1974 Plymouth Valiant Scamp - Restoration is a strong word
When I bought the car, the hood was not on. The right side hinge had an obvious problem, but the left was also loose, so I decided to pull the fenders (and bumper) to get a good look at both. The right side spring had become detached from the hinge. I was able to wind it back on with a vice grip. I then noticed a bend in the hinge, so I pulled it off and straightened it out. As I worked the hinge by hand, it looked like the spring was starting to creep off the pin, so I drilled a small hole through that pin and inserted a nail as a cotter pin to keep the spring from coming off. I think the bent hinge was likely forcing that spring off the pin. Hopefully, straightening the hinge solved it, but I figured a cotter pin wouldn't hurt. I don't love the amount of play both hinges have, but I'm not sure how to address that. My plan now is to reinstall the hood with the fenders off and see how everything works before I decide if it's good enough, or if I need to fix or replace the hinges. While removing things, I discovered I needed new rocker molding clips, headlight adjusters, and I'm missing a shift linkage bushing. More parts ordered.
When I bought the car, the hood was not on. The right side hinge had an obvious problem, but the left was also loose, so I decided to pull the fenders (and bumper) to get a good look at both. The right side spring had become detached from the hinge. I was able to wind it back on with a vice grip. I then noticed a bend in the hinge, so I pulled it off and straightened it out. As I worked the hinge by hand, it looked like the spring was starting to creep off the pin, so I drilled a small hole through that pin and inserted a nail as a cotter pin to keep the spring from coming off. I think the bent hinge was likely forcing that spring off the pin. Hopefully, straightening the hinge solved it, but I figured a cotter pin wouldn't hurt. I don't love the amount of play both hinges have, but I'm not sure how to address that. My plan now is to reinstall the hood with the fenders off and see how everything works before I decide if it's good enough, or if I need to fix or replace the hinges. While removing things, I discovered I needed new rocker molding clips, headlight adjusters, and I'm missing a shift linkage bushing. More parts ordered.