"Official" hood hinge thread

Ok,
Here are 5 pictures on my hood hinge design.
This is not the prototype, but the finished product.
What these hinges do is tilt the front of the hood up AND away from the cowl. They also raise the hood along with lifting it.
When installed at the proper angle, you can tilt the hood to almost 90 degrees without the front of the hood touching the ground.
I have tested the prototype and they do work.
Now these hinges have slots which are just for looks. Notice that they also have several sets of holes which allow for you to adjust the hood to fit a specific application. As everyone knows, (or should know) hinge mounting points are all over the place, depending on the kit and who installed the inner front part of the fender.
Also note that the hinges have 3 mounting points. This will allow for adjustments based on how the hinge mounting plate has been installed. On my Bohannon unit, I have huge plates which also double as a radiator support. They will be significantly trimmed before final assembly, as all that metal is not needed.
Note that there are several views of the hinges.
The shots of them on the car are mock ups. Note that they are attached with C clamps just for these photos.
With all of that said, you can see how these hinges work. Note just how heavily they are built as opposed to the reversed hood hinges we have all struggled with over the years.
I posted these pics because of the many, many emails regarding this topic.
Now before you start saying "gimme mine, I want them, make me some, send me free patterns, etc, please note this: You guys that really know me also know just how brutally honest I am and straightforward to say the least.
I did not build these to sell. I had help from a machinist on the final product through johnnymaco. I only built enough for me.
They were very expensive to have cut out and welded. I spent years off and on playing with this design.
Just ask yourself what you have donated to the maco hobby before you demand your drawings.
:+
I'm not doing this to piss anyone off, I just want everyone to know how I feel about this. Personally, I have sent out plans for these before and also copies of Correct orig. Motion Maco grille templates that were copied from NOS maco grilles.
So, after reading all this BS, here are the shots.... enjoy!

Thank you for posting these great photos and info
on how it all works. We have been needing this
thread for quite some time.

McBrain

The look great, and seem to solve a multitude of problems. I'm ready to upgrade! :)

I don't know if I've earned my wings yet or not... working on my Maco like a madman, though!

I've got to figure something out for my hinges as well... the "factory" hinges are barely acceptable... They allow the hood to move all over the place; way too weak for the mass of the tilt front end. I can only imagine what might happen at 120+ with a bunch of high-pressure air buildup under the hood.

Well done. ~Tim

These are probably the best pictures, and hinges yet. Thanks Randy, even though they are mounted differently than mine this will help out a lot. An even worse pressure problem is the low pressure (lift) going over the high lift wing shape of the front and fenders. The higher the fender, the higher the lift. One of the advantages of the fender louvers on the trans-am and Greenwood cars is to equalize the under and over hood pressures. I would love to find a set for my car. I also plan on putting wire rope lanyards to the frame as a just in case measure.

is this the Kit I have in the box?

One of the advantages of the fender louvers on the trans-am and Greenwood cars is to equalize the under and over hood pressures. I would love to find a set for my car.

I was just reading back through this hinge thread and read the above... the '96 and later Dodge Viper GTS models had upper fender air extractors in similar fashion that would look right at home on Corvette fenders; might be something to look into.

Lets keep this thread on Hinges.
Thanks.

Cool, back to hinge talk,

I have been reluctant to post this because I believe it will be greeted with a lot of skepticism. because as it was to me it just sounds too easy a fix and one of those "Why didn't I think of this"

I admit the first time I was doing a Mako I knew the Ecklers tilt front clip style pivot would not work as it was too low so I followed what the others here were doing,
Much thought , time and work has gone into reworking stock truck or car double moment hinges to work on the Makos,
What no one considered was that double moment hinges was only needed because of where the pivot point is within the front clip, move the pivot forward and up and a person no longer needs an elaborate hinge but gains a simple more sturdy single pivot point,
The Mako clip I just bought came with what I will call a well thought out pivot system,
While all I have at the moment is one crappy picture of the new clip, I did do a little test of my theory and while I have no scanner these pictures serve to show that where the pivot point is makes all the difference,
Please note the pivot points are approximate not down to the scale inch

This first picture shows a single pivot point about where everyone mounts the truck hinges on a Mako clip, or about like an Ecklers tilt front end would pivot.
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/makotilt01.jpg

Now with the front clip open we see how much overhang the beak has and anyone that has a mako knows this single pivot will not work on a Mako the beak drags the ground before the open is open wide enough to even check the oil,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/makotilt02.jpg

So dual movement hinges were needed to open the clip up and forward,
But not the end of the story, there are more than one way to tackle a problem,
It's all about pivot location,
If we break out of the box and mount the pivot higher and more forward in the clip we get the clip to open as much as the dual motion hinge but from a single pivot,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/makotilt03.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/makotilt04.jpg

Here is the picture of the single pivot on a car working very well and as you can see the clip is open as wide or wider than the double movement hinge set up. the ends of the pivot rod are bearings so there is no slop,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/hinge.jpg

The builder did do one thing I don't care for and that is placing the pivot support in front of the radiator but that will be no big deal to move that out to the sides of the radiator,

Interesting. Rick has a pivot set up on his short tail car.
My newest design, as pictured above, is probably a little different from the plans I sent you years ago. It has more mounting options and variables when it comes to the actual working of the hinge.
The further forward the hinge pivot, the better it is. Also higher up.
One thing to keep in mind, is what happens to the bottom of the hood when it rolls under during opening.
I guess its just a matter of what each individual can figure out on his own.... wish more people would comment and better yet, participate... more opinions usually mean a better product. When I did these, I had to figure them out by myself with zero help.

Right on!
I can't take credit for this but as you see by the picture on the car the roll under works fine,

I was under the impression the guide on yours were car/truck hood hinges, it's the same basic idea, and if the builder desires that mounting point a hinge like yours is a must have,

When I got here way back all I did was beg David for pictures of his hinges, when Motion sent me that clip that went on the 81 it was all bare on the underside, the buyer had to work it out, Rosen loved to answer questions with "I don't rememeber", when you have others doing your work it's easy to forget how it's built,

I can lay out my clip and take more pictures but it really doesn't matter until I have it on a car,

It's hard on small forums where you only have a few people posting then how many are building the car or are past owners,
You might have seen I hang on the other vette forum a lot, I am the black sheep there but I like having so many views and opinions on a subject,

Dialog is what we all need to work things out when it comes to building custom stuff.
Anybody (just about) can build it when all the stuff comes off the shelf.
Good job.

The13bats wrote: Right on! I can't take credit for this but as you see by the picture on the car the roll under works fine,

I was under the impression the guide on yours were car/truck hood hinges, it's the same basic idea, and if the builder desires that mounting point a hinge like yours is a must have,

When I …

I figured I'd have to land on a custom needle-bearing pivot system too, compared to the crappy under-engineered (for the application) reverse-mounted stock springs.

I've been holding out hope that I can just buy something that will work without having to fabricate anything else... If Randy's hinges work as well as they look, something like that works for me.

The big problem with the pivot (Randy nailed it) is that the underside of the nose will impact the radiatior support/forward crossmember before it gets close to fully open. Actually, putting the pivot forward and as low as possible would be the best position, as virtually all the front end movement would be upward, with only whatever portion overhung the pivot moving down.

2Sharks wrote: Dialog is what we all need to work things out when it comes to building custom stuff. Anybody (just about) can build it when all the stuff comes off the shelf. Good job.

The other thing that plays in is personal taste, some will like a single pivot point over the multi movement hinges others visa versa,
I just placed this out there because it works good and is simple, it works so I will use it,

Normally low and forward is best for some things but not with the way the Mako because of the grill opening, Looking at the picture of my single pivot on a car it is open wide, appears nearly straight up and not hitting the radiator support, but that seems to be a major issue for some, All the angles and such make it hard to see in the one pictures just where the bar is,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/hinge.jpg

The Clip I have now is from the same mold that my Motion clip came from, it has a full chin that ends in an odd small air damn or "lip"
These are I believe the hinges my dad made me from Randy's drawings years back, looks like dads witting on them but I can't recall for sure,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/homebuilt01.jpg
When I had these on the car,
I moved and moved these around but never could get a wide opening without needing to notch into the chin, I never cut the clip so this is as wide as I could get it to open before hitting the chin,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/ClipFlip.gif

Here is what I mean by notching the chin, as seen in these next pictures,
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/truck01.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/truck02.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/truck03.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/truck04.jpg
I have no idea where I got these of an orange clip, but some way was lucky enough to have them in up and down hinge position, the way it cuts into the chin is just horrible to me, but I guess it wouldn't show on a built car,

The only fear I had with the pivot bar set up was the way I want to do headlights, but if anything the pivot bar will play in and help, I have not been into mine deeply but the end caps appear and feel to be ball bearings,

Randy, you mentioned the short tail build uses a pivot, any pictures?

Firefingers wrote: I figured I'd have to land on a custom needle-bearing pivot system too, compared to the crappy under-engineered (for the application) reverse-mounted stock springs.

I've been holding out hope that I can just buy something that will work without having to fabricate anything else... If Randy's hin …

I'd have to look, but I have pictures somewhere.
Rick, I'm sure, has some shots, maybe he will chime in and show us tomething.
I remember those pics of that orange clip too, seems like it was mounted on a wall at a corvette shop some years ago.
My memory fails me sometimes....

The13bats wrote: The other thing that plays in is personal taste, some will like a single pivot point over the multi movement hinges others visa versa, I just placed this out there because it works good and is simple, it works so I will use it,

Normally low and forward is best for some things but not with the wa …

I would love to see pictures of the other pivot style,

I save pictures of cars, vettes customs kits, I have around 50k
I would have to believe I asked the owner ofthat orange clip for the extra shots but who knows,

Here is another wall hanging clip, I have to wonder is it the same one?

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w47/the13bats/Wallmakoclip.jpg

2Sharks wrote: I'd have to look, but I have pictures somewhere. Rick, I'm sure, has some shots, maybe he will chime in and show us tomething. I remember those pics of that orange clip too, seems like it was mounted on a wall at a corvette shop some years ago. My memory fails me sometimes....

I'll have to look to see if I've got any pix of the pivot set-up on the car..................... I've been taking shots on the top side for some reason !!!

The13bats wrote: I would love to see pictures of the other pivot style,

I save pictures of cars, vettes customs kits, I have around 50k I would have to believe I asked the owner ofthat orange clip for the extra shots but who knows,

Here is another wall hanging clip, I have to wonder is it the same one?

http://i …

Bats, this grey hood on the wall is the same as the orange hood.
The grey was mounted at the old shop and then painted and
mounted at the new shop.

I too like the concept behind the pivot bar setup but I too wonder
about A. how to build one, B. where it should be properly placed,
and C. will it get in the way of the headlight assembly I wish
to build in the front like the concept car's headlight assembly.

I want the hood to fully open with hydraulic lifters on a switch
for automation but with the ability to open manually should the
hydraulic system fail. I'm wondering with this design how such a
setup would work.

McBrain

454CanAm wrote: I'll have to look to see if I've got any pix of the pivot set-up on the car..................... I've been taking shots on the top side for some reason !!!

shawkrider,
I have been doing kits and other customs over 30 years not just vettes,
I staff on www.priceofhistoys.com,

FIBERGLASS KIT CARS AND REPLICASHome – Fiberglass Kit Cars and ReplicasWelcome to Fiberclassics. Home of the best Kit Car, Replicas , and Handcrafted Vehicle Info

Me and you are in the same camp,
I desire the Mako 2 show car style headlights like on the car we seem to be calling "the bomb"
It's by far the best most unobtrusive way to have headlights on a Mako and with careful planning we can do it better than GM did,

We have my clip and 454's for looking at how the single pivot was tackled,
Both are great starting points, mine will yield more when I have it on a car,
But in the would of custom both perhaps could be done better , because someone always comes up with a better way to build the mouse trap,

I have done several lifts for hoods, trunks, truck beds, even the top on my Sterling kit car,
In the case of a tilt front clip IF it can be done with one linear actuator in the center that is always best,
A bar coming off the center of the pivot bar and attaching the actuator to that could be the answer,
The Sterling had a double moment hinge, the top had to go up and forward,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8qxzGT3ZC8
Not my Sterling...

In this case we had to use one lift for each side the first problem in that is you have to make a set up that cycles the lifts so to speak because the never runs 100% the same speed in the case with the Sterling after about 4-7 times of running the top up and down, one actuator had to run a second longer to adjust,
It's no big deal but with the way double moment hinges mount and work on the Mako it could be asking for binding,
Making it manual in case of a power failure some times is as simple as pulling a pin from the actuator mount,

I believe with careful planning that a Mako front clip could open straight up and need only a single pivot placed right to do it, but of that the only hang up might be the chin hitting the frame in the front, I am not willing to notch the chin on mine.

ShawkRider wrote: Bats, this grey hood on the wall is the same as the orange hood. The grey was mounted at the old shop and then painted and mounted at the new shop.

I too like the concept behind the pivot bar setup but I too wonder about A. how to build one, B. where it should be properly placed, and C. wil …

Okay bats................. took a few pix tonite. What I like about this set up is that it reinforces the hood from side to side. What I don't like is that the nose will hit the ground if you open it too much !

When Silva and his guys built these cars, they slapped them together as quick as possible.................. the cross bar on mine is crooked. (Don't guess it mattered much........ its under the car and can't bee seen). Its higher on one side and they just welded the brackets on the front of the radiator support at different heights and angles to compensate. The headlights were a much tighter install on one side !

Hope this helps ! Rick

The13bats wrote: shawkrider, I have been doing kits and other customs over 30 years not just vettes, I staff on www.priceofhistoys.com,

FIBERGLASS KIT CARS AND REPLICASHome – Fiberglass Kit Cars and ReplicasWelcome to Fiberclassics. Home of the best Kit Car, Replicas , and Handcrafted Vehicle Info

Me and you are in the same camp, I desire the Mako 2 show car style headlights like on the car we seem to be calling "the bomb" It's by far the best most unobtrusive way to …

Interesting

Interesting approach using a bar all the way across.