Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

try putting a little grease on the carved part of the latch.and feel the lip on hood they rotate into is not bent up, also lube edge. only way not to lock is if curved part of latch will not slide into hood. I have had this problem and had to bend latch up a little.

Thanks Bill - pop over anytime !! DID get to the place she is at but foul weather stopped play. If I can get her started I think I'll try to get her into a local friendly classic car workshop here in Wetherby so I have hopefully at least another brain on the job.

Anyone driven a 22nd Series with this type of hood mechanism with one side NOT closed down ? - last thing I need is the thing blowing off in the wind.

Cheers Michael

Thanks Dell - have tried greasing - a photo would help regarding the "bending up of the latch a little" - I can't see how any part of the mechanism could be bent up as it is literally "built like a tank".

What amazes me is how Packards with this hood arrangement ever sold in the first place as you can only work on one side at once and to get the whole thing off to work on the engine you need three guys to lift it off !!

Michael

P.S Once I've got to her again possibly next week now - I'll report in again - meanwhile any more ideas on how to progress very welcome.

You will notice that the latches are spring loaded downward and must be able to slide upward on their mounting pins as the latches rotate up over the edge of the hood. Pull them up and down several times to ensure they are free.

The first movement of the lever under the dash moves the lifting roller out from under the edge of the hood and the hood should fall into place as if it were locked. If it does not do so for any reason the latches will not be able to twist over the edge of the hood.

What amazes me is how Packards with this hood arrangement ever sold in the first place as you can only work on one side at once

Just a step in the evolution of design, Buick used the same arrangement for some years and didn't stop them from selling a lot of cars. And just a few years prior to this ALL cars had split hoods with a hinge down the middle which only allowed you to work on one side at a time. The easily removeable hood was considered an attractive feature at the time.

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Yes, unintentionally but more than once. As long as the secondary catch is functioning (keeping the hood/bonnet from fully opening) there shouldn't be a problem.

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I take it this is tongue in cheek. Two 70 year-old men, one with a bad back, have no trouble lifting the hoods off my tubs (and they are the loooong hoods).

Sheepishly I'll admit that I have driven my '48 many miles with one side of the hood not latched, but rest assured in every case it was unintentional. In the case of an alligator style hood I would think the risks are very high, but with our style of hood opening I don't see the presents of a lot of aero-force developed in the direction needed to pivot the hood. Plus, to me, without counter balance springs the required opening force seems rather high. I've driven at a speed as high as 50 mph with one side unlatch . . . curiously it seems it's always the left side (:>). Just keep the speed at a reasonable level and the hood should be just fine.
dp

Likewise, I've driven many many miles with one side of my old 48 Custom 8 hood inadvertently left unlatched - no issues, it sits on the locating pins and as DavidPackard said, no significant aerodynamic forces trying to lift it. As to removing it, even with the extra length and weight of the longer Custom 8 hood still just a 2-man job without strain. I guess meaarch was joshing about needing 3 people to remove it.

On many occasions a 'helping hand' is not available to help me remove the hood. Has anyone out there built a sling and block & tackle set-up to make the hood removal a 'one old man' job? I've got a lot of winches and 'come-alongs, and a bunch of hooks in the garage ceiling that can handle several hundred pounds. I'm thinking of a process 1.) drive the car into the garage, 2.) remove the hood, 3.) back the car out, 4.) deal with storing the hood out of harm's way, 5.) pull the car back into the garage for a serious wrench spinning session. I'm thinking a couple of spreader bars and some nylon straps with 'J' hooks. Has anyone else solved the one man Packard hood removal problem?

I've done it with my cherry picker on the 47. Thin rope and 4 smaller size S or J hooks placed inside on the lip at some convenient spots near the corners. Pick a spot where there is no stress so they won't slide or bend anything.

Biggest issue with that cherry picker method is the hood has to raise high to clear the radiator so tends to swing when you roll the hoist in or out of position. I throw a pad over the back edge so it won't hit the paint or anything else. Might not be as much an issue with the hoist and raising straight up drive the car out method.