1937 Lasalle Coupe hood latch

[Rich Iannelli]

Hi,
My hood mechanism is broken on my 1937 Lasalle Coupe. The small metal clip that rides on the circular bar is broken. How do I fix this?  I saw a hood set up for a 1938 lasalle on line, will this fit my car? Can I just buy the small metal clip?

Thanks for your advice,

Rich Iannelli

[Steve Passmore]

Perhaps you could get it welded? The hood on a 38 is a completely different affair, it has an alligator hood.

[Classic]

I agree with Steve.  Welding appears to be your best option.  In the future, be sure to keep all your latch joints lightly lubricated.  Again as Steve said, '38 has an alligator (front opening) one piece hood, whereas '37 has a 4 piece hood that opens from both sides.  The long rod/hinge pin that holds the side hood panels to the top hood panels can be tapped out from the rear and then rotated back and forth while being pulled out from the front, so that only the panel with the broken latch mechanism needs to be removed, rather than the whole hood (which is not easy to handle).  Be patient when tapping/pulling out the hood hinge pin.  Lubricating it will help with removal.  It helps to have as able assistant (ply him/her with an appropriate beverage).