hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I have an aftermarket fiberglass hood that I will be putting on soon, I am going to put pins on the front, but at the rear my shocks are worn out and I don't want to use them anyways, I would like to just put a prop rod in, did any 3rd gens come with prop rods from the factory such that I could simply find one and swap it on? I'm kind of thinking none did...that being the case, anyone installed a prop rod, or have advice/ideas how to go about it? Just really don't want to use shocks and put undue stress on the hood, as its already got some damage to it(bought it in rough shape). Also I would like to get an aluminum prop rod if possible....I'm kind of anal about my car's diet....

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

None that I know of came with them. The hood flex is to much. It would seem to me that the flex of a glass hood could cause a stress crack and ruin the hood and at 4-500 a hood that can get a person pretty upset. Plus with the flex it would seem that you would need 2 to keep the hood level while it's up.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Are you saying its a good idea or bad one? Cause the shocks would deff put more strain on it than a prop rod, and I know newer mustangs have glass hoods and use prop rods, and it works just fine.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Try two worn out struts from the JY

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

In my mind it would seem to be a bad idea, but thats me. I see the hood flexing like a steel hood would without the struts,and maybe cracking. And I see what you mean by the struts putting to much stress also. I guess it would depend on how sturdy the hood is. I know the new stang use a hood prop but they are designed that way from the start so the hood may be thicker in order to stand up and the hinges are different. If your hood is really light then go for it and post up some photos of how it turns out. I had a glass hood on my 82 Z28 and without struts is was a bear to open, it just wasnt light enough, but then again it was factory not aftermarket.
By all means give it a shot, but keep in mind that it could interfear with the hood when you close it, so placement will be important.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I want to put it up front, and I'm not going to use gas shocks at all, I'm simply going to pull them off the brackets, and retain the brackets for rear mounting point. And a prop is nowhere near as much strain as gas shocks...think of it like this, having no support at the front of the hood, is like holding a really long 2x4 from one end...its going to sag at the opposite end from all the strain, without any support at the opposite end...and after thinking about it, I might actually be able to use a mustang prop rod, I'm going to look at my buddy's setup on his gt, but I know mustangs and camaros are surprisingly similar cars...

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I see what you are saying. As long as it is mounted right it will work. Thats why I asked, up front will work just fine. Also look at something that has it mounted up front and were they place the rod (honda, toyo, even your friends stang). It is mounted to were it will not get in the way of the latch.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Not going to be a latch, I'm putting pins up front.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Then hell I say go for it. Post up photos when you are done if you can, somebody else might want to do it also.
Good luck with it.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I have a 85 IROC race car and it came with a stock fiberglass hood that used a prop at the front. I replaced it with a pin on hood but wanted to reuse the hinges so I could handle the hood at the track myself. I reunstalled the struts and found the hood flexed to much when opening. I added two fiberglass strips to the underside of the hood for reinforcement and strength. Works fine.

Another option for you to consider is a oval track hinge. They come in various lengths and are very light aluminum. When you open your hood they simply open past the 180 mark to hold the hood up in place. When done pull the back abross 180 and they fold up again.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

not sure what you mean about the oval track hinge...my best guess is that you mean it opens further than vertical such that it leans toward the windshield instead of over the engine bay? A picture would be nice...

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Sorry, no pic but your discription is correct.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I think you may be wrong. The hoods are designed to be supported from the rear (cantilevered), so they are braced along the outside of the hood- thicker at the base, thinner towards the front. With the rod, you'll be moving the support point from its designed position to a single point on the thin end of the hood, so you'll see bending (off-center bending at that) in the center of the hood when it's supported by the rod.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Its still going to be attached to the rear mount brackets, and those will still take most of the weight, esp with the hood angled up, its not really moving the support point, so much as adding a secondary one....

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

wrong to an extent.

You will be changing from a basically fixed hinge to a free hinge. The hinge at the back will hold very little load. There will be less loading on the hinge then it was designed. All it will be doing is keeping the hood from moving left to right and front to back. The front support will be the only thing preventing moving in that axis (or in this case an arch).

Like you said, when the hood is open, there will be some weight behing held by the rear hinge. It depends on the angle you will have it open to.

Dang, harder to explain without drawing a FBD, but it is basic statics.

I hope that if you do this be sure to take some good pics when you do.

Oh and dont they sell shocks for fiberglass hoods? Probably expensive though.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

2 thoughts come to mind.....

First time you bump the prop rod while you are under the hood, & it comes crashing down on top of you? (been there done that) You will regret doing the prop rod & realize why prop rods were eliminated from cars. If you do a old factory style prop rod that is fixed on end end & hinged to me, then the crashing hood scenario is less likely, but still a pain to work around.

