Hood Alignment - AD Trucks

The following procedure may be used to correct improperly fitted hoods.  Use

all or any part of this procedure as necessary to obtain proper appearance

and operation.

    1.  Loosen fender and skirt attaching bolts to body.  Loosen radiator support bolts.

         Push fenders down to provide clearance for hood adjustment.

    2.  Check and adjust fender skirt to dash brace rods.  Measurements

         should be taken from center of bolt head to edge or brackets.  Lefts side 27

         1/4" Right 27"

    3.  Loosen outer hood hinge bolts completely, both sides.

    4.  Disconnect hood supports from hood and swing hood supports down out

         of the way.  Loosen the bolts attaching the hood supports to body, both

         sides.  This will permit vertical adjustment of hood supports after hood

         alignment is completed.

    5.  Loosen two inner hood hinge bolts, both sides.  Leave these bolts

         just snug so that hinge can just be moved by jarring or exerting pressure on

        the hood.

    6.  Remove the hood lock plate.

    7.  Adjust hood fore and aft to obtained 1/8" to 1/4" gap between rear

        edge of hood and cowl ledge.

   NOTE:  IF THE GAP IS NOT EVEN, TIGHT AT SIDES AND OPEN AT TOP CENTER OR

VICE VERSA, ADD OR REMOVE SHIMS BETWEEN THE RADIATOR SUPPORT AND FRAME CROSS

MEMBER, AS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN EVEN HOOD GAP AT HOOD LEDGE, BOTH AT CENTER

AND SIDES, AND TIGHTEN RADIATOR SUPPORT BOLTS TO 5 FT. LBS.

    8.  Lift front of hood and place 4" block under hood nose to hold it up.

    9.  Force rear end of hood down tightly on hood anti-squeak.  Hood

         should be down very tight against the anti-squeak to compensate for upward

         push of hood supports after they are connected.  Supports will push the hood

         up as far as the play in the hinge rivets will allow.  Center hood as

         necessary without disturbing fore and aft position and tighten two inner

         hood hinge bolts on each side while hood is held down.

NOTE:  IF HOOD HINGES BOTTOM ON UNEVEN SURFACE ON THE STEP AT COW SIDES

BEFORE HOOD IS DOWN TO POSITION DESCRIBED ABOVE, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO

REMOVE HINGES AND SMOOTH OR HAMMER THE STEP TO REMOVE BUMPS TO PERMIT

LOWERING OF THE HINGES.  IF THE HOOD IS STILL NOT DOWN FAR ENOUGH, IT MAY BE

NECESSARY TO ENLARGE AND ELONGATE THE HOLES IN THE COWL WITH A RAT TAIL

FILE.  THIS WILL PERMIT THE HINGE ATTACHING BOLTS TO ROTATE IN THE SLOTTED

HOLES IN THE COWL WHEN THE HOOD IS PUSHED DOWN, AND DUE TO THE POSITION OF

THE HINGE ARMS ON THE HINGES, MAY ALLOW ADDITIONAL DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE

HOOD.

    10.  Remove the 4" block, lower hood and check hood fit at cowl.  Hood

           should be very tight against the anti-squeak across top of cowl.  If the

           hood touches the anti-squeak tightly at the sides but bows up in the center,

           adjust as follows:

A)  Remove two outer screws on each side holding center bracket to hood

     reinforcement at rear of hood.

B)  Loosen two inner screw in bracket.

C)  Pry outer ends of bracket away from reinforcement and place flat washers

     as necessary between outer ends of bracket and reinforcement on both sides.

D)  Reinstall outer screws through the flat washers and tighten all brackets

to reinforcement attaching screws securely.

This will bring center of hood down and reduce the possibility of flutter at

the center of hood.  If hood still does not touch anti-squeak tightly after

the above operations, it will be necessary to shim under anti-squeak to

prevent hood flutter, as it is not possible to lower hood further.

    11.  Tighten outer hood hinge bolts, both sides.

    12.  Reassemble hood supports to hood, both sides.  With hood in raised

          position and resting on hood supports, tighten bolts attaching hood supports

          to dash, both sides.  These were originally loosened at the dash to permit

          vertical adjustment of the hood support after the hood had been adjusted to

          its new position.  This re-adjustment is necessary to prevent the

          possibility of one hood support being fully locked in the open position and

          the other being partially open.

    13.  Replace hood lock plate, tightening plate attaching screws just

          snug, and push hood lock plate to the rear as far as the clearance in the

          screw holes will allow.  Drop hood to closed position and lock, this will

          center hood lock plate.  Then raise hood, move lock plate forward 1/32" and

          tighten lock plate screws.

    14.  Adjust lock stud to proper length as necessary to hold hood closed.

          The lock stud may appear to be too short to get proper adjustment.  This

          will usually be due to bent hood lock plate or bent upper catch plate, these

          plates being bent by slamming the hood shut while improperly adjusted.  It

          will be necessary to straighten the bent plates if this condition exists, to

          bring the lock stud to proper position to hold hood closed.

    15.  Lower hood to locked position and raise rear end of fenders to fit

          lower edge of hood and tighten fender and skirt to body attaching parts.