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Looking for some help


Guest John Morreale

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Guest John Morreale

I need to change my hood springs. I have just painter the car. In one my shop manuals it shows a spring stretcher. Can anyone point me to someone to buy or rent one. I could sure use some help

John Morreale

jnfreewill@cfl.rr.com

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I have successfully changed hood springs on several cars using a whole bunch of pennies.

Open the hood part-way until the spring is partially stretched. Then insert pennies into the slots between the spring coils. Adjust the hood height so the pennies will stick into the spring without falling out. Make sure you distribute the pennies evenly into the spring - otherwise the spring will get crooked on you.

When you have inserted enough pennies, raise (or lower) the hood a bit so that the spring tries to go back to its original compressed state. The spring will not compress because of the pennies and will slip off the hood hinge.

Word of caution - when inserting pennies don't move the hood too much - you can stretch the spring and all the pennies will fall out.

When end installing the new spring, just force pennies into it until the spring is stretched. You can then easily place it on the hood hinge. then you can stretch the springs and let the pennies fall out.

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Nails are a bit easier to work with......................Bob

X2. That's the method I've always seen used. Of course, that gets the old spring off, but you still need to stretch the new spring to install the nails. GM service manuals call for you to drill a couple of holes in the bumper jack to use it as a spring stretcher. Just be careful not to put more nails into the new spring than you had in the old one, as you may not be able to stretch the installed spring enough to get them out once it's on the car. And of course, get help with the hood, since once you remove even one spring, the counterbalancing force is significantly reduced (and offset if you only do one at a time).

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Washers work too. You can use a hydraulic jack to stretch the spring, hook the bottom end over the axle and pull the other end up with the jack.

If you want to be scientific you could take a length of steel pipe, cut in half lengthways and weld 2 washers to it. Slip the device into the spring, and clamp the other half of the pipe on with hose clamps. Then the washers can't fall out and the spring will stay stretched.

By the way you really need 2 people to remove the springs, one to handle the spring the other to raise and lower the hood. Especially with a fresh paint job.

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