Holding up Car Hood

[Midget Whisperer]

Do any of you guys have any way to hold your cars hood up without a prop rod. My car I am building did not have a prop rod from the factory. Please post any of your ideas.

Thanks

[my80malibu]

if you use the bend your own brass hinge method, you can kink the wire before you insert into the brass tube.

[Harry P.]

Please post questions in the question section.

[Midget Whisperer]

I will try that, thanks.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I think this is one of those situations that has no single answer. It depends on the design of your kit hinges. Besides Gabriel's method, I've sometimes been able to add just enough thickness of sheet styrene to the outside or inside face of the hinge, on the hood, so that it would be a tight enough fit in the body to just barely keep the hood open. You can't go too thick, as the hood won't fit when closed.

You could also file a very small ratchet tooth or detent on one or both hinges, that a tiny pawl inside the body would have to gently snap into.

This is one of those great miniature engineering, problem-solving opportunities this hobby s full of.

This is the basic idea, but there'd be only one ratchet slot for the pawl to snap into, and both the pawl and the ratchet slot would be rounded so as to be able to work in both directions.

[Midget Whisperer]

Never thought of that, thanks. I will look into that.

[blunc]

another option to Bill's ratchet idea would be using magnets hidden inside the cowling/firewall in a similar fashion that some model builders use magnets to keep doors closed once they have opened and hinged them. using a paper clip instead of brass rod would give the magnet something to hold onto.