I did some searching and couldn't find anything so I'm going to go ahead and post.

The hood latches for my '31 coupe are in good condition but the two on the passenger side are rather loose.

Have any of y'all ever tightened these or replaced the spring?

I was thinking maybe I could get away with slipping some kind of washer in between the stopper and the casing? Unless anyone knows a better way to get to the spring. I'm trying to avoid purchasing new ones as I don't need 4, mine still look nice, and they are kind of pricey.

Hood Latch

Thanks,

The 1931 Chevrolet "candy cane" style hood latches unscrew from the base so the internal spring is removable.

Junkyard,

I unscrewed the "hook" but I didn't see how it was possible to remove the spring. Am I missing something?

I'll try to get a picture of it with the hook off tonight.

The center shaft is crimped on the top end to hold the assembly together. The other end has a larger "head" like a nail. It is possible to grind off the crimp, replace the spring or add a washer and then carefully weld the shaft to hold it together. Make sure to only put small tacks allowing it to cool between welds so you don't destroy the spring tension. Alternately you may find a nail the correct size, cut a little longer than the original, install the parts and carefully crimp the top.

That's about what I figured. I'm going to try to avoid cutting that crimped piece off if possible.

If I'm not mistaken the hood is missing some stripping to keep the hood from rattling, maybe that will tighten up the hood latches enough...