c/k hood-catch idea

[junior]

[brngarage]

Really neat and functional idea! Great pictures too. Thanks Junior. I'm gonna do the same thing to my '53 Commander Starliner.

Howard
53 Commander Starliner
56 Sky Hawk

[sals54]

That is a nice and clean install. Great addition to the forum.

sals54

[rockinhawk]

I like that. I was wondering what I was going to do with the 54 clone I'm working on. It has a fiberglass nose. and I removed the safty catch. I didn't think it would do much good anyhow.
But can I use a DODGE tail gate cable instead of a Ford? NT


Neil Thornton
Hazlehurst, GA
'57 Silver Hawk
'56 Sky Hawk
'51 2R16 dump truck
Many others.

[woodysrods]

Any opportunity to talk about C/K hoods. I am still looking for one in the northwest. No Sal I have not forgotten about you, but you are still a little far from home. Have not driven a C/K yet. Are the hood latches notorius for popping open?

Brian Woods
woodysrods@shaw.ca
1946 M Series (Shop Truck)

[HawkGT]

To answer Woodysrods -- YES, at least among 53 - 54 C&K models, the hoods tend to come unlatched at highway speeds. It happened to my 53 Starliner, and I know two others with coupes who had this happen as well. So it is very important to have a good safety catch, and Junior's idea is excellent, much better than the factory safety catch -- the one that we all love to cuss every time we hit our heads on it...

Gene Nagle
1963 Hawk R1

[barnlark]

Originally posted by rockinhawk

I like that. I was wondering what I was going to do with the 54 clone I'm working on. It has a fiberglass nose. and I removed the safty catch. I didn't think it would do much good anyhow.

I hope you're kidding, Neil. [?] That may save your head while you're working on it, but that's a sure fire way to send it in your face, even with a new catch like this. Even though we are discussing C/Ks, I'll never go without a safety catch thinking it doesn't do any good ever again. That was a $1500 lesson.

[sals54]

Brian, I've told this story before... and it still pains me a bit to retell it, but I've been driving my 54 Coupe for over 35 years. I've always had a secondary hood latch on it. Only a couple of times had I noticed that the hood had "popped", but my safety latch had saved it. Last year, I had been showing someone under the hood and in my haste, I failed to safety latch it. The next day I went out for a therapeutic drive which included a healthy romp through the gears. I had been out and about for 40 minutes or so, when I made a U turn to head home. Just as I was rowing the Hurst into 3rd, the hood suddenly went up and over the windshield. When I say suddenly, I mean it was in an instant. I barely got the car pulled onto a side street. I was like a raging bull, I was so mad. I ended up using a piece of concrete to hammer the fold out of the middle of the hood just so I could get it to fit over the air cleaner. The hood was literally bent in half. Luckily and sadly at the same time, I had a spare perfect hood in the barn. I changed it as soon as I got home. Now, every time I go out in the Coupe, I check to make sure my clevis pin is in the safety. I would HIGHLY recommend a secondary safety on any CK hood. Just my 2 cents worth. Which turned out to be $450 dollars worth of hood.

sals54

[sals54]

Brian, I've told this story before... and it still pains me a bit to retell it, but I've been driving my 54 Coupe for over 35 years. I've always had a secondary hood latch on it. Only a couple of times had I noticed that the hood had "popped", but my safety latch had saved it. Last year, I had been showing someone under the hood and in my haste, I failed to safety latch it. The next day I went out for a therapeutic drive which included a healthy romp through the gears. I had been out and about for 40 minutes or so, when I made a U turn to head home. Just as I was rowing the Hurst into 3rd, the hood suddenly went up and over the windshield. When I say suddenly, I mean it was in an instant. I barely got the car pulled onto a side street. I was like a raging bull, I was so mad. I ended up using a piece of concrete to hammer the fold out of the middle of the hood just so I could get it to fit over the air cleaner. The hood was literally bent in half. Luckily and sadly at the same time, I had a spare perfect hood in the barn. I changed it as soon as I got home. Now, every time I go out in the Coupe, I check to make sure my clevis pin is in the safety. I would HIGHLY recommend a secondary safety on any CK hood. Just my 2 cents worth. Which turned out to be $450 dollars worth of hood.

sals54

[sals54]

I just noticed this on another thread. This is evidently a period original hot rod. Check out the hood safety latch on this one. Seriously old school. As in 40s and 50s race car style.


sals54

[doofus]

Thanks for the reminder guys i have 2, a53 coupe hot rod and wifes 57 silver hawk. in spite of cold will start hood saver project tomorrow. reminded me of hood launch from 55 ford P.U. years ago,went airborne and landed in cotton field!! Doofus