Slam the hood??

[PaulC]

Have to really slam the hood on our 79 Spider to get it to latch closed.
Normal??
Tried adding shims under the hood catch and adjusting the latch on the firewall to no avail.

[geospider]

Paul,
There is a sense that these need to be slammed.
But I am a bit more careful. I simply place one hand over the center where the latch is and with a bit of pressure as I drop the hood, and it latches without "slamming".
Check your distributor (usually the highest point). You can pull and change the angle so the are a bit "flatter". I turned mine about 1 cog on the gear. Just watch your marks.

Geo

[redcars]

I simply drop mine from about 2 foot, no slamming. Have you lubricated very thing to do with the latch? It made a big difference with my trunk.

[wetminkey]

Even my car requires nothing more than dropping the hood from about 10 - 12" at the rear. Your's should too.
I believe that all of the adjustment is in the latch on the firewall, but it sounds like you've tried that,...and a bit more.
Adjustment, or lube, are the usual problems,...Did this hood used to latch easily, and suddenly become a problem?

[RRoller123]

The latching hook on the hood itself becomes extremely worn over time. I changed mine to another used one with somewhat less wear and the problem got much better, but it still is there. Adjust the latch mechanism as best can be, and also look at the supports out at the fender ends. They should be set such that the hood is inline with the fender, if high, it will take more pressure to set the hood in the center. I lowered mine and give it a strong push down over the latch area and it usually holds. But sometimes, infrequently, it will still pop during a drive. The hood can also be adjusted at the front two corners as well, and this could be effecting the fit at the latch mechanism. Again, it should be aligned with the fenders. Good luck!

[DieselSpider]

Sometimes slamming the hood and missing the latch ends up denting the mounting surface for the latch pin on the hood making it so it does not hang down far enough any more.

If the hood is not riding high at the cowling being blocked by gasket material, engine components, etc and the latch is properly adjusted along with adequately lubricated with white lithium then it should drop into place.

[PaulC]

A few more symptoms.
Pull the hood release and the hood really pops up like it's spring loaded.
Indication of something causing tension on the whole shebang??

[dinghyguy]

on my 79's one just closes nicely with a push down on the centre. The other one has been "adjusted" by a PO and it was loose all round, took out some extra washers and the centre closes properly (lubrication is of value) but the two corner are high and flap when driving.
Could be that your hood is the opposite from mine with too much bend, or pressure from the corner pads?
Anyone had any experience gently bending some curve into the hood? If so how?
thanks
dinghyguy

[DieselSpider]

on my 79's one just closes nicely with a push down on the centre. The other one has been "adjusted" by a PO and it was loose all round, took out some extra washers and the centre closes properly (lubrication is of value) but the two corner are high and flap when driving.
Could be that your hood is the opposite from mine with too much bend, or pressure from the corner pads?
Anyone had any experience gently bending some curve into the hood? If so how?
thanks
dinghyguy

Ratchet straps and some cardboard for them to pass over.

[PaulC]

This is a used replacement hood that came with the car as the original one had a large dented area on the front drivers side, so perhaps it's not yet adjusted correctly?