Need some advice with a repair job

Automotive
#1

Hi folks,

So a few years back I hit a deer (which hopefully survived after it ran off) and when the hood was replaced they left the old bent hinge on for reasons I now understand.

Problem: Impact from the deer pushed a section of my front end inwards, because of this I cannot replace the bent hinge without causing the hood latch to sit out of alignment with the hook, which means I can’t close my hood.
Today while doing some maintenance the bent hinge finally broke so I need to replace it soon, but that means fixing this alignment issue. Below are some images of my car and diagrams explaining the problem. Figure 1.3 shows the alignment issue when the new hinge is installed, I already tried replacing the hinge so I have experienced this firsthand. The new hinge will put the hook too far forward so it can’t engage the latch.

I doubt I can take a hammer to the area and push it back out, so I could maybe remove the hook, bend it so it fits with the latch, and reattach. I could obviously take it to a shop but I don’t have the cash right now and likely won’t for a couple months. When the hood is latched, it doesn’t move and some short highway driving saw no problems befall me, so I think I can hobble along for a bit. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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#2

got a pic of the now broken old hinge?
I"m thinking: weld the old hinge back together
or
bend the new hinge to match
Not completely understanding the problem, though. Is it the front latch that doesn’t align when the new hinge is installed? (and if not, why the pics of those pieces?)

1 Like
#3

Third picture down is of the bent hinge, I’ll add a better lit one when I get a chance.
Yes, the hood and the latch sit further back now thanks to the impact. I have a new hinge that, when installed, causes the hood to sit too far forward from the latch.

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#4

Depending on how much it has moved, the hinge bracket usually has a slotted hole that when the bolts are loosened, you can move the hinge to adjust.

Hopefully the hinge moved before it got bent much, you might be able to correct some of displacement. Usually there is about 3/8" - .375" - 9.5mm - 3.086846e-019 parsecs (note there is a rounding error here) adjustment available.

2 Likes
#5

Good point, I can’t recall if it was a straight hole or a slot that would give me some play, but I’ll loosen the bolts and take a look. The difference between old and new hinge is significant, but I just need to have the hood sit back about the thickness of the metal latching loop on the hood. Maybe a few 8ths of an inch.

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#6

Would you mind posting a photo showing the passenger side of the car from where the hood hinge area is to the front of the car (side view of the car)

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#7

A photo of the side view and of the actual hoot latch area would be helpful - much more so than a sketch.

hinges and the latches and the release cables are all adjustable. The hood is as well along with too many other related components. The radiator support may have moved.

physically seeing the vehicle in person is the best route in order to determine what needs to be moved in to place. but a few photos would be helpful.

One note - be careful with the hood latch - you wouldn’t want to close the hood completely after adjusting something only to find out that you cannot reopen the hood (yes this does happen and then what do you do?)

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#8

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I will keep this in mind, honestly I just need the hood to sit a few 8ths of an inch back. The busted hinge is bent back, and from what I can tell the radiator support may have indeed moved. Here’s as good an image I can manage in this light, and I can’t seem to find a flashlight so as to take any decent photos under the hood. Will do so in the morning.
Thank you for the advice.

#9

Can you get a replacement hinge? This is a good place to get them. They are a wholesaler to body shops. An Autozone clerk told me about them. I was looking for a replacement headlight assy for my Toyota RAV4, no one else was up front, he said go there. It was half AZ’s price.
http://www.certifit.com/

The wholesale is located in Arlington, just off 360 west at 2500 Mayfield.

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#10

I already have the replacement hinge, I tried installing it at home early this year when the alignment issue became evident.

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#11

Drill a new bolt hole which would make it line up correctly and then weld the bar in place?

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#12

Right now I’m leaning more toward adjusting the parts as they are and probably bending the metal loop so it sits just a bit further back

#13

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Here’s some photos I was able to take today while doing a little investigating. Removal of the plastic cover revealed the damage to the radiator support, and loosening the bolts on the metal loop on the hood showed very little play in how it can be installed. Looking at the hinge, I think it can only be mounted in one position with no room for adjustment unless I do a bit of filing.

I think long term I will try to get my hands on a new radiator support or bend this one back into shape since replacing that part is straightforward. I will in the meantime remove the loop on the hood and bend it back until it can catch the latch properly.

#14

If the radiator latch is moved back, up to say 1/4", you might be able to washers under it to move it back out rather than try to straighten/pull the support forward.

Can you provide a photo of the opposite side hinge so where it is bent can be seen. Not sure exactly where the distortion is. But those two lower bolts could have the bolt holes slotted.

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#15

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So here’s one of the other side and one of the bent one alongside the replacement hinge. That’s an excellent point, I was actually heading to the hardware store so I’ll pick up a few so I can try aligning everything.
The upper hole on the new hinge is slotted, but the lower one is not.

#16

Looks like your ready to swap the hinge out. See how much of the misalignment is left vs the latch. Then decide if you can move the latch out enough by washering it forward so you don;t have to mess with pulling on the support. The new hinge will align the hood much straighter.

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#17

If the radiator support is not difficult to replace, I’d hit a junkyard and see if you can find a used one. Getting the parts back into the right position will be easier in the long run than improvising with things bent, then having to re-align everything again when you have the repair done.

4 Likes
#18

It isn’t too hard, seems it comes in an upper and lower set that both bolt into place separate from one another. Good call on the junkyard, I’ll see what I can dig up. I’ve had the new hinge for a bit thinking it would be a simple swap at the time. I’ll see if I can hold out long enough to swap both parts, and maybe then I can unclench for a bit.

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#19

Yeah I foolishly thought I could just replace the hinge and be done… a pipe dream now.

#20

Ahem salvage yards. :slight_smile:
I assume you know about car-part.com
http://www.car-part.com/
Like most of these resources, it can be nice for a target price range and availability, but is hardly exhaustive and should be verified with a phone call (or in-person, if you prefer).

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