Brad

I had new hood shocks intalled and noticed that the hood does not sit tight on the right side. Almost a 1/2 inch or less too high. I could have sworn this was not the case with the old flat shocks. Is there some sort of an adjustment? Maybe they are upside down? I must add a late thank you for the dash question I posted. Very helpful. I called "justdashes" and they quoted me 500 for a restore. I am going to call my dash art for now...

1985 S <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

WallyP

You didn't say whether the misalignment is at the back or the front of the hood, but either end is adjustable. I am assuming that the problem is that one rear corner is high.

First, make certain that you have two hood shocks installed, and not hatch shocks. They appear to be identical, but there is a great difference in the supporting power. It is possible to bend the hood if you have hatch shocks installed. The shocks go installed big end up - there is supposedly a small difference in shock life that way.
Second, lubricate the pivot points - binding can cause the rear to pop up a bit.
If the corner is still high, mark the position of the hinge with some removable marking - crayon, masking tape, etc. Loosen the bolts just enough to push the hood down. The hinges should be parallel with the hood and witht he body - not tilted up or down. Look at the other side - the hinge alignment should be the same on both sides. Proceed with caution - you do not want to scar the finish or bend the hood.

Randy V

Wally, can the front hood latch be adjusted?

On my car the latch catches and locks a bit too deep in the receiver, resulting in the front edge of the hood sitting too low when closed and a tight cable release.

WallyP

Randy,

Yes, the hood latch can be adjusted.

Loosen the lock nut at the top of the latch bolt, then turn the latch bolt out to raise the hood, in to lower the hood. Tighten the lock nut.

dr bob

I'll echo Wally's recommendation to lubricate the hinges. I was under the impression that I needed new hood shocks since the hood wouldn't stay all the way up. So I added a new set, and immediately experienced the edge-of-hood-too-high problem on both sides. So I would just press down on the edges of the hood to get it to sit right. Hmmm... A squirt of my favorite teflon-reinforced lithium-based aerosol spray lube, and it now goes up and down with just one finger pressure, stays up like it's supposed to, and sits perfectly aligned with the front fenders now, with no mechanical adjustment required at all.

So, don't forget hood and rear hatch hinges, latches, etc, and also those door hinges when you have the lubricant out. It's not hard to suggest that this might be part of an annual maintenance ritual. Might save you from a bent hood in the future.

Cheers! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Randy V

Thanks Wally!

dr boberino - can I procure that hi-tech lubricant at Home Despot?