hood braces

[got2haul]

Are hood braces worth it?  Do they work as advertised?  Easy to install?  Don't cause some other problem?

[ccz145a]

They keep the hood from collapsing in an accident as designed. no other problems that I can think of.

[Bitzer!]

hood brace? the two angled pieces bolted half way down each side of the hood? I understand its to stop the hood flexing in the middle when you close it 'cos its such a large panel.

[ccz145a]

Yep, that's what the braces they are designed to prevent. But the hoods bend at that location because of a design feature that in the event of a front end collision, the hood would collapse there instead of shearing off at the hinges and decapitating the occupants

GM made the panel too weak, the secret is to strengthen it just enough to keep the hood from bending when you close it and still allow it to perform as intended when needed.

[VileZambonie]

Just keep your hinges well oiled and close the hood evenly or carefully and you won't need them. I had them on 2 of my trucks and they did help. My buddy went to close his hood on his 77 one time and it bent right in half.

[lowriderbowtie]

buddy went to close his hood on his 77 one time and it bent right in half.

hahahhahhahhahahhahahhahha oh im sorry, but dang that would be halarious to see

[ccz145a]

Just keep your hinges well oiled and close the hood evenly or carefully and you won't need them.

I meant to say that.

[got2haul]

Luckily, my hood isn't bent.  I keep the hinges (original) lubed with white lithium grease.  The edges at the center of the hood are raised slightly on both sides and I'm concerned that they may be weakened and eventually bend.  The edge is about 1/4 inch above the fender along the center, while being nearly even at the front and rear.  I'm always careful with it, but if an overzealous mechanic isn't careful, I reckon it could bend.  (I'm not a mechanic, so I have to have some stuff taken care of at local shops when needed.)

Hood braces, then?

[VileZambonie]

It's mostly just the 73-80 hoods that suffered from this. I guess i failed to mention I was the one who bent my buddies hood in half when he asked me to close it. lol But it was his fault lol

[Dragon]

Luckily, my hood isn't bent.  I keep the hinges (original) lubed with white lithium grease.  The edges at the center of the hood are raised slightly on both sides and I'm concerned that they may be weakened and eventually bend.  The edge is about 1/4 inch above the fender along the center, while being nearly even at the front and rear.  I'm always careful with it, but if an overzealous mechanic isn't careful, I reckon it could bend.  (I'm not a mechanic, so I have to have some stuff taken care of at local shops when needed.)

Hood braces, then?

Actually it is bending, as the edge shouldn't be raising above the Fender, unless it's not properly adjusted(then it would be evenly raised on both sides at the front or rear of the hood)....

Yes keeping the Hinges maintained will delay it, but the problem is that the '73-80 Hinge Springs are too High of a Tension rate for the hoods.....  Over time, and continuously improperly closing the hood from one side or the other, as opposed to the center, will cause that side's spring to stretch more over the other.....  The side that isn't stretching will stay up more, while the stretching side tries to close, thus causing the opposite side not being pushed to bow from the lack of hinge movement.... The Bowing of the opposite side, will cause the closing sides hinge to shift a bit, which will slightly bow that side of the hood as well.....

It's funny, but until the '73-80 trucks, GM didn't offer Hinge Braces for their hoods, even though it was a common problem all the way back to the 1950's or so.....   Our trucks only got braces offered for them, cause they were in a wider market, than just North and South America....  So there was alot more people who complained enough for GM to take notice.....   That was also the reason behind the Hinge redesign of the '81-87's, and it was also applied across all of the Models & Brands.....

[got2haul]

So Dragon,  you're saying that GM produced their own hood braces?  I wasn't aware of this -- I've seen aftermarket braces in catalogs, but if GM produced them, I'd much rather have theirs.  Will the redesigned hinges of the 81-87 models fit the 73-80 hoods?  If my hood is already bent, then I'd sure like to keep it from bending further.

[Captkaos]

The hinges on the 73-80 are COMPLETELY different than the 81-87(91) version.  It would involve ALOT of fab work to get it to work, not to mention cutting a hole in your cowl panel.

[got2haul]

The hinges on the 73-80 are COMPLETELY different than the 81-87(91) version.  It would involve ALOT of fab work to get it to work, not to mention cutting a hole in your cowl panel.

Good to know.  Thanks!

[Dragon]

So Dragon,  you're saying that GM produced their own hood braces?  I wasn't aware of this -- I've seen aftermarket braces in catalogs, but if GM produced them, I'd much rather have theirs.  Will the redesigned hinges of the 81-87 models fit the 73-80 hoods?  If my hood is already bent, then I'd sure like to keep it from bending further.

Originally when GM first heard enough complaints about the Hood Flexing & Bending, they issued a TSB to their Dealership Service Depts that gave a description of the problem, and a outline of how to fix the problem.....  The TSB also included a Fullsize Template for the braces, to be used by the Service/Body Tech to make the pieces from flat sheetmetal....    Even with the new braces added to the hoods, some of the Customers(Mainly Fleet bought and maintained trucks, which was GM's Largest Customers for the 73-87's) were still experiencing Flexing & Bending Issues.....   GM had the Braces redesigned using a thicker guage metal, and make them more ridgid to finally fix the problem... This time around, they had an outside Manufacturer mass produce them, as by that time enough of their Customers were threating to go elsewheres(Joe & Jane Blow Consumer, along with Several of their Larger Fleet Contracts).....   The Braces were made available to all of GM's Dealerships, so the repairs could be made to the trucks that were still under warranty.... Also a supply was offered through the Parts Counters, for those trucks that weren't still covered, and for the individuals who hadn't experienced the problem, but wanted to make the repairs before hand.....

I don't know if the Braces can still be sourced through a GM Parts Counter('99/'00 was the last time I talked to a GM Parts Guy about them, and they were $25+ Tax at the time), but the Majority of the Aftermarket ones I have seen available, look like they were made from the same designs......   Back in '94 when my Father was having problems with the Hood on his C-20, J.C. Whitney offered some Nice Brightly Polished Stainless Steels for $59+ S/H, but they don't currently say for sure that is what they still offer(Although the Description says no need to paint, like the old ad used to)....

BTW for those that need to make this repair, I have seen some Aftermarket Instructions that are missing some key pieces, so a little FYI for you....  If the Instructions doesn't say to, Please make sure you use a WaterProof Silicone, if you are going to screw-mount the Braces instead of welding them in place.....  Also I would recommend adding a bead of Silicone to the braces before placing them on the hood, as well as running a bead around the edges of them....  Since the hinge areas can see a good amount of moisture(If you live in a Humid/Damp Climate like I, or Wash your Baby on a Regular Basis), I have seen Plenty of the Original Repaired hoods rot out around, or under where the braces were....

[SmokeShow]

So, is JC Whitney the only place to get these???  Are they even made for an 81+ application?  I'd rather have them and never need them than to not have them and wish I had.  Not really in the mood to replace a steel cowl hood when there's a simple fix available.

Thanks