1938 Buick Hood Prop Stop

[Hubert_25-25]

Not sure of all the years this applies to, but I have a 1938 Buick in my shop.  The hood prop seems rather dangerous as it merely likes to slide against the underside of the hood and then the hood wants to bang closed.  I added these hood stops on either side using a single pop rivet each.   Hopefully a good fix for someone else as well.   Hugh  

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history)

[fosbreed1]

Great Idea !

[EmTee]

I agree with Hugh, the hood props on my '38 were very unreliable also.  Apparently the original idea was the prop rods would be stopped against the bolt head that holds the prop against the cowl.  On my car, however, the original bolts had been replaced with modern ones that have a much thinner head.  This made the original method of holding the prop ineffective.  I wound-up fabricating these stops for my hood props:

 

 

They replace the bolts that attach the props to the cowl.

 

 

 

I made them from a pair of 1/4 -20 carriage bolts and fender washers.

 

 

They hold the props securely upright even on a windy day.  The only negative is they don't hold the hood quite as high as it would be when using the original bolt head as a stop.  That said, there's still plenty of room to work and I'd rather be certain that the hood isn't going to come crashing down unexpectedly...

[MCHinson]

7 hours ago, Hubert_25-25 said:

Not sure what all years this applies to, but I have a 1938 Buick in my shop.  The hood prop seems rather dangerous as it merely likes to slide against the underside of the hood and then the hood wants to bang closed.  I added these hood stops on either side using a single pop rivet each.   Hopefully a good fix for someone else as well.   Hugh  

 

That would apply to 1938 only. I don't know if any later Buicks use that style of hood prop. 1937 Buick do not use that style of hood prop.

[EmTee]

18 minutes ago, MCHinson said:

That would apply to 1938 only. I don't know if any later Buicks use that style of hood prop.

That's a good thing! 

[Hubert_25-25]

I removed 1937 from the title as it appears that does not apply.  Thank you for the correction.  I appreciate seeing the fix that EmTee shows as I have wondered why the end of the hood prop has that short slot on the end.     

[DonMicheletti]

Both my '38's have to original bolt that is supposed to act as the stop.

You have to be carefull that the prop is correctly placed at that bolt or is likely you'll be hit on th head by the hood.  Experience...

[BuickTom87]

On 6/7/2023 at 7:12 AM, EmTee said:

I agree with Hugh, the hood props on my '38 were very unreliable also.  Apparently the original idea was the prop rods would be stopped against the bolt head that holds the prop against the cowl.  On my car, however, the original bolts had been replaced with modern ones that have a much thinner head.  This made the original method of holding the prop ineffective.  I wound-up fabricating these stops for my hood props:

 

 

They replace the bolts that attach the props to the cowl.

 

 

 

I made them from a pair of 1/4 -20 carriage bolts and fender washers.

 

 

They hold the props securely upright even on a windy day.  The only negative is they don't hold the hood quite as high as it would be when using the original bolt head as a stop.  That said, there's still plenty of room to work and I'd rather be certain that the hood isn't going to come crashing down unexpectedly...

These work great , never had any other issues since installing these, before always had to use a stick to hold the hood up . 
 

Occasionally, I do still use a stick for added protection for my neck and head .