restomod@16

Ok so I just got a new passenger side hood hinge. It does not come with a spring so I figured I'd use the old spring (perfectly fine), but I can't seem to figure out how to get the spring on the new hinge!? The length between points is just too great and i cannot expand the spring. Any ideas as to how to accomplish the task?

fastbackford351

I hooked the back part of the spring in place and used a long, strong, screwdriver to pry against the front of the hinge and just let the spring slide down the screwdriver into place. I am sure this is not the proper or preferred technique, but it is what I did.

ky

tie a rope to it and stand on it and yank it into place. use the existing hinge as a reference to know exactly how it goes.

restomod@16

are you guys serious?! these idea sound pretty dangerous with all that stored energy in the spring hahaha

ky

yeah well just imagine the tension on the suspension spring when you tighten them babies up! talk about scary...

rmodel65

i use a pair of vice grips i lock it down with the teeth flat against them selves. and the end of the spring int ehopen space, so the spring isnt gonna slip out of the teeth then i pull it in place

fastbackford351

Oh yeah. You gotta be careful when messing with springs because they will absolutely kick your ***, take your money and eat your lunch but my springs are 40 years old so I guess they are not as stiff as new ones. It wasn't that tough to do. Just be careful!

Front A-arm coil springs scare me. Even with the proper tools my pucker factor maxes out when I have to pull or install a set of them.

Kenny_Z

I just cleaned a set of hinges for my Rustang and I used this method to remove and replace the spring. Be very careful though and if possible make sure you put them back on away from anything that could possibly be damaged if you lose control of the spring. If you're not worried about anything around you you'll be a little faster in getting out of the way if you lose it.

I know what you mean fastback. I just installed the front coils in my Nova today and I was on edge the whole time. I hate those things.