And really.....Do you think that you understand structural engineering dynamics better than the GM Engineers that developed the hood struts to begin with? With fiberglass hoods, the key is to use ones that are designed for the 82-84 OEM fiberglass hoods, or old "worn out" ones that will no longer support a steel hood good, but are usually still plenty strong to support a fiberglass hood.

Bolt-on fiberglass hoods are designed with the internal strength to be supported by the factory struts & do not need "back yard engineering".

Sorry, but IMHO, the prop rod idea is a bad idea.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I wonder if you could take one from from a fiero that slides as you lift the hood and it locks into place.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Just for giggles, hold remove the struts and hold the end of the hood in one hand. Note the amount of weight. That's what will be focused on the single small point of the prop rod. Beyond the issues with placement and support, it's generally a bigger PITA to mess with the prop rod and work around it than just leaving the struts.
On a side not, my shocks were almost shot with the stock hood. With the SS (and 5 years of use) they are still working fine.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Mine are completely shot, they wouldn't even come close to holding the stock steel hood, I've had to use objects to prop it open so far, I really don't think the shocks have enough life left in them for the glass hood...but maybe, idk, still working on other problems atm...

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I'm not saying it won't work. I'm just saying, over time, it might give you issues with the glass hood. Might not. I'm just saying be carefull, and at least reinforce the area you'll have to rod on. Personally, after working on cars with and without, I prefer with struts.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Typically for 'glass hoods...You want "dead" struts.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Yeah I know....but mine are so dead, it just seems unlikely they can even support a glass hood, but maybe I'm wrong, won't know till I try it...but like I said, I have more pressing issues with the car atm, like putting the high beams back on, doing the vacuum lines and wiring in a new TCC pigtail, and figuring out wth is wrong with my trans, it doesn't like 1-2 shift....its always has trouble making it.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

Oh and dont they sell shocks for fiberglass hoods? Probably expensive though.

Yes they do make them. here is a link, and for the record I got all the strut supports from this place, front and rear and it was cheaper to do them all than any local parts store including shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=160498254886

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

could your TV cable need to be adjusted? I did mine and it fixed the shifting problem I had.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

doubtful, to the best of my knowledge tv cable only affects downshifts, not upshifts...

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I had bad shifts between 1-2 and 3-4 after doing the adjustment it shifted fine. As I understand it the TV cable sets the fluid pressure. without it the trans will over heat and burn up as well as causing soft or spungy shift points. That's from this boards tech articals as well as most transmission shops. Besides what can it hurt to see if it is out of adjusment? If it does help it didnt cost you a thing besides a little time.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

so are you saying its probably too tight or too loose?

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

It could be either way if it is to loose then it wont bring up pressure soon enough if it is to tight the pressure could be to high causing early shits or something like that. I can Pm you with a step by step on adjusting it if you like.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

your not going to run into any structural/support/cracking issues with a prop rod on a glass hood. a glass hood weighs 30 pounds MAX, consider the force produced by the head light buckets lifting your hood when your on the highway, its going to be WAY more than any force the prop rod will ever put on the hood. the only problem you'll have with a prop rod is its gonna be a pita to work around.

my old worn out struts work perfect on my glass hood, just snag some from the junk yard, or some one might just give you some old ones

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

I'm pretty sure it weighs more than 30 lbs...I would say its only about 10-30 lbs ligther than my steel one....so it probably weighs like 40-60 lbs from the feel of it.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

To much thinking and not enough doing...if you put the prop rod on with the hinges mounted to the hood at the back you essentially get the "wheelbarrow" lever effect, so I dont think you will have any problems at all. But I would recommend putting the rod as close to the center as possible.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

it would be dead center, if i do it i am going to use that metal bar that normally is what gets latched into the latch mechanism.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

i have a fiberglass VFN hood, and im using the factory hood struts for the factory fiberglass hoods and have no issues what-so-ever.

As for hood props, i made a set before i pickedup these struts. 2 pieces of rigid 1/2" OD copper tubing with a bend at the top to matcht he angle of the hood. ( this size fits over my hood pins, i think they are 7/16"). I soldered pieces of 3/8" OD brass rod into the ends with the bends, drilled holes through the brass. The 1/2" OD copper slides over my hood pins, and i have holes to line up with the hood pin holes so i can clip the rods to the hood pins. Then, the brass rods at the end of the prop rods pass through the holes in the hood where the hood pins go, and then i can even put pins through the brass pins to hold the hood so it doesnt blow up and over if there is wind. They worked well, but storing them was a hassle so i went with the hood struts.

Re: hood prop rod instead of struts/shocks
 

my 82 has a stock fiberglass hood supported from the rear with gas shocks that cost 15 bucks a piece to replace from o'reilys. Not sure why you would want to go to a rod when its so much easier to work on the engine without one.