Hood / panel alignment

[sdg3205]

I'm having a hell of a time getting my hood to sit properly.

When its closed it seals perfectly along the top but the drivers side corner is high. If I press it down it sits flush. Passenger side is much better.

Hood slightly warped? I recall a thread Michael started a few years back.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1367642258.509690.jpg

[sdg3205]

In this video you can see where I press down the corner and it sits flush.

http://youtu.be/lKUr9QR96Ww

[Michael]

I think that thread was lost on the old site but the short version was the trunk seal was just wrong in every way. First, the factory seal is a straight run, obviously not meant to turn corners, and it must be cut in order to bend. Second, the seal is just too thick, and the lack of holding force on the top edges is causing the hood to pop up at the corners, (if there was a latch on each corner rather than a single one in the center this would not be a problem). I tried sitting weight on the edges to get the seal to take a thinner profile but that didn't work and I wasn't going to wait years for time to do that.

There are 3 ways to do this, the first is to lower the latch in the tub. This puts a lot of additional strain on the latch and release cable as the hood now sits very tight, so it will take a little more pull to pop the hood. The second is to shim the fenders. I didn't like the sound of either to fix what I thought was a "special t" type of seal...in other words it should have never been used by the factory. I removed the seal completely and closed the hood...perfection. Once I determined it was the seal, I went to lowes and bought 2 rolls of universal weatherstrip used for door and window seals. It's very soft so it goes around corners, it's low profile, and it has an adhesive backing. After cleaning the old residue off, I applied the seal and closed the hood to allow the adhesive to set. I then drove the car several days including a washing to make sure it was watertight before posting about the mod.

I seem to remember something about there being 2 thickness of hood seals sold, but the fact that they were very wide straight runs with no pre shaped curves made me source something myself. Plus it looked a whole lot better than a factory seal.
My hood was not sitting as high as yours however, it stood up around 3/4" on the driver side..passenger side was fine. You may need to do all three fixes to line that one up. I would first determine the hood itself was not at fault, if not, I would start with the seal.
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[Ron]

Not that it is the whole problem, but I can see in the vid that the right side goes up as you push the left into place, so you need to lower the latch to start with... (might help to let it drop down until you get the rest aligned a little better) .

[sdg3205]

Thanks Michael!

Ron, yes the other side does lift a bit but the seal itself is completely flat across the top of the trunk.

I'm hesitant to move the latch since its as low as it will go within its own confines.

[Michael]

Not that it is the whole problem, but I can see in the vid that the right side goes up as you push the left into place, so you need to lower the latch to start with... (might help to let it drop down until you get the rest aligned a little better) .

I didn't watch the video but that makes perfect sense. My latch was down as far as it would go. If the latch is moved down as far as it will go then there is a common mod of drilling the tub to move the latch lower, but I didn't care for that fix.

If you do decide to replace the seal, most likely you will have to adjust the latch to remove the play out of the hood.

[sdg3205]

I didn't watch the video but that makes perfect sense. My latch was down as far as it would go. If the latch is moved down as far as it will go then there is a common mod of drilling the tub to move the latch lower, but I didn't care for that fix.

If you do decide to replace the seal, most likely you will have to adjust the latch to remove the play out of the hood.

The gap doesn't change even when the latch is removed. I had the latch out for cleaning and oiling and the gap remained the same.

I put on a brand new hood seal from DMC and expected the gap to worsen but it didn't. Putting that seal on was hell. It's going to have to come off though since that gap is just... not the kind of gap you want to see.

[David T]

You need to lower the latch. That usually means elongating the holes in the latch so it will go lower. Screw the bump stops in. Lower the hood until the corners by the windscreen are just slightly below the level of the fenders. Now unscrew the bump stops so they push the corners up even with the fenders. That will keep the hood level with the fenders and eliminate the shake you see while driving. Make sure the restraining brackets are lined up with the bump stops. They are in case you have a bad accident, to keep the hood from penetrating the windscreen (and possibly decapitating you and your passenger). Install a safety back-up cable on the latch too. Stretch the smaller spring in the latch so the hood will pop up when you unlock it. Inspect the cable where it attaches to the release handle. If you see it fraying replace it BEFORE it breaks. Make sure the latch is centered and the loop on the hood doesn't rub heavily on the sides of the latch. Oil the hinges.
David Teitelbaum

[sdg3205]

I think that thread was lost on the old site but the short version was the trunk seal was just wrong in every way. First, the factory seal is a straight run, obviously not meant to turn corners, and it must be cut in order to bend. Second, the seal is just too thick, and the lack of holding force on the top edges is causing the hood to pop up at the corners, (if there was a latch on each corner rather than a single one in the center this would not be a problem). I tried sitting weight on the edges to get the seal to take a thinner profile but that didn't work and I wasn't going to wait years for time to do that.

There are 3 ways to do this, the first is to lower the latch in the tub. This puts a lot of additional strain on the latch and release cable as the hood now sits very tight, so it will take a little more pull to pop the hood. The second is to shim the fenders. I didn't like the sound of either to fix what I thought was a "special t" type of seal...in other words it should have never been used by the factory. I removed the seal completely and closed the hood...perfection. Once I determined it was the seal, I went to lowes and bought 2 rolls of universal weatherstrip used for door and window seals. It's very soft so it goes around corners, it's low profile, and it has an adhesive backing. After cleaning the old residue off, I applied the seal and closed the hood to allow the adhesive to set. I then drove the car several days including a washing to make sure it was watertight before posting about the mod.

I seem to remember something about there being 2 thickness of hood seals sold, but the fact that they were very wide straight runs with no pre shaped curves made me source something myself. Plus it looked a whole lot better than a factory seal.
My hood was not sitting as high as yours however, it stood up around 3/4" on the driver side..passenger side was fine. You may need to do all three fixes to line that one up. I would first determine the hood itself was not at fault, if not, I would start with the seal.
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Michael,

What's the name brand of this stuff? MD? I can't make it out in the picture and I'm having trouble locating it up here. Might need to use amazon.

Cheers!

[DrJeff]

Michael,

What's the name brand of this stuff? MD? I can't make it out in the picture and I'm having trouble locating it up here. Might need to use amazon.

Cheers!

Looks like MD 1033
http://www.amazon.com/M-D-Building-P...e+Weatherstrip