[guentherjohn]

This is a duplicate from the main body shop forum that no one could answer.
I have the original (I think) hood for my 67 400 Bird. The problem was someone cut a huge hole for a snorkel scoop (it was used as a drag car). The PHS documentaion claims my car also had a factory hood tach. I had the car for years and put a 68 400 hood on it I found for $50. I just now found out 67 & 68 hood latches are different. My hood looks as if it may fly open at high speeds. Where can I get a 68 latch?
I thought of repairing the 67 hood but everyone tells me it will be very difficult. I sanded off the paint from where the 67 hood tach should have been and I do not not see any filled holes, only two small slashes (they may have been welded and sanded and I can't tell), so maybe this isn't the original or the documentation is wrong. PHS also said it had disc brakes and I bought it with drums (why would anyone swap disc to drum?).
There are #s on the right side ledge of the hoods. Can these #s tell me if my 67 hood is the original? Should I keep the perfect 68 hood and change my latch or try and find a metal wizard that can repair the 12" X 22" hole and sell the 68 hood?
The 68 hood has no safety catch. I pull the handle once and it opens. Is this right?
I am tempted to put hood pins on it and not worry about it. Any help would be appreciated.

[guentherjohn]

This is a duplicate from the main body shop forum that no one could answer.
I have the original (I think) hood for my 67 400 Bird. The problem was someone cut a huge hole for a snorkel scoop (it was used as a drag car). The PHS documentaion claims my car also had a factory hood tach. I had the car for years and put a 68 400 hood on it I found for $50. I just now found out 67 & 68 hood latches are different. My hood looks as if it may fly open at high speeds. Where can I get a 68 latch?
I thought of repairing the 67 hood but everyone tells me it will be very difficult. I sanded off the paint from where the 67 hood tach should have been and I do not not see any filled holes, only two small slashes (they may have been welded and sanded and I can't tell), so maybe this isn't the original or the documentation is wrong. PHS also said it had disc brakes and I bought it with drums (why would anyone swap disc to drum?).
There are #s on the right side ledge of the hoods. Can these #s tell me if my 67 hood is the original? Should I keep the perfect 68 hood and change my latch or try and find a metal wizard that can repair the 12" X 22" hole and sell the 68 hood?
The 68 hood has no safety catch. I pull the handle once and it opens. Is this right?
I am tempted to put hood pins on it and not worry about it. Any help would be appreciated.

[bird412]

PHS documentations is taken from the original order sheet, so I highly doubt their documentation is wrong.Why would anyone switch from disc to drum?That's easy.One of two reasons, the car may have been used as a parts car years ago then turned into a drag car, or more than likely they were switched just because it was a drag car.Drums are lighter than disc and alluminum drums were available and drums can have the shoes backed off enough so that they don't rub the drum going down the track (parasitic loss).As for your hood, I don't know of any different latches for 68.All my birds use the same latch (67,68,and69).Even if there is a different latch, the hoods are all the same.There is no difference in where the hoods latch on the hoods themselves.Sounds like yours isn't adjusted right.Did you screw in the stoppers for the front of the hood b-4 you closed it?These must be adjusted to the right heigt.The latch works by pulling it out so far to pop the hood, then pulling it out the rest of the way to release the hood.Sounds 5to me like the front stops are too high to full latch the latch.

[hpbongers]

The body shop I got my 400 hood from swore the same thing but when it came time to put it on, it did not fit. I have had to lower my latch as far as it will go including cutting the hole on the bottom brace that attaches to the bottom of the radiator core and bend up the lips on the hood portion of the latch. Still not perfect. Somthing also very strange. The hood on the pasenger side hit the fender brace in front of the rubber hood bolt. The one that adjusts the hight. This same body shop gave the car back to me after painting and didn't see this? It sat 1/4 inch high. Took me a while to figure out and grind metle off the let it rest properly. Not I know my car was perfect because after reasebly, I put the original 350 hood on and it fit perfectly.