I've never forgotten the time that I forgot to reinstall the hood pins on a '67 Mustang during my youth. I roared down the street like hot stuff, only to have the hood fly open at 30-40 mph. The hood hinges were badly damaged as were the inner fender nut plates. In those days, the only solution for a fix was large fender washers, bolts, plywood, and locknuts. Today, we have Dynacorn inner fender aprons that enable us to either replace the apron or repair an existing one when the nut plates pull out. Scott Robinson from Northwest Pony Shoppe is going to show us how to perform this simple and permanent repair.
1 You’ll need to remove the...
1 You’ll need to remove the hood and hinges to access the hinge nut plates. It’s a good idea to scribe lines around the hinges for reference when reinstalling later. Another approach is to drill small 1/8-inch jig pin holes in the hinges and hood for alignment purposes.
2 This gaping hole once contained...
2 This gaping hole once contained a factory nut plate. This is a common failure item on classic Mustangs.
3 The damaged hole is dollied...
3 The damaged hole is dollied flush to prepare for the new nut plate installation.
4 This is a nut plate cut...
4 This is a nut plate cut out of a Dynacorn inner fender apron. Scott Robinson of the Northwest Pony Shoppe is going to graft it into the existing inner fender apron rather than replace the entire apron.
5 Rather than risk another...
5 Rather than risk another nut plate failure, Scott welds the nut plate for solid security.
6 The nut plate patch is...
6 The nut plate patch is secured with a bolt, then tack welded and checked for positioning.
7 Once tack welded, the patch...
7 Once tack welded, the patch is dollied flush with a body hammer.
8 Welding is completed on...
8 Welding is completed on both sides. This Mustang will never have a hood hinge nut plate problem again.
9 The welded area is ground...
9 The welded area is ground smooth in preparation for filler.
10 Use filler to smooth out...
10 Use filler to smooth out the repair area, which won’t be visible after painting.