1940 LaSalle Hood Removal

[csearider]

Needs help on removal of hood on my 1940 LaSalle.
(There is 1 post in discussion forum from 2005 with over 500 views with no replies.)
I do not want to complicate the effort, so can anyone assist with info before I get started?

[Classic]

This is how to do a '39 LaSalle, if that will help:

It is easiest to do if you have 3 people.  One on each side of the hood to hold it up.  There is a spring in the center under the rear of the hood which attaches to the cowl.  The 3rd person disconnects this spring noting orientation.  The 3rd person then unbolts the hood hinge brackets where they attach to the cowl.    On the '39, there is a spacer behind the hood hinge brackets.  Note which way it is mounted for use when reassembling.

[csearider]

I have included some pix. In the pix there are 2 hinges (l/r) and 2 springs (l/r). The hinges are attached to the hood by what appears to be swiveling rivets and are attached to the car body by bolts.

My assumption would be to merely remove hinges from the hood, but due to the nature of the rivets they do not appear to be undone (I may be missing how these attach, so if anyone knows how to remove these without damaging them please let me know). The hinges have a hinge body plate that attaches to the car body with bolts, however to remove these bolts and then remove the entire hige assemblies with the hood does not seem intuitive.

.....need more help please

[buicksplus]

Rider:

From your pix, looks like you have a model 52 and the hood arrangement is quite different from the 50 -- so the comments on the 39 hood which is the same as a 1940 model 50, don't apply.

I have a model 50, so I'm not positive about how to do the 52.  But I will take a guess on how to proceed.

Start by removing the side panels.  Open the hood as high as you can and support the nose with a prop (don't let the rear hit the cowl) and try to carefully remove those springs. Prop it high so it relaxes those springs as much as possible.

Unbolt the hinges from the cowl (I think these bolts will be exposed with the side panels removed), with a couple of friends to support the hood at the rear once unbolted. Carry the hood free and forward.

Leave the hinge pins and rivets alone unless they are loose or worn. 

Good luck, hopefully another 52 owner may pipe up here.

Bill.

[csearider]

Thanks Bill...good advice and I confirmed the deal on the rivets when I ventured to town today ....they have to be cut-off with a torch...no way!  I will proceed as you advised...thanks so much!

[C.R. Patton II]

Hello

Please update us on your procedure/progress. Thanks

[csearider]

I will most certainly update........will be doing final removal on hood Sunday when I can get some afternoon help to hold hood up and will update next week

[csearider]

sorry it took so long but found help in removing engine and was busy with that. The biggest problem was removing the springs. Going from top was impossible, so had to pry spring bottom until they snapped off...Be Careful!. From there it was easy as there are 2 bolts on each hinge and it was a matter of merely removing these while a couple folks held onto hood. The bolt ends are visible from inside passenger compartment, but heads are in engine compartment. One bolt was particularly difficult (frozen tight) so I tried that new Loctite product Freeze and Release...froze both ends of bolt and on third freezing it came off easily (good product as if not for it a broken bolt here would most likely require removing side fender of vehicle or a very difficult bolt extraction from inside car.

The only thing I would do extra was maybe mark hinge placement to vehicle before removal....once off the hinge hole is slightly bigger than bolt hole...do not know if this is necessary as I will not know until I reinstall hood.

If I had to do over again and had a lift I would place come-a-long to chain to shop floor and pull on spring to extend it (with hood up spring is relaxed) and place some large washers or shims in spring after extended so when replacing spring it would already be extended to proper length. I have not tried this but maybe be worth a try....anyone done anything similar?

[harry s]

From your description and looking at the pictures it sounds like your hood springs are simular to '41s. There is a special tool J-1638 used to remove and install the springs. I thought there was a picture in the manual, but I can't find  it.  I used a bar about 3' long with a short piece of chain and S hook to put on the spring eye. Then a block of wood on the car frame and pull up until the hood spring clears the bracket. Harry

[harry s]

Correction on the above post. It dawned on me one end of the 3' bar is on the frame and the other is outboard of the fender with the chain attached to the spring directly below the spring and you push down to remove the spring. One word of caution is to be sure the S hook is strong enough for  the job. The first time I did this my S hook straightened out fortunately before moving the spring from the bracket.     Harry 

[Mike Simmons 938]

Some ten or so years ago, I bought a spring removal tool at the Turlock swap meet-I think the seller (mfg too??) is still around. In any case,looking at my K-M catalog for 1954, the same tool, looking like a piece of semi-circular cross section rain gutter, is listed for  Buick, Olds, Chevvy and Nash-, but Cadillac has a more sophisticated-and better- tool that I have never seen. The gutter tool is inserted into the expanded spring (nearly closed hood), and keeps the spring from closing on itself when the hood is opened. This HELPs you remove the spring,-no way is it just falling off when the hood is opened-but it is much less dangerous, I would think, than sticking a few washers between the coils. Anyway, I'm guessing that one of the Chevy or Buick parts suppliers might be a possible source for the tool.
Mike Simmons