Hood pin question, Not GM F-body-specific, but need hood pin tech help Options

[CrashTestDummy]

Not sure where this should go, so I'll dump it here. Mods, please feel free to relocate it if you wish. Delete it if it's too off-topic, but I figured since it's dealing with hood pins, someone else may benefit, if there's a solution for my problem. I need to know if I have any alternative solutions for a hood pin issue I have. It's not for any of our GM F-bodies, but it's an issue with an AeroCatch.

I'm restomoding our 86 Rustang SVO. I'm 'adding lightness', so I've installed a bolt-on fiberglass hood. I decided to install Aerocatches to keep the front secured, even though it's supposed to be able to use the factory hood latch. I'd like to install the pins where the factory hood bumpers go. There's a 'divot' in the underside of the hood that would make drilling a breeze and I wouldn't have to drill any holes in the core support. The trouble is, the pins are like 3/8" USS and the hood bumper studs are 8mmX1.25. I asked a friend to have a go a cutting the pins down and re-threading them to fit the captured nuts in the core support. He experimented with a regular bolt, but it failed, so he didn't want to hack up my existing pins.

To get the captured nuts out of the core support, I'd probably have to re-disassemble the front end, which includes drilling out some rivets. I'd like not to do that. Does anyone have any possible solutions? Anyone know someone who can fab up some new pins? Are there different-sized pins available? Other ideas? Thanks.

[trackbird]

There are different sized standard style hood pins. I have some Moroso pins that are pretty heavy duty and some Mr.Gasket pins that are a size smaller. Unfortunately all of my parts bins are in storage while we have a Mustang apart in my garage right now so I can't measure them. If you poke around, you should find a few options for standard hood pins. I'd have to look up the Aerocatch pins as I don't remember how they are configured and if any of these regular pins are applicable to them.

[CrashTestDummy]

There seems to be 3/8" and 1/2", and that's about it. Heck, I've even searched for 'metric hood pin'. Found a hit for hood pins for a Porch. Selected the link, and they were 1/2" pins. Now how will a Porch driver install 1/2" hood pins?

I know, I know, he won't, _his_ mechanic will do it.

I may end up going the other way, and drilling and tapping the captured nut. It will prevent returning to the factory hood bumpers (the threads got destroyed trying to remove them anyway), but I can then use the aerocatch pins with the latches. The pins seem a bit unique to the aerocatch system.

[Blainefab]

Most of the 3/8" and 1/2" round hood pins come with a steel threaded sleeve about 3/4" tall - I just weld that sleeve to the core support and screw the pin in with a jam nut. May need to shorten the pin, and may need to tap more threads on the pin.

[Phil]

do you have anything against making a new pin?

you could use a shoulder bolt like so

http://www.mcmaster.com/#shoulder-screws/=c8hlj0

8x1.25 thread, with a 10mm shoulder, which is only .475mm larger than the 3/8 pin. cut the head off, drill a hole through it and done? or do the Aerocatche pins have a funky end that would be difficult to reproduce?

This post has been edited by Phil: May 9 2011, 11:54 PM

[CrashTestDummy]

Alan,

I'd really like to do without all the welding and body work associated with that. The mods I've done to the car are all keeping in mind that I can return the car to completely stock, if the value ever got somewhere. I'd like to not cut and drill on the car more than necessary.

Phil,

I thought about that, but my access to anything better than hand power tools is very limited. Not even a drill press at this point in time. The hole in the pin for the catch is actually a rectangular slot, not a round hole, but it might be possible to cut something workable with a drill and dremel.

The more I sit back and think about the steps, it _might_ be possible to do such a thing. It would be nice to find such a shouldered bolt in aluminum, but I know I'm dreaming now.

[Blainefab]

Use the existing captive nut and bolt to bolt a flat plate in place. Weld the pin bung to that plate. Unbolts without a trace.

[racerx]

There are different sized standard style hood pins. I have some Moroso pins that are pretty heavy duty and some Mr.Gasket pins that are a size smaller. Unfortunately all of my parts bins are in storage while we have a Mustang apart in my garage right now so I can't measure them. If you poke around, you should find a few options for standard hood pins. I'd have to look up the Aerocatch pins as I don't remember how they are configured and if any of these regular pins are applicable to them.

A mustang.. that is an almost unforgivable offense on a F-body forum...lol ;-)

[trackbird]

There are different sized standard style hood pins. I have some Moroso pins that are pretty heavy duty and some Mr.Gasket pins that are a size smaller. Unfortunately all of my parts bins are in storage while we have a Mustang apart in my garage right now so I can't measure them. If you poke around, you should find a few options for standard hood pins. I'd have to look up the Aerocatch pins as I don't remember how they are configured and if any of these regular pins are applicable to them.

A mustang.. that is an almost unforgivable offense on a F-body forum...lol ;-)

You must have missed where we took it to the National F-body Motorsports Event last year (since my car wasn't done). Oops... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif)

And it's a really pretty Mustang... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

(We really should have entered it in the car show...lol) (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)


To redeem myself, I'm (we're?) currently putting an engine, fresh brake system hard lines, a rebuilt transmission and other stuff in a 1976 Greenwood Corvette for my neighbor (I'll be back under that one about an hour from now).

[CrashTestDummy]

And our F/G Stock SVO logically led us to our current CP ride. It's the ONLY Fjord product I really care about. They're a real joy to drive, almost as much fun as our 92 B4C 1LE Camaro. And, don't look like your everyday Rustang. Additionally, it's the only Fomoco product in our fleet of 10.

BUT, fabbing is fabbing, that's why I posted the question here. When I get it repaired, I'll probably be dropping a 'glass hood on the B4C when we repaint it, so I'll likely be facing similar issues with pinning the front of the hood on it. Better to experiment on the SVO... ;-)

[CrashTestDummy]

The saga continues. I ended up drilling out the captured nuts so I could _just_ fit the pin studs through the hole. I started with a drill bit that was just a little bigger than the existing hole, and slowly worked my way up to the pin diameter. It took a while. I'd like to locate some flanged 10mmX1.5 nuts to hold the pins to the core support. I'm guessing a day trip to the local Pick-N-Pull in the foreign car section may net me what I'm looking for.

I've cut the hood so the latch bodies fit, and am in the process of trying to locate something to use to hold the latch bodies to the hood. The kit comes with some short, about 10mmX4mm counter-sunk allen head machine screws. The hood is constructed of two layers, so none of these short screws will work. I've located some 20mm screws, but that's about as long as it gets that I have been able to find, anyway. Since the hood is so thick, I'm thinking of securing the latch bodies with sheet screws. My thinking is the only way the latch bodies will come out is through the top of the hood, and when latched to the pins, will be pulled to the hood with the spring force of the hood against the hoodlatch. I'd like to locate something with an allen-, or torx-bit counter-sunk head, but it's looking like I'm limited to flat-blade or phillips screw head.

Does anyone have any ideas where I might be able to locate small sheet metal screws with an allen head counter-sunk head? Thanks.

http://www.aerocatch.com/category_sublist....mp;procatid=160

[Blainefab]

I'd like to locate some flanged 10mmX1.5 nuts to hold the pins to the core support.

Does anyone have any ideas where I might be able to locate small sheet metal screws with an allen head counter-sunk head? Thanks.

Mcmaster:

M10 1.5 15 7.9 21 2.8 10 94920A600 5.71

http://www.mcmaster.com/#sheet-metal-screws/=dqwxyd

[CrashTestDummy]

Thank you. I hadn't seen those screws, especially in the torx and tamper-resistent flat head (I apparently needed to search for 'flat head' screws). And hadn't looked for the flanged nuts at MC yet. That'll help a lot.