Re: Hood seal rubber stripping... '39 Six

Posted by DavidPackard On 2019/9/27 19:34:06

Chris;

For what it's worth many pre-war cars used lacing between the hood and cowl, such as, but not limited to early Ford products. I also believe this lacing was a commodity item, and not unique to any one car manufacturer. The reason for the brand X reference is purely cost. I think you could pull-off the entire project for less than $20 if products marketed for early Fords is used, which may have the same cross section as the original Packard item, but I don't know that for sure. Ford lacing was attached with split rivets, which are quite easy to install, but do require a team of two. My experience is the hood lacing will show wear initially as a color change (initially black which wears to a much lighter tan color), which I keep after with a carbon black paste intended for wood stoves, but I'm sure KIWI shoe polish would suffice. I believe keeping the cord material as dry as possible is key in the longevity of the lacing, hence the paste or polish touch-up to hold down the wicking of rain water.

Or you could leave it as is, and consider the hood flapping as a gear extended upper air speed limit (Vle) warning device . . . much better than the fender flapping alternate.

dp