Hood Removal - Hood Bolts or Side Bracket Bolts?

[bpossel]

Ok, I know this one has come up many many times before, but I need to ask this one again...  :oops:

My hood now sits very proudly on its newly painted body and fits perfectly.  I need to remove it in order to complete the installation of the engine and all of the many other parts...

Is it still recommended by this group to remove it by removing the 2 bolts on the hood (right side), then slide it off the other side?  Or...  is it ok to remove it by removing the 2 bolts that hold the bracket to the side wall?  I would prefer to remove the 2 bolts that hold the bracket to the side wall, and leave the delicate hood nuts alone...

Any pros and cons to removing the bracket to the side wall vs removing the bolts on the hood?

Thank You!
Bob  

bpossel  (Memphis, TN.)
'71 280SL  /  '97 E320

[waqas]

Last time I did this, I used the bolts on the hood itself (NOT the side mounting bolts). Then you just have the simple matter of laterally aligning the hood.... a 2-dimensional instead of a 3-dimensional problem.

Here's a decent write-up: http://index.php?topic=1578,bolts

Waqas in Austin, Texas

[Mike Hughes]

When the cat knocked a Coleman cooler off a shelf onto my hood a few years back the very knowledgable folks at Dent Masters knew how to properly secure the hood prop and remove the hood to work on it off the car.  They only removed one hood hinge (on the engine intake side, discretely marking the location of the hinge plate on the hood with washable marker before removing the fasteners) and left the other one intact.  Then two guys were able to maneuver the hood free of the other hinge socket.

As they say - reinstallation was the reverse of removal.  They only had to insure that they realigned the hinge plate to their discrete marker lines and then carefully checked the shutlines before doing any final tightening and washing off the marker lines.

They did such a good job that you can't tell from either side of the panel that a coleman cooler had ever reshaped a nice foot long section of the center hood bulge!

- Mike Hughes  -ô¿ô-
  1966 230SL Auto P/S
  Havanna Brown (408)
  Light Beige (181)
  Cream M-B Tex (121)

[bpossel]

Thanks Guys!

I have removed my hood many times and have always removed it by removing the hood bolts on the drivers side.  I was just looking for some new ideas....  any maybe that removing it from a less vunerable spot would be possible.  Looks like the hood hinge bolts are the way to go...

Thanks again,
Bob  

bpossel  (Memphis, TN.)
'71 280SL  /  '97 E320

[Mike Hughes]

The advantage of removing the hood hinge on the intake manifold side is that the spring loaded hood prop can exert some pressure on the hood hinge on the injection pump side that could interfere with fine adjusting the hood hinge when checking the shut lines before final tightening of the fasteners.

[J. Huber]

Ok, I think I am now officially confused. Mike when you speak of the hood hinge are you saying you remove the two bolts that screw into fender? (as opposed to the two that screw into the hood?) And that by removing one side only, the hood can be slid a bit and off the other spindle...

[Mike Hughes]

I'm talking about removing the two bolts that secure the hinge to the hood itself on one side only, near the air cleaner canister.  Don't mess with the hinge bits that are bolted to the body.  While you have the hood off the car you can take the opportunity to clean up and regrease the hinge pegs and peg holes.

[J. Huber]

Ok just about got it. Remove these two: (after securing the torsion bar to the hood).

Once the hood is off is it possible to change the torsion bar pads and rubber buffers without messing up tension? [see pic 2.]

Hope its ok I borrowed the pictures...




is that a shoe in the corner?

[Mike Hughes]

Yes, you've got it.  No, you'll have to relieve the tension on the hood prop to safely change the bits you've circled.  I have not done this or seen it done but I remember there has been some good discussion on this subject in the past.  

http://index.php?topic=7794+bar

[perry113]

Securing tension rod:
I use an S hook to hold the tension rod and connect it to the hole on the left side on the inside of the hood. The factory conveniently put the hole there for this procedure.

I hope this helps.

Peter Perry