My 25 dodge brothers hood hold downs have lost their spring tension has anybody taken them apart and tried to repair them ?

[Porsche 68]

My 25 dodge brothers hood hold downs have lost their spring tension has anybody taken them apart and tried to repair them ?

[Porsche 68]

My 25 dodge brothers hood hold downs have lost their spring tension has anybody taken them apart and tried to repair them ?

[jpage]

Maybe post some photos so we can see their construction to get a better idea of a repair.

[intimeold]

You are going to have to get in the barrel, of that latch.

 

Unfortunately, these were never meant to be repaired.  But anything can be taken apart. 

 

The top rivet and bottom rivet are going to have to be removed.  Ground off, preferably. And try to reverse engineer it.  Doesn't look easy.

 

If You can get it apart; without destroying it; replace the spring, inside the barrel.

[Curti]

I have done it with tube nuts and unslotted machine screws. Prefit the unit so you know it will function. When you do final assembly put thread locker on the threads.  I use green LockTite. 

[46 woodie]

As others have mentioned take it part and replace the spring. McMaster-Carr has just about any spring you can need.

[wayne sheldon]

I have repaired several similar era hood hold-downs. Some of them are very easy to take apart. Something, on one end or the other simply unscrews. Others not so easy. One had two small screws that pinned the pieces together, broken. Had to get creative after drilling them out.

Some have the bottom end of the top handle crimped when assembled by the manufacturer. That style also requires some creativity. You might need to carefully grind the crimped end back a little bit, and then re-crimp it (an unnoticeable amount shorter?). I have in the past "tiny tip brazed" a steel wire shaped into place to replace what I had to grind off, so that can be another option.

One car I restored, needed something a bit special and unique to fit  (an after-market bodied model T). I couldn't find four of ANYTHING close enough to work. So I made four handles from scratch.

Enjoy!

 

 

One of two threads started. Most answers are on the other one. Which has a photo.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by wayne sheldon
Clarification. (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

I was working from the bottom, and didn't see that you had two threads, answered on the other one.

 

Copied and pasted from the other post.

 

"I have repaired several similar era hood hold-downs. Some of them are very easy to take apart. Something, on one end or the other simply unscrews. Others not so easy. One had two small screws that pinned the pieces together, broken. Had to get creative after drilling them out.

Some have the bottom end of the top handle crimped when assembled by the manufacturer. That style also requires some creativity. You might need to carefully grind the crimped end back a little bit, and then re-crimp it (an unnoticeable amount shorter?). I have in the past "tiny tip brazed" a steel wire shaped into place to replace what I had to grind off, so that can be another option.

One car I restored, needed something a bit special and unique to fit  (an after-market bodied model T). I couldn't find four of ANYTHING close enough to work. So I made four handles from scratch.

Enjoy!"

[Porsche 68]

Thanks all for the reply’s  I have to go to a farm auction tomorrow but when I get back I’ll see what I can do. John

[keiser31]

You could also see the various choices on Ebay....https://www.ebay.com/itm/284722429835?hash=item424ac77f8b:g:CxYAAOSwiJJiPH6r&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4NfviwIg7rgE4AX8OmYCyLTRXzX9OyPUVUeVIM9wkxTszlO7yyR6dUPyTeW6DBbxGz%2BD7i%2FVSu5DRLeumFCxXGPGp4Xu0sb3lEYF47BNCZoR7mIsSosDZhMuIQ7NrkNKdBzsZhycfJbqcnbDgHF%2BZDGpvP2tmfBfPvPwsp91YEo7aMzBeTILtwdnirWOCGKQF58yL2GnK%2FrT4OtbkyUK02gVHkYc2w%2Bn08ytGZ7%2BtOhniPsTUmXDO%2B0tKpGPzDh5w5VXU2hdFxcKE3vAl8Hm1ieZ4bGx9MTQ34N%2FUSQU4%2F2U|tkp%3ABFBM0t21_Zdg

[JayG]

I recently rebuilt all 4 of my 25 DB latches for the same reason.  I didn't grind any rivets off.  The latch has a seam running down it and I used a thin chisel to pry it open slightly at the bottom.   This allowed the small flat washer used to hold the spring in to slip out and then the spring and shaft can come out.  Don't over stretch the seam. I hope the pics help.  The flat washer is smaller than the one shown and there is a pin in the upper ent which isn't shown in my pic.   After reassembly I gently squeezed the bottom in a vise with the seam toward the jaw and it closed up nicely.  I found springs that matched for size and tension at Ace Hardware.  The first pic is my restored latches. The other 2 are from some spares that I have.  Good luck.  

Jay

Edited May 18, 2022 by JayG
added content (see edit history)