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MP&C
10-19-2014, 07:35 PM
We've been doing quite a bit of front end fitment lately, and our hood fitment has been hindered by the hinges. When closing the hood they didn't want to close properly and the back corners of the hood had to be pushed down by hand. Don (acardon) suggested replacing the original shouldered rivets with some bolts and sleeves. We hadn't heard anything promising with the reproduction hinges, so what did we have to lose.


First to come up with a hinge spring removal tool...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1397.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1398.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1399.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1400.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1401.jpg

Now to disassemble the hinge and remove the rivets..

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1387.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1388.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1404.jpg

All of the rivet holes were drilled out for the spacers.. Some 3/8-16 rivnuts were used to make some spacers, and used the lathe to trim them to size, allowing a few thousandths clearance. Basically used a micrometer to measure the thickness of the parts and calculated lengths from there. This involved quite a bit of fitment, as too much clearance and the "gears" want to jump a tooth, so the spacer lengths had to be just enough to allow the parts to move freely.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1402.jpg

Here are the results, click on the pic for a video showing how well the hood now closes..

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y167/rmccartney/1955%20Chevy%20Wagon%20Restoration%20Album%204/Picture1394.jpg (http://youtu.be/E1-9K_iXN5A)




Thanks much to Don for the suggestion!

slowfinger
10-19-2014, 08:13 PM
This would be a great project for my buddys new mill he just got.

carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)
10-20-2014, 05:52 AM
thanks for sharing Robert. :geek: