Hood Hinge Springs

[GoMangoBoys]

I want to take the springs off of the hood hinges so that we can bead blast them.  I feel it will be easier to work the hinges and get all media out of the hinges if the springs are off.  Can anyone recommend a safe way to remove the springs?  I have not messed with them yet, but it seems like they will be hard to take them off safely.
Thanks.

[RUNCHARGER]

It's easy if they're on the car. I just pull them with a hook. I imagine you could fix the hinges in a vice and do the same.

[mopar jack]

can be done safe and easy. Make sure the hood is supported if still on the car. I use a fan belt and just hook it to the front part of the spring and pull til it clears the hook point on the hinge. You can place a pad or blanket on the windshield just in case it gets away from you.

[Rich G.]

I've got a bunch of paint stick and cut them in half, closed the hood as far as I could and still stick my hand in and wedged as many sticks as I could between the coils and when you open the hood the springs should come off easy. Reverse the process to install. Actually there isn't a whole lot of tension when the hood is up and you could hold the spring and pop it off with a screwdriver or something (still need to hold on tight)  but the other way you won't scratch anything.

[RUNCHARGER]

Paint stick idea sounds great.

[mopar jack]

I just had some hinges and restored by resto Rick and he warns against blasting the hinges. For blasting and painting the springs I like to use an old bumper jack to stretch them .

[gzig5]

I'd attack it like the manual clutch spring.  With it partially extended, insert several washers in between the coils and then collapse it.  I got mine off with brute force but if you don't have the hand strength, the washers should work?  If you have a welder and some all thread, I'm sure you could come up with a tool to extend it enough.

[GoMangoBoys]

My hinges are off of the car.  I should have said that in my post. 

@mopar jack , what is the thinking behind not bead blasting the hinges?

Thanks

[Rich G.]

Just Set it in a vice and pop them off . Hook them to your floor jack to open it up and wedge the spacers in to reinstall them. I've read that blasting a spring takes the tension out of them. Don't know if that applies to a spring that fat.

[mopar jack]

 Resto  Rick's instructions are for restored hinges and the concern is the blast media will accelerate wear. I couldn't get a good copy.

[B5fourspeed]

I blasted mine.It depends on what type of sand or garnet you use.The sand blaster I use has a mixture of 40 and 60 garnet.The key is when you blast something you strip most of the paint off with paint remover and then you go over an item like a spring quickly so it does not heat the metal.

[gzig5]

Blasting with sand, glass, or soda probably wouldn't hurt the springs.  But some industrial places use steel shot, which can affect the metallurgy of steel on the surface and maybe weaken the spring.