Hood strap

[hauser]

I have looked through the various posts and could not find what I looking for.  

I have a new hood strap to install.  I don't know if it's the proper length or if it's slightly oversized.  How much slack should there be if any on a new strap?

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

[bpossel]

I keep my strap taught, hood open as far as it can.  I believe the strap is there to prevent the wind from forcing the hood to fly forward and possibly bend the soft metal?  So taught, allowing hood to be fully extended giving plenty of "working room".  I wrap my extra strap material around the piece that connects to the hood.

Bob

quote:Originally posted by hauser

I have looked through the various posts and could not find what I looking for.  

I have a new hood strap to install.  I don't know if it's the proper length or if it's slightly oversized.  How much slack should there be if any on a new strap?

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

bpossel
Memphis, TN.
1971 280SL
1997 E320

[Kenneth Gear]

Also keep in mind the top of the strap that connects to the hood, wraps around the small peice of sheet metal used to connect it to the hood so be sure you have enough slack to wrap it once.

Ken G
1971 280 SL
Silver/red

[thinktin]

The new strap kits have at least 30% additional material; The right lenght is critical; Too short and the hood will not stay open (or close on your head as your checking the oil!) too long ad it will hit the blackout grill, surely damaging the paint on the hood.

Rick

[hauser]

I installed it the other day.  Excess material was trimmed off and left taught.

I had two straps.  One I purchased from Gernold and the other on ebay.  Gernold's strap was a much heavier material and came with two cad plated pieces.  I installed the one from Gernold.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

[Miloslav Maun]

Would somebody have a picture how does the piece holding the strap to the hood look like? I was not able to find it in any catalogue... My strap just hangs loose in the motor compartment.

Also, there is the tension bar which is supposed to hold the hood up. It has a wavy bend on the end which snaps into the plastic piece (where the other end of the strap is attached too). But then the hood seems not to be fully open and it can be opened more so that the support bar bend goes beyond the plastic piece. Is that correct?
Thanks for any feedback or help or photos.

[Miloslav Maun]

Ooops, should have read further the search results. Here are nice photos of the strap mounting: http://index.php?topic=2197

But what still puzzles me is that on my car the tension rod snaps not in the plastic bracket but behind (or better said before, nearer to the front). If it stays in the bracket, the hood is simply not opened propery, I'd say about 50° or so. Is there a way to adjust this?

[mdsalemi]

Every car seems to be a bit different in how the hood/bonnet closes and opens, the level of effort to do same, and the amount of tension wound up in the torsion bar.

The strap performs no active duty: it is there to prevent the hood from flying further back then necessary and doing damage in the process.  The actual position of the open hood should be controlled by the the detent in the plastic block mounted on the body, and how the torsion bar rests in same.

On mine, I think I have some excess torsion in my bar: I have to gently guide the bar out of the detent when opening and closing as it seems to have some lateral forces wanting to have it snap towards the engine.

However, when it is opened, the bar rests in the detent (those were my photos noted by Muf)nicely; holds the bonnet up without effort, and the strap is relatively taught.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored