Installing and removing hood hinge springs can be a difficult and dangerous process. Photos from 67-72 Chevy Trucks.com

We found this interesting little tid-bit on one of our favorite forums, 67-72chevytrucks.com, and it is relevant to several types of cars from the hot rod and musclecar era. We want to give full credit to forum member Texas Cowboy 593 for submitting this tip. Thanks Cowboy… sometimes the best solutions are the easiest.

A quick search on the internet also found a handy video explaining the same procedure utilizing a home-made special tool instead of wrenches in the spring coils. If you plan on removing a few hood springs, we can see how making the special tool would be a good thing. If this is a once or twice a year deal… wrenches in the spring coils would seem to work just fine.

On the Cowboy’s