1941 Hood Latch/Hinge

[John R. Hess]

Hi folks

 

Question regarding the hood latch on my '41 Super.  I was wondering if there is any kind of vertical adjustment of the latch assembly.  On the driver's side, there is probably at least 1/8" or more between the bottom of the latch and the top of the fender.  The hood latch handle works smoothly and properly.  On the passenger side (shown), there is  barely enough clearance to slip a few sheets of paper between the latch and the top of the fender, yet alone the thickness of the hood.  This side is extremely hard to close, putting a great amount of stress on the latch handle.  My fear is that you have to push so hard to engage the latch that the latch handle (pot metal) may break.

 

Photo #1 shows the latch assembly in question (two per side), Photo 2 shows the non-existent clearance.  I can not believe that vertical adjustment is not possible but so far I can't figure out how that can be done.  The shop manual doesn't address any such adjustments.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

John Hess

Edited August 3, 2022 by John R. Hess
Changing all caps (see edit history)

[neil morse]

Hi John:

 

I'm going to attempt to answer your question because I have a similar situation with my '41 Super.  However, I'm not completely sure I understand what's going on with your car, so I may not be of any help.

 

On my car, the problem is misalignment of the front fenders and hood.  I'm sure that if you dismantle the front clip (which I am not willing to attempt), you can make adjustments.  But on my car, there is a gap between the hood and fender on the passenger side.  As a result, the hood latch on that side is very tight.  From the time I got the car five years ago, I just accepted the fact that I had to bang on the latch on that side with my palm in order to get it to close.  Eventually (as you predict in your post) I broke the pot metal latch handle and had to replace it.  It was only then that I realized that the latch is adjustable.  The rod that attaches to the latch handle is threaded, and can be turned to adjust the amount of "throw" on the latch.  Having adjusted the latch, I can now close that side much more easily.  However, I still have the gap that I think can only be resolved by adjusting the alignment of the fenders.

 

What is unclear to me is what you say about the "non-existent clearance" on your latch.  Aren't the two latches (one of which is shown in your photo) spring loaded so that they are forced up when they contact the edge of hood?  So I don't think that the fact that you can only get two pieces of paper under the latch when the hood is open is the problem.  However, if you have a gap like on my car when the hood is closed, that makes it impossible for the latch handle to easily close.  Does this make sense?

 

For whatever help it may provide, here's a link to the post in my "Me and My Buick" thread where I discuss the replacement of the hood latch on my car.  (Click on the arrow in the upper right-hand corner of the link to get to the right post in the thread.)