SharkSkin

The product is called "Break Free CLP". It's so good it replaced a couple dozen different military weapon cleaners & lubes, and is now used on a bunch of stuff from cannon bores on down to the smallest rifle & handgun parts. Their main website is here: http://www.break-free.com and here's a Google search.

What I mean by "petroleum carrier" is that there is a lighter oil that makes the lube flow easily(carries it), and the lighter oil evaporates off leaving the heavier oil.

slate blue

When ever this happens, just go and buy new hinges. You can't tell if they are worn by looking at them. I have had to align many bonnets and can tell you that crook hinges are a bane. With the new hinges, it is just so much easier, get new shocks too, unless you rears are really weak in which case you can interchange them and then just buy new rear ones.

Cheers Greg

Airflite40

Thanks everyone, I think I will try Dave's solution first before I buy "new" hinges at $144 a set.

Colin Emerson

Malcolm,

By "helper" do you mean wife???? Mine calles her self a slave!

Airflite40

yours calls herself that? She gotta hotter sister?

tomcat

I had my wife (my sweetie) help me align my hood - once. Took so long to put the socket on the bolt that I couldn't hold the hood long enough to keep it in one position. Not to mention, one false move with the wrench handle and you get a permanent tatoo on the fender.

Richard S

Try this tip.....Remove the front latch before you try to align the hood. This way you can fine tune the alignment without having to un-latch the hood every time. Makes the job MUCH easier.

Rich

WallyP

Properly lubricating the hinges can make a surprising amount of difference. Dry hinges will make the rear of the hood pop up even if they are perfectly adjusted.

If the hood sits up too high, it doesn't touch the rubber seal across the rear of the hood, and hot engine compartment air will enter the HVAC inlet and thus the passenger compartment. Causes odor and higher heat...

If you remove the hood, take the bottom of the hinge loose, not the top - much easier to align correctly.

If you have to remove or install the hood singlehandedly, use a box about the size of a VCR on top if the intake - makes the job possible.

Airflite40

I want to try to lube the hinges. I can buy break-free at an ace hardware, but where do I get the petroleum carrier and how do I mix/apply it?

anonymousagain

Airflight40 - just try a good spray lube first, to see if it works. If so, then you can work on the petroleum mix application.

I used Duralube spray lube on all hinge points. Both hoods would close kinda caddywompus and then when closed still leave one rear corner high so I had to push it down slightly near the windshield. A couple up/down cycles to let the Duralube penetrate and both "pop" up on open and close perfectly in the rear now.

Good luck!

FlyingDog

Borys, Break-free CLP has tha petroleum in it. It's better known as CLP. Cleaner-Lubricant-Protectant.

6.0-928S

My hood had the same problem. Stuck up on the driver's side rear corner. Changed the shocks, no change. Lubed the hinges, no change. Bought a set of hinges on e-bay for 19.95. Problem solved. I looked at the old hinges & couldn't see a problem but didn't care.
Hammer

SharkSkin

Borys, Matt has it right. Use Break-Free out of the can, just remember to shake well before using!

aircooler

Hammer,

How goes the body work?

Any pictures of your progress?

Envy

Cheers,
Michael

Bill Ball

For hood above fender at the rear, loosen the two upper hinge bolts and push the REAR end of the hood down over the rear of the hinge and cinch the bolts. The shocks tend to push the rear up. Worked for me today, but agree that hood adjustment requres a lot of fiddling and counterintitive fiddling.