Next up, I wanted to check the fit on the hood. It appears to be in very good shape, but I would feel better after a test fit. In order to do this, I need to install my hood hinges.
I chased NOS hood hinges for the last several years. Early on, I found a few singles and one pair. However, by my own doing, I missed out on them all. I haven't seen any over the last two years. So, the hood hinges I will be using are the same ones I removed from my truck last year. They were a bit worn out, so I sent them off to
Hood Hinge Repair in Forest, VA for a rebuild. Willie, the owner, was great to deal with. He blasted them to bare metal, replaced the worn rivets and tightened to factory specs. Once they were rebuilt, he epoxy primered them and finished with zinc phosphate paint from Eastwood. This is his niche, so I knew he would do a good job. He didn't disappoint either.
Definitely show quality. Now let's see how tight they are. Time to put the hood on.
The hinges fit perfect and I have never felt hinges this tight. The back of my old hood used to pop up because of the hinges being worn, but not anymore!
It took a few hours of moving the fenders, radiator support and hood around but I finally got it all squared up. The gaps are really close to the same width as the door gaps. I think this is ready to go back for some paint.
