Another Unfortunate Accident

[70_440-6Cuda]

First off - Happy belated Holidays to everyone here!! 

Well, holiday season has been a distraction from anything 'Cuda related but thought I would share my Christmas misfortune ... Been working on a 200 SF loft storage with motorized lift in the garage to set us up for a real space to start the tear down and restoration - wanted to make something as functional as possible for a 2 car garage track home in the burbs (wish I would have thought that far ahead when we bought the place but I can't afford to buy my own home at this point, let alone move)

Anyway, the start stop in and out of the garage 100 times killed the battery - no biggie, charge over night and all good, but that's where the good news ends... was in a rush a couple days before Christmas to get the honey-do's done and the car back in the garage.  Thought to myself I haven't been behind the wheel in a while let me just run it around the neighborhood once, get the blood going a bit.  Well, like a jack ass, in my haste, you guessed it - no hood pins installed!  Anyone that has read @mopar thunder thread can guess the rest - unfortunately the only idiot I have to blame is myself!! 

I suppose if there is any good news, it's that the POS fiberglass hood that I hated anyway ripped off from the hinges so there is no damage other than the broken hood, bent up hinges and a right front fender that lost some paint on the top edge (also 'glass and getting tossed).  I was so mad at myself for being in such a rush and not thinking, and also pissed at the 'glass hood and the idiots that installed it without the safety catch - but really that was just deflecting from having to admit being such a dumb a**!  I usually hook the pins onto the keychain so I cant start the car without noticing the pins are not in.

Oh well - maybe will be a kickstart to move a little quicker... I wish I had taken some pictures, but I was too angry for that; but pretty amazing that at about 10 MPH on a slow start the parachute sized hood scoop caught the air, blew straight up and then ripped from the driver side hinge, did a 180° flip rotating around the passenger side hinge and landing upside down over the passenger fender as if it was one of those hinged from the side hoods - luckily never hit the windshield or roof, so all in all not so bad I suppose....

[Brads70]

Bummer, sorry to hear this. I'm paranoid about that happening to my T/A hood.

[Mopsquad]

Sorry to hear the news.  The anxious feelings will pass and you'll end up with a better hood.  I did the same back in the 80's with my '65 Mustang except I didnt even have the hood bolted to the hinges.  Boy that thing flew up and over the car and landed on it's top.  Had to go back to the old drawing board after that. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaR6aqL-L3Y

[JH27N0B]

I think having that happen is almost inevitable with that kind of hood.
I was sort of lucky when I was a teenager after getting my T/A.  My folks house was on a side street about a quarter mile from the main roads and the speed limit was 20.  More than a few times I started off down the street and the hood popped up since I had forgot to put in the pins.  But I was only going 15 or 20, so the hood just lifted but didn't break off.
I'm sure if we lived on a busy main road, I'd have pulled out, accelerated to 35 or 40 and watched my hood fly off over the roof!

[70_440-6Cuda]

Thanks for all the nice words... I am fortunate enough to have picked up an AMD shaker hood on the cheap so that is a plus - still in search of an original dual snorkel hood.

So my big question is regarding the hinges - see attached photos - seems like these are original but modified for the POS 'glass hood to fit.  I assume the "slots" are not original, which helped the hood break free so that is a good thing.

Would anyone bother trying to salvage these as original and should I are about the stamped markings?
Anyone have experience with AMD (or other brand) aftermarket hinges?
Am I correct that even with hood pins the car should have the standard hood latch, or is it hood pins only?

Lots of weird stuff on this car for sure....

[mopar thunder]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year first.... I hate to hear this. I'm sorry this happened. You will be able to fix it and keep truckin after a bit. I know that doesn't help. Mine is still being fixed. I might be getting it back by the end of January.

[Skdmark]

Here is good outline of the hood hinge differences.

https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/1244827/e-body-hood-hinges-year-over-year-changes.html

[Dakota]

Ooooh.  Been there.  Done that.  Last year, I was rushing to get to an auto shop to catch an opening to get my state inspection before the weather turned to crap.  I took off with making sure the hood Linda were in place.  The primary catch hadn't caught, and I had previously removed the secondary latch before it gouged my head (again).   Fortunately, I was going fairly slow when I saw the hood start to lift so it didn't do any damage.   

Side note:  I didn't drive my car for about a week earlier this year because I couldn't find the dang hood pins, so I had to wait for new ones to be delivered.   A little while later, I found my "old" ones sticking to the bottom of a magnetic tray used for sockets that was on my workbench. 

[torredcuda]

Sorry that happened. I have heard of and seen that happen too many times for me to ever run a hood with only pins again. I would not try to fix those hinges but try to find the correct year factory used ones and have them rebuilt. I believe all cars except A12s, SS Darts and Barracudas and some other factory race car packages had hood latches even with hood pins.

[JH27N0B]

Sorry that happened. I have heard of and seen that happen too many times for me to ever run a hood with only pins again. I would not try to fix those hinges but try to find the correct year factory used ones and have them rebuilt. I believe all cars except A12s, SS Darts and Barracudas and some other factory race car packages had hood latches even with hood pins.

Don't forget T/As and AARs.
It's hard to make a hood latch work with fiberglass I'm guessing.  Did Shelby Mustangs have hood latches?  I know Corvettes always did, how were they fastened and reinforced?

[70_440-6Cuda]

Thanks all!  Going to hunt down some hinges OEM hinges...

Anyone know if the stampings matter, or is it just the style as outlined in the post @Skdmark mentioned?

Anyone have a set they want to part with???

Also, anyone have any issues with aftermarket like AMD hinges?

[torredcuda]

Sorry that happened. I have heard of and seen that happen too many times for me to ever run a hood with only pins again. I would not try to fix those hinges but try to find the correct year factory used ones and have them rebuilt. I believe all cars except A12s, SS Darts and Barracudas and some other factory race car packages had hood latches even with hood pins.

Don't forget T/As and AARs.
It's hard to make a hood latch work with fiberglass I'm guessing.  Did Shelby Mustangs have hood latches?  I know Corvettes always did, how were they fastened and reinforced?

I would assume they are reinforced with steel underneath same as hinge bolt area.

[anlauto]

Thanks all!  Going to hunt down some hinges OEM hinges...

Anyone know if the stampings matter, or is it just the style as outlined in the post @Skdmark mentioned?

Anyone have a set they want to part with???

Also, anyone have any issues with aftermarket like AMD hinges?

@70_440-6Cuda  you might want to read this thread first: https://forum.e-bodies.org/reference-material/18/how-to-identify-e-body-hood-hinges/24859/

[70_440-6Cuda]

THANKS @anlauto??  Down the rabbit hole we go!

Great info, thanks for the reference, super helpful!  I think my hinges were original to the car from what i initially see - but I doubt salvageable, plus the PO modified the hell out of them to force the fiberglass hood to fit properly