I just bought my Firebird, so I am still getting used to it. I have a question about f-body hoods. The hood on my bird doesn't like to close by just dropping it from a foot up or so like most other cars. The latch doesn't line up right. I have to hold open the latch and then set the hood down where it would be if you had just popped it from inside. Then I have to force it to closed by pushing down on it with quite a bit of force. I am afraid of damging the hood over time, is this common on f-bodies? Or is something wrong with the latch or something. Thanks guys!

 

I could be wrong, but maybe it just needs some more grease? I know that mine had trouble popping up so I applied grease and it's much better.

 

No my problem is not with opening it is with closing. The latch doesn't seem to line itself up with the hole that it locks into unless I manually hold open the latch and force the hood shut.

 

Right. But if there's no grease to slide on, it will catch the metal frame instead of sliding and hitting the lever.

 

The hinges that the hood attaches to the fender with can be loosened and this is how you line up the hood. The latch bar on the hood itself can also be loosened and aligned with the latch. And last but not least the latch can be lined up also by loosening.

 

Oh okay. Thanks, I didn't know that.

 

np, thats why we are all here to help eachother out!

 

Okay, I have to apologize. After re-reading your reply and going out to my car I realize what you meant and yes I knew that was possible, but that's not my problem. I think I'm just not communicating my thoughts very well, I should have called it the release latch. I have attached some picutres to illustrate. One is a picutre of the release latch which has no method of adjustment that I can detect, and one is of the same latch with the hood lowered. You can see by how far the release latch misses the hole.

 

hmmmm that is interesting, maybe the car was in a prior accident? I'm not sure what to do unless I was there. Sorry

 

2 of my brids did that, just something I got used to

Best I could ever figure, the safety/release latch was bent cuz of someone slamming it shut and the hook snagging and gettin pressed by the weight/momentum of the hood

 

when you close your hood is it closer to one of the fenders than the other than you make an adjustment on the striker on the hood that looks like half a swatchtica. bad spelling. if not you can adjust the actuall locking mechanisim I think it is two bolts.