[one off]

Looking for some info on how to latch a tilt front end, so it doesn't rattle. Was thinking maybe electric trunk latches? Maybe some sort of guide pin and latch combo? Is Madd Syntst out there i heard he does that kind of stuff?
thankyou

 

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I use the old Gasser inspired chrome Jeep hood latches on the 1-piece tilt up front end on my Willys. On my friend's '42 Willys pick up, we used a solenoid operated trunk latch mounted in the cowl. Key is to pad the cowl with the fuzzy half of Velcro or stock hood welting and avoid metal-to-metal(fiberglass?)contact and secure things tightly with whatever latch you pick.

 

[one off]

Thanks for the reply,lived most of my life in Bakersfield maybe we have some mutual friends.
The truck is a 49 Chevy will be tilting the fenders, and grill only.All steel. Very concerned about noise and alignment.
thanks scot

 

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I have a '53 Chevy pick up on which I am doing a ground-up rebuild so am current on how these things go together. I'm not sure I understand how you are tilitng the front end when you say 'fenders and grille only'. Are you planning on leaving the hood off? Are you planning to bolt it together or weld and hide the seams on the pieces?

Did you work in the oilfields?

 

[one off]

I'm leaving the hood on it's hindges so i can open it seperatly. No i didn't,but i know many who did. i used to do custom body and paint.know the Mederis bros. Woods bros. Bob Parks, those kinda guys. That may be too far back i don't know.

 

[[email protected]]

That's a toughie. Not much between the fenders in front to bind them together. I'm still not getting a picture of how your front end will operate. Will you raise the hood conventionally then pull the grille and fenders to the front thne tilt them up? Why not just hook them to the hood and tilt it forward too? Would allow a much stronger unit that way.

Don't know any of those guys. I was reared in the Porterville area (Ducor). Moved to B'field after college around '72.

 

[Centerline]

Thats what I did on my 41 pro-street car. All steel front end, bolted the hood to the fenders, eliminated the inner fenders, used a Ball's Rod & Custom 12 volt linear actuator to open and close the front end and alignment pins in the bottom of the rear section of the fenders for alignment and anti rattle. Works like a champ and I really like how the front end tilts with just the flick of a switch. The actuator also holds the front end closed so I don't need a latch. <img src="graemlins/drool.gif" border="0" alt="[drool]" />

Centerline
<a href="http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com" target="_blank">http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com</A>

 

[one off]

Don't know if i will have room for accuaters, have a large cross flow radiater, but will look into it, thanks oh, what kind of guide pins?
i want the hood to open for every day type checking stuff.
my grandmother lived in portervill she worked at the hospital there.

 

[[email protected]]

I think you will be much happier with a completely tilt front end, not to mention very popular at Sonic Drive-In! Set up like Centerline describes makes it quite convenient. Also, would save a BUNCH of problems as you can imagine gettignthe parts strong enough, to move properly, etc.

I was born @ P'ville hospital so you grandmother probably changed a few of my diapers!!!

 

[Centerline]

You only need one actuator. Mine has 600 lbs. of push pull power and works on a 20 amp circut. The alignment pins were made of long bolts with the heads cut off and were welded to a support that is inturn welded to the frame. Inside the rear lower section of the fender is a cone shaped cup with a hole in the top of the cone the same diameter as the pin. When the front end comes down the pin is captured in the cone which alignes the fender and when it's all the way down holds it firmly to the body.

I agree with Willys36 you'll be much happier with the whole front end tilting.

Centerline
<a href="http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com" target="_blank">http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com</A>

 

[tgregoire]

when I tilted the nose on my 53f100, I welded the hood and fenders together. I installed a hood latch from a Honda with a forward tipping hood, the latch is in the center of the cowl with a release cable under the dash. I have two hood pins which are mounted to each fender and when the nose closes the pins pop into two rubber plates which keep the fender pieces lined up and stop them from wobbling. I have a set of convertable top pistons and pump hooked up to open and close it with the flip of a switch.

 

[Madd Syntst]

Here I am! OK, the way I did mine. I bolted the hood to the fenders, but I left the spacers inbetween. It has the same amout of gap as if the hood was seperate from the nose. The reason for this is that there is a dynamic body line that won't match up about knee high on the 57 model Chevy truck. I then masked both sides and ran a true "bead" of black silicone to fill the space. It gives the impression of fender welting.

I also cut the doglegs of the fenders off and bolted them to the cab. The reason for this is that I didn't want to bang my head on the fenders when under the nose. Remember ancient rule: Form follows function!

To keep the fenders from flapping in the wind as you drive, I welded hat channel on the back side of the fender and the dog leg and used the affore mentioned jeep hood holddowns. Along the cut of the dogleg, I made a 3" strip that followed the flow of the metal, so when closed, you can not see through any space.

Alignment was done with two long bolts made into pins and a piece of conduit sunk into the firewall top as a receiver. It does not latch. The only latching is done by the jeep hood holders.

The problem I am working on now, is that I do not want my bumper to tilt with the nose. I need to re-engineer the way the hinbge area actually works. It needs to go up and then bend.

Not to discourage you, but you may want to rethink this seperate hood idea. I have seen it done, but with the hood up and nose tilted, you are asking for problems that I don't know are worth the effort. i wish I lived closer, I'd help you on this one.
Ok, beer thirty! <img src="graemlins/mwink.gif" border="0" alt="[mwink]" />

 

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Madd; Why didn't you put welting in the hood fender joint instead of silicone with all it's implications for paint problems?

 

[one off]

come on you guys iv'e built the chassis,all front suspention, power steering rack capible of working with a-arms as close as 14", distributor cap,rear independent suspention,dash, pully and belt system with adjusters all below valvecovers, fluids run through the frame,hood hindges, billet alum. interior,and so on we can overcome a few problems? how about truses in the fenderwell area?
haven't built the headers yet,do you think it would be very hard to build a mandrel bender? got plans?

 

[one off]

willy's
my brothers work in the oil biz cary and rodger white maybe you know them?

 

[[email protected]]

Hey, I'm mister do-it-my-own-way! Don't for a minute think I am throwing cold water on your idea. If you have a plan, go for it and prove us all wrong. That's the way I build all my cars!

No, don't know your brothers.