'59 Plymouth Forum

My bad! I didn't take my socks off before I counted three days.

Looks like you got it.

I bought (in 2003! That makes them "classic" ) a set of red seat belts. They won't do now, since I'm doing the interior black - I must have mentioned to Ron, I was thinking about painting them black as well. Which, would be tricky, considering they are sewn at the buckle.

This morning Matthew IM'd me to ask if that was still my plan - I said I was now planning to buy a new set instead.

No need! Matthew removed a set from his convertible and is donating them to the Faulkner cause:

Anyone need a set of red seat belts? Still in the box!

Dan

News from The Hood: All dressed up, and nowhere to go.

It's a balmy 88 in the garage today, finally dropped the screens in place. That's a good sign, I guess.

I screwed a piece of wood to the joists, and hung the gambrel for holding the hood while I ease it off the hinges. I had to bend the gambrel hooks a bit to make it fit, but it does, nicely:

Back in 2006 (!) when Ron and Matthew first visited for Carlisle, we attempted to move the hood forward a bit because it's tight against the cowl. To no avail; we snapped one bolt in the process, and replaced it. But with everything out - except for one other bolt - I can see there's no play anyway. I'm going to need to shim the hinges to move the hood forward.

And here's the one bolt that won't come out - it turns freely, but apparently the threads are stripped. I tried wedging a screwdriver between the hood and hinge, hoping that by turning the bolt while applying some pressure the threads would catch - but no such luck:

Looks like I'm going to have to cut the head off that sucker. Anyone have any better ideas? I'll put a couple other bolts back in position, I wouldn't want the hood to take off while I'm hacksawing through the bolt

After a lunch break, I went at the bolt with a hacksaw... And quickly realized: I don't want to do this. Instead, I resorted to my screwdriver crowbar trick again. And doncha know - even though the threads never caught, under steady pressure and turning, it stripped it's way out of there. Must be because I prayed to the Patron Saint of '59 Plymouths (that would be you, Dick)

Hip. Hip. Hooray.

Yeah. The hood goes off to the body shop to straighten one corner that's slightly bent, because it pinches the cowl - and, to spot weld the lip bracket, to keep it from flexing (there's a little crack near the lip of the hood). When I get it back, I'll paint it black. Time to dress up the engine compartment!

I they going to fix/replace the stripped mounting nut/s.

Just the one stripped, Dick - the one I pried out of there, I was able to back out the snapped bolt. Funny, the nut threads look fine! Perhaps the bolt was of softer metal - I'll see if I can snug a short bolt in it.

Most standard bolts used in most automotive applications are grade 5 (3 lines on the head) , the strongest is grade 8. Stainless steel is the softest and weaker than grade five, if tightened too much stainless will stretch and gall, in effect weld itself together, then it's next to impossible to get them apart without breaking them. I always use never size or lithium grease on stainless.

I spent the day organizing the garage - parts scattered here and there, lots of detritus to vacuum up - and then went about removing the hood hinges. Well... One hinge, anyway. The nuts under the dash are easy to reach. But the washers are so freakin' tight! On the passenger side, the top one popped off, the lower I had to grip with my fingers and twist off like a stripped nut. I managed to get the hinge off:

Same on the driver's side - the top came right off, but the lower is a real bear. This one I can grip, and turn - but it goes nowhere. I tried getting a wide blade screwdriver under it, I even tried hammering it (with a nut screwed on to protect the threads, of course) - first, with the Weenie Hammer (TM), then with a full-fledged sledgehammer. That sucker will not budge:

93 in the garage, no need for the heater , so I called it quits. Short of using a sawzall on the firewall - how do I get that sucker out of there?

I don't mean to pry, but... Actually, I do mean to pry. And I thought this might do it:

To no avail. I managed to bend the washer, but no give on the bolt. I can still turn the washer! But, not turn it off the bolt.

Is there some sort of retainer I see between the bolt and the washer hole? That little black ring, or is that just where the nut snugged the washer when tightened down? I don't recall seeing any kind of retainer on the other bolts.

As the Beatles would say: "Ooh, I get by with a little help from my friends."

Clamp a pair of vice grip pliers on the washer then wrench the bolt out or cut the head off the bolt.
Dick

Dick Koch wrote: ↑Sun Jun 10, 2018 5:27 pm Clamp a pair of vice grip pliers on the washer then wrench the bolt out...

You mean, pry from the engine compartment side?

Dick Koch wrote: ↑Sun Jun 10, 2018 5:27 pm ...or cut the head off the bolt.

Ain't got no stinkin' head. There's all-thread into the hinge. I guess I could cut the bolt between hinge and firewall... But, it's tight. And my fingers hurt. And the light's too bright. And...

That's quite a delima! I see two choices, maybe three! Put a nut on the stud get a bigger maul and beat it thru the washer. This will probably mess up the threads on the stud, if you can't chase the threads straight, cut it off, drill a hole and use a bolt and nut to remount. This saves the hinge. Next would be to cut the stud as you suggested, you would still have to drill a hole and use a bolt and nut to remount. The third choice is a suggestion from somebody else because I can't think of any thing else other than drilling the hole at the stud location from the engine bay side then try to break off the stud. Wish l had a easy solution.
Good luck
Dick.

Hmmm... Another approach - if there's enough thread - would be to lock one nut against another, and turn out the all-thread from the hinge. I don't know if it's locked on the hinge side, though (e.g., by burring the threads). Might be worth a shot.

I just love crawling under my dashboard...