Squashed, nearly fixed,...

[HighHope]

I have an '80 Spider. The car does not appear to have been hit, yet the back of the hood sits proud of the cowl. I've looked at it and there doesn't seem to be any way to adjust the striker to bring the hood down flush with the cowl. Any ideas? Thanks, and sorry for the hijack.

[wetminkey]

No hijack,...pertains to the subject matter directly.
The only height adjustment that I know of for the rear of the hood is the latch mechanism. If the hood sits proud evenly across the cowl, then it is aligned properly, but may need to have the latch lowered to reduce the height of the back edge of the hood. If the latch cannot be lowered further, I would guess something is screwy. Doesn't take much to change the geometry of the hood and front end of a Spider,...
The two may not align properly if your hood latch is worn badly,...but it didn't sound like that's your problem.
One other way to align the two is to shim the cowl upward at it's front edge (but that will change your cowl/fender alignment). I'd attempt to find an answer to the incorrect alignment before making any changes like that.
Best of luck with your car!
Todd Compton.

[DieselSpider]

I have an '80 Spider. The car does not appear to have been hit, yet the back of the hood sits proud of the cowl. I've looked at it and there doesn't seem to be any way to adjust the striker to bring the hood down flush with the cowl. Any ideas? Thanks, and sorry for the hijack.

You adjust via the latch mechanism itself not the striker however sometimes the sticky pads bunch up and raise one of the corners or an errant mechanic forgets a tool on the shelf of the cowl under the hood and takes some of the radius out of the hood when he slams the hood down on it. Also if someone accidentally flipped the latch closed while lubricating it then the latch or striker could have shifted and bent when they attempted to close it so that the hood latch is only catching in the safety and not the fully latched position. Usually it will be the sheet metal behind the striker or the striker itself that will bend and the simple solution is to shim the striker with washers so it will get flipped into the fully latched position.

[HighHope]

Thanks for the quick replies. Once I get this damn cast off my leg I’ll put on some greasy old jeans and head back to the garage. I appreciate it,

[wetminkey]

So,...back to fixing the squashed 1979 Spider.
The cowl, fenders, and hood align within fairly tight tolerances, as does the lower front panel. Hood is primered and the bodywork on it looks quite good,...I'll rework a small spot on the rear of the driver's 'power bump'.
Front area of the driver's fender is primered and I sprayed some silver on it, too. Needs some very minor, 'nit-picking' bodywork over the top of the headlight/horn area.
Lower panel in the front is primered and silver,...looks good.
Passenger fender needs further light sanding, a little fine bodywork over the headlight/horn area, and then I'll primer/color to check finish bodywork.
I'm beginning to get caught up in spring chores/tasks,...

[wetminkey]

BTW,...NO SIGNS OF MOUSE under the cowl!
If you're unfamiliar with the story, while stored, my Spider had a whole community move in one winter,...search "The Party's Over".
Mouseproofed it! It's been three, or four years, now.
And they said it couldn't be done,...
Todd.

[dinghyguy]

mice prefer perfect Cars. Wait til you finish....

[pantera928]

Hey Wetminkey
The car is looking good. Can't wait to see the finished product.
I had the mouse issue once also. Went to start the car and it wouldn't. Mice had eaten my spark plug wires and built a nest in the valley between the cams.

[wetminkey]

Thank you very, very much! Glad to be at this point, and NOT in a salvage yard or being parted out,...whew!
Luckily my mice only decided to 'party' (nest, not chew)! Nested inside of the cowl air intake, under the rear seat and in the trunk. Took a lot of pressure washing and detailed cleaning to deal with that,...
I'm not real happy about being the mouseproofing expert,...but I have whole thread describing how to keep 'em out of a Spider!
Busy with spring, but the Spider should be coming along further soon. Thanks, all!
Todd Compton.

[rodo]

Ah, Todd, now I've finally read the whole story and see why you have the two different headlight fenders! Very nice work. I wanted to ask about the hood/cowl issue someone commented upon. What do you use, if anything, for the pads on the ends of the hood, the rectangular ones that slide into the hood and provide a cushion when seated on the cowl? I bought two new rubber ones and they are too thick. I'm doing all I can to adjust the cowl down but still, the rubber does not quash like the foamy OE pads.

[wetminkey]

Thanks, man. But a bodyman friend of mine, Brady (at Precision Auto Body Repair & Refinishing in Greeley, CO) is the frame and MIG master. I'm good for fine/finish bodywork, but I farm out the heavier work,...
Pads for the hood? Dude,...you got pads??
I got no pads.

[rodo]

So, no pads...and the hood does not bang away on the cowl?

[wetminkey]

Never had pads,...never had any banging. Doesn't even wear on the cowl's silver paint.
I'd guess that the hood latch mechanism holds the hood down snug against the rear and side engine compartment rubber strip/seals.

[dinghyguy]

my 79 doesn't seem to have pads either....just sits on the rubber strips. But hey it might have originally had pads.

cheers
dinghyguy

[wetminkey]

I see no evidence of my Spider ever having pads at the cowl. At least not since before it was painted in, or about, 2000. The 'new to me' hood has no evidence of pads, either. There is a diagonal slot in each rear corner underneath the hood,...