1940 Lasalle Hood

[Ben Medlock]

1940 5019 Lasalle is the body shop. Here's where I need help:

1- On the back of the hood where it meets up with the cab there is a structural rib under the hood for support. My body shop guy has cut some rubber shims and placed them between the rib and the sheet metal to make the hood couture line up with cab couture. It required about 3/4'' of shim material to accomplish a nice fit. QUESTION: What is suppose to fill in this gap? Is there some sort of rubber that is shaved down to the correct size or what...
2- Again where the cab and hood meet together. In the cab there is a channel where we assume there was some type of rubber or other soft material that cushions the hood to the cab. There are also holes in the channel where we assume some type of fastener holds the rubber in place. Can anyone shed any light on what that piece is called and where I could find it?

Thanks for any help. I'm getting to the good details part of the body work and ned some help.

[joeceretti]

Not sure about the rib on the hood but the cowl impression usually has windlace held on by wire. At least in my 38 it does.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

There is a form fitted piece of rubber with nubs to go in the "holes" that goes in here. I am having a senior moment to recall the correct name of the part. (It's a cowl strip). This part goes from one side of the car to the other to provide the support that you are looking for . Steele Rubber has these.

[C.R. Patton II]

Hello Ben

Glad to read you are improving your 1940 LaSalle 5019.

Mr. Wheeler is point on.  Steele Rubber accommadate you.

[Ben Medlock]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll reach out to Steele Rubber for the "windlace".  I just need to figure out what to put between that brace and sheet metal now.....

[joeceretti]

I was wrong, it's not the windlace from the earlier cars. It's a more modern rubber seal.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Steele also has that spacer you need. Look in the 1941 parts if need be. There may be a picture.

[Fred Pennington 25635]

Ben, I don't believe anything goes in there.
If the hood hinges and springs are adjusted right as you close the hood the springs " break over" and pull the back of the hood down tight to the cowl.
The cowl then provides the support
The hood lace you need is 5/8 or 3/4 with the slot for a wire to slide into.  You can get the kit with the lace, wire, clips and screws from Bob's Automobilia  ( Buick Parts ) and you can get all the pieces from Restoration Specialties.
My car came with the 5/8 originally

You will need 6 clips and screws

[joeceretti]

I am surprised that it was rubber. Is the rubber a new piece made by Steele to replace worn out windlace or did they originally come with rubber. I can't find any mention of what belongs there in the authenticity manual.

Also from years and years of opening and closing my hood was a little distorted from the extreme pressure the hinges put on it. I used a puller to gently pull it all back into shape.

[Fred Pennington 25635]

The Hood Lace is fabric 

[joeceretti]

Some confliction in this thread, and I certainly am not the expert here. I am very curious however, why the differences. I still do expect that it must have originally been fabric.

[Fred Pennington 25635]

It changed in 1941 to rubber with push pins.
Prior years and all LaSalles (no 41 model ) would be fabric.
They are not interchangeable.

[Ben Medlock]

OK, so the guy at Steele Rubber thinks I need fabric cowl lacing. I've attached a picture and dimensions from their website. If this is the correct item then I assume the center part of this material would go in the cowl groove with the rounded edges laying on the cowl acting like a cushion..... sound right?

[Ben Medlock]

I missed the actual picture of the lace....

[Steve Passmore]

Not sure about 1940 but as Joe said these hood laceings were usually held on with wire that passed through the centre of the lace, as years went on when it broke owners would just drill through the cowl to hold it there with screws. The wire would pass all the way down to the bottom of the cowl and through holes where it was fixed to the inside metal.

[joeceretti]

I thought so. That looks like the right fabric.

I will attempt to explain how mine is installed on the 38 which should be very similar. I did this a while ago and am typing from memory.

This all refers to my car:

What you need. Two metal crimp on clips for the bottom end of each side of the lace. Two 1 inch or so long screws sized for the holes I describe below. Two aproximately 1.5 inch threaded eyelets with washers and nuts. Your lacing cut into two pieces

The lacing is in two pieces one for each side. in the center of the cowl in front of the windshield are four holes. The two innermost accept two screws the two outer most will have the long wire inserted into it that you will use to hold the lace down. The bottom edge of the lacing will later have the two crimped on metal tabs. (I could not find any tabs and used washers at first and it worked fine. I eventually found some on some old lacing, cleaned them up and installed them.) The procedure to install, one side at a time... screw the two screws in. Insert the wire into the outer hole next to the screw and under the dash wrap it tightly around the screw. Fold the fabric in the groove a but back and forth to loosen it a bit and lay it in the groove on the cowl. Pull the wire down to hold the fabric in the groove. Now you will see on the side of the car body are three more holes in front of the door where the fabric terminates. The bottom most hole is for a screw that will hold the fabric end from flopping around. The middle hole is where the other end of the wire is inserted to. The upper hole is for the eyelet. Basically the wire is fed into the eyelet and then through a hole poked in the fabric and inserted into the middle hole and then bent upwards. The bottom of the fabric gets screwed firmly into the bottom hole. Then from inside you put the washers and but onto the eyelet and slowly tighten to pull the eyelet in and thusly tightening the wire pulling it and the fabric snugly into the groove on the cowl.

I will see if I can find a picture of mine and post it here. I hope my hastily typed directions make some sort of sense.

Alternatively, if you can get the lacing with the wire inside.. it is basically the same procedure but the wire wont lay on top. Mine was what I thought original and the wire as on top.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Sorry for the misinformation. When you think Cadillac history started with October of 1941, your memory gives out from time to time. For some reason, I've never had occassion to look at an earlier car in that area. The next time I see one of our Region members with such a car I want to check this out. Again, color my face a little red, or at least slightly pink. BW

[Fred Pennington 25635]

Here is the link to Bobs automobilia
http://bobsautomobilia.com/shop/firewall-and-cowl-items/hood-cowl-lace-kit-hl-kit.html
It is 3/4

Restoration specialties has the correct 5/8 inch lace
There should be a pocket in the center for the wire

[Tom Boehm]

Hello Ben,  I have a 1940 Lasalle 50 series and mine is the same as Fred describes.  It has a strip of fabric with a wire in it. It provides a cushion between the hood and the cowl.