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1938 hood ornament/release

Started by Matt 12861, July 02, 2010, 10:08:56 PM

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Matt 12861

So, I am putting my hood on and picked from the best of three flying women I got from Ebay over the last ten years.  The two poorest ones look like they have a 1/4-28 fine thread thru to hold the glass in.  The least poor one I am planning on using has a spring wedged in the hole.  It doesn't go thru but is stuck in the middle of the hole.  Should the spring be there?  I am going to get a bolt tomorrow with a head I can turn easier and see if I can push it out.  I am guessing a set screw is used, but does it push the spring?
thanks for the help.
Matt Givler #12861

Bruce Berghoff -#1476

Matt...I found a '38 Cadillac goddess at Hershey that had the remains of a glass wing in place with the following retainer: against the notch in the glass was a soft brass bullet shaped button about 3/8" long; next was the spring butting up to the flat back of the bullet; holding all of that into the goddess's belly was a 5/16-28" blunt nose set screw . I think the purpose of that arrangement was to provide a "soft" compression retainer against the glass to keep from cracking or chipping the wing. This set-up might have been original, or it might have been some owner's invention, but the glass wasn't chipped or cracked at that point ! bb

Doug Houston

The one on my 38-60S has never been apart. There appears to be  is a set screw, holding the glass. There is also a sealer compound, probably to prevent the glass from rattling. I have never heard of a spring, holding the glass in the ornament.

However you end up with a set screw, be careful  never to tighten metal aganst glass. One axiom I learned, while I once worked with the glass industry is, that glass is always mounted in a metal container with  a resilient material between the glass and the metal. A good sealer to use in the ornament might be black RTV. It could very well be, that there is a spring, bearing against a notch in the glass. That would protect the glass from metal to glass pressured contact.

The presence of the sealer on my own ornament, and the fact that it's never been messed around with is the biggest reason that I'll never try to take the glass out of the ornament.  Besides, the plating on it is in excelent shape.
38-6019S
38-9039
39-9057B
41-6227D
41-6019SF
41-6229D
41-6267D
56-6267
70-DeV Conv
41-Chev 41-1167
41 Olds 41-3929

Matt 12861

So far, so good.  I put ran a tap thru (1/4-28) because the set screw seemed to bind.  I am VERY happy the tap didn't break.  I put a small piece of teflon on one side of the spring.  Then I ran the set screw in and the glass is holding.  Now I have it mounted back on the hood but I can't get the hood to shut.  It looks like the pointed piece on the front of the ornament pushes down a rod (I don't have the grill on yet so it is easy to see what is going on).  It doesn't want to push the rod down far enough to hook the other rod in the back by about an inch.  Note I haven't slammed it yet, I am afraid to.  The tube is about a foot long and when you push on the top a smaller rod extends out the bottom.  I can get pictures tomorrow if the above description isn't clear.  Thanks for any suggestions.
Matt Givler #12861

Doug Houston

YOU NEVER, NEVER, NEVER SLAMTHOSE HOODS. NEVER!

Try that on a V16, and you'll have an ornament on the ground, and its base still on the hood.
38-6019S
38-9039
39-9057B
41-6227D
41-6019SF
41-6229D
41-6267D
56-6267
70-DeV Conv
41-Chev 41-1167
41 Olds 41-3929

Tom Magdaleno

That would be easier if they had made a decent set of springs to hold the hood up.   
Tom
'38 Cadillac V16
'71 Buick Riviera
'65 Chevy Truck
'56 Packard Super Clipper

Doug Houston

You'e right on the springs. They were once strong enough, but on the 38 and the 39 90 Cadillacs I have, they'll hold the hood up OK, until you install the goddess. The thing weighs a ton.

But, on the slamming: the ornament is the locking device, and it HAS TO BE UP before the hood can close. This was Cadillac's first year of the alligator hood, and believe me: IT WASN'T MADE TO BE SLAMMED.

How many ways can I say it?
38-6019S
38-9039
39-9057B
41-6227D
41-6019SF
41-6229D
41-6267D
56-6267
70-DeV Conv
41-Chev 41-1167
41 Olds 41-3929

Otto Skorzeny

I've never slammed a hood on any car in my entire life. Anybody who does has no business opening the hood of a car in the first place.
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

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