say that. I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort to pull a hood strut apart... its probably the weakest in that direction. Besides, I've seen many hood strut attachment points snapped right off on cars. Granted, more on the older stuff than new.

well yes, but it's still more of a reinforcement against that sort of thing as opposed to just a hinge and the windshield.

well most of the new cars I've seen have gas struts attached to the hinges, so I don't imagine that's even an issue.

I wouldn't say that. I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort to pull a hood strut apart... its probably the weakest in that direction. Besides, I've seen many hood strut attachment points snapped right off on cars. Granted, more on the older stuff than new.

well yes, but it's still more of a reinforcement against that sort of thing as opposed to just a hinge and the windshield.

Ah, true. I thought you were comparing struts to springs. I've had few cars without either struts or springs... Only ones in the "family"... "Dad's" van and the Sunfire.