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.

18816

[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.
188171881818819

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-Products-1033--inchAll-inch/dp/B000I1QHA8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367926351&sr=8-1&keywords=M-D+Building+Products+1033+All-Climate+Auto+and+Marine+Weatherstrip

[Michael]

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!

It reads "md" in the corner, must be the brand but its not very prominent on the package. It doesn't have to be exactly what I used, I'm sure any similar weatherstrip will work. I did get this at Lowes, so if they don't carry that exact product at your store, they probably carry something similar.

[sdg3205]

Thanks!

I take it 2 rolls does the trick?

[sdg3205]

So, here it is with NO weather stripping, NO latch and the LFF shimmed up 3/4".

You can see the corner still doesn't make contact with the fibreglass and still doesn't sit flush with the LFF. The rest of the hood is flat on the tub.

My thought was to see if I could weigh down the corner and use a heat gun to relax that corner of the hood. The reinforcement section is plastic and in theory would warp under heat and reharden in the correct form. Extreme?

http://youtu.be/iYnIw27TZ3M

[Ron]

Weird!!

You said it is as if it was warped...Is that a poster or another hood in the vid at ~0:08 you might try??
Maybe remove it form the hinges and see how it sets on a flat surface??

Is the gap between the front of the passenger door and the RFF even? (Wider at the top?)

[Michael]

Is all of the seal off? Looks like there is still some around the gas filler area and down the left side. On my car, the seal down the left fender is what was causing the problem.

[David T]

That is unusual. It does appear that the hood is tweaked. I doubt you could heat it up enough over a large enough area with a heat gun. Are the front edges of the hood lined up? Are the hinges in good condition? You say you raised the LFF 3/4" but it looks just about level with corner of the left door. It also looks like you could move the hood over to the left a little but the pictures are not all that good. You try to compromise and adjust the gaps all around to be as equal as you can. Maybe the front right corner of the hood is too low, causing the left rear corner to be too high. Did you screw the bump stop in all the way or are you hitting it?
David Teitelbaum

[dmc6960]

If you really want to know, remove the hood, striker, then set it down on a flat surface.

[SS Spoiler]

I think the previous owners wife overpacked and the hood was mashed down to latch, causing the ends to be bent up slightly. Is it possible to block the center up and gently press the ends into alignment?

[sdg3205]

I think the previous owners wife overpacked and the hood was mashed down to latch, causing the ends to be bent up slightly. Is it possible to block the center up and gently press the ends into alignment?

I've actually tried this but it bounces back almost immediately.

You wouldn't know that it was slightly off just by looking at it. Ill have to keep working on it.

[GS450-Junkie]

Was your issue ever resolved? My hood looks the same way. I think I tried lowering the hood latch last year, but then the cable had issues and the hood didn't want to pop open at all. So...I have left it, but noticed it again today. It really does look bad.

[vps3922]

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.

18816

Hi Dave,

I have the same happening on mine. Have not found a solution yet. Toby said that you can adjust the front left fender to make the gap smaller, but it would take the alignment out of the other gaps. So I left it for now. I like the sound of "lowering the latch".

See you later.

[sdg3205]

Volker, I improved this with an alternative hood weather stripping. It was michael's idea and worked very well.

[ALEXAKOS]

Got my own point of view on that matter.
Mine too was sitting up on the corners as Daves does.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/3E99AEB9-1D81-4818-AAE6-490A5A0B9177_zpsejm1d2c4.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/3E99AEB9-1D81-4818-AAE6-490A5A0B9177_zpsejm1d2c4.jpg.html)

Pushing it down it gave way to a perfect alignment.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/C1AAD5EB-9BD3-44C6-875F-24A705E5BD2B_zpsskds7h41.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/C1AAD5EB-9BD3-44C6-875F-24A705E5BD2B_zpsskds7h41.jpg.html)

Inside it seemed to be sitting flat bed but it actually had a bit of space.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/1099A877-E08B-4888-9A88-7E755655AB06_zpslzids1y0.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/1099A877-E08B-4888-9A88-7E755655AB06_zpslzids1y0.jpg.html)
(Thank you micro camera)

I also noticed that it was sitting deeper in the center in comparison to the front fascia. Where at the hinges it was perfectly aligned.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/96588BF4-9166-4CCC-8E29-E72D0FADFA7C_zpsehgnahoh.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/96588BF4-9166-4CCC-8E29-E72D0FADFA7C_zpsehgnahoh.jpg.html)

This only added up in my head as deformation. The bonnet was standing against a wall for about 9 months. Not at at crazy angle. Almost up straight.
See in the back of this image
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/422C112C-6268-4E69-8076-BA19C72F3195_zps4u4tjije.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/422C112C-6268-4E69-8076-BA19C72F3195_zps4u4tjije.jpg.html)

So I added some padding (old pair of pants) on the centre front
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/0AA12E3E-A8CC-48A4-8303-004C4C9B6562_zps9zeqm2kf.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/0AA12E3E-A8CC-48A4-8303-004C4C9B6562_zps9zeqm2kf.jpg.html)


Padding on the centre top using an old pillow
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/F2040AA8-5C9E-4322-AFD5-6CC5F6D51F03_zpsh4gcrmr8.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/F2040AA8-5C9E-4322-AFD5-6CC5F6D51F03_zpsh4gcrmr8.jpg.html)


and a couple of bulky clothes on the two corners.
Strapped the Bonnet down do it curves up, and flexes downward to get into shape.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/49F6B649-7102-4D5D-8E76-CB2077D99DA8_zpssgos2jvl.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/49F6B649-7102-4D5D-8E76-CB2077D99DA8_zpssgos2jvl.jpg.html)
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/2CD0C160-34AB-49AD-A878-5855DC5C211D_zpsg8fc41hl.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/2CD0C160-34AB-49AD-A878-5855DC5C211D_zpsg8fc41hl.jpg.html)


Immediately the front part of the bonnet curved up exceeding the front fascias alignment.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/E6DF96F4-21E4-4A8D-B293-D91BA32F16B3_zpslwtrrggj.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/E6DF96F4-21E4-4A8D-B293-D91BA32F16B3_zpslwtrrggj.jpg.html)



3 minutes later I removed the straps and checked the out come.
The bonnet had taken a turn into a positive direction. It was 2 millimeters lower closer to the fenders.

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/F39168B9-65B6-448F-93BB-D026B7A26BC3_zpsvi2kdch9.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/F39168B9-65B6-448F-93BB-D026B7A26BC3_zpsvi2kdch9.jpg.html)

So I strapped her down again to let her sleep on it.....

[David T]

The way to fix that is to lower the latch in the center. To do that you must remove it and elongate the holes where the bolts mount it to the body. In fact, you should set the height just a smidge low. Then use the bumpers at each rear corner to push up the corners till they are even with the fenders. That way they won't shake while driving. Finally make sure the capture brackets are lined up with the bumpers so if you have a bad front end accident the hood won't go through the windscreen and decapitate you. While you are at it either replace or shorten the small spring in the latch so the hood pops up when released. Make sure the latch is centered so the bar on the hood falls right in the center of the latch and does not rub the sides as it enters the latch. Finally, add a back-up cable to open the hood just in case you have a problem with the hood release. I would not suggest trying to reform the hood. It won't stay. And if you do succeed in bending it you may undo the glue holding the fiberglass to the S/S.

[ALEXAKOS]

David, they was my first thought. I checked latch and if I were to lower it then the centre of the bonnet will be sitting with higher stress making the latch mechanism work of higher tension. No need. The bonnet is sitting good in the centre.
Just the sides are aloft. See my images.

[ALEXAKOS]

Job done!!!
:)


Removed the strapping and to my happy surprise the bonnet has 50% achieved the desired outcome.
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/D03F8B10-C8AF-4E0C-B940-7C7B30CD021B_zpsrcmois8c.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/D03F8B10-C8AF-4E0C-B940-7C7B30CD021B_zpsrcmois8c.jpg.html)

I removed the latch after you guys have mentioned it and pressed the bonnet gown in the centre as if the latch would have after modifying it. That did not really give much improvement on the donkey ears. In contrary that much stress on the latch would not be my desired effect.

Even the lower centre got in to perfect curving with the front fascia.

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/8134A378-C2B8-47B7-936F-49F75C3DE545_zpsd0cmvag4.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/8134A378-C2B8-47B7-936F-49F75C3DE545_zpsd0cmvag4.jpg.html)

Added a couple of bricks wrapped inside some pants to increase the flex effect to the perfect alignment.

http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz135/alex-akos/delo%20resto/074DFA90-FA24-40F2-B815-C27E5D2D6D36_zps5aiy9kpp.jpg (http://s821.photobucket.com/user/alex-akos/media/delo%20resto/074DFA90-FA24-40F2-B815-C27E5D2D6D36_zps5aiy9kpp.jpg.html)

[ALEXAKOS]

To add to my effort, I did give the latching mechanism a few millimeters further down and even corrected the weatherstripping around the corners. Apparently those were reglued by a PO with simple petrol based glue and not the black windscreen silicone.
The weather stripping also keeps the hood sitting higher if not well positioned or as mentioned above, if not the correct thickness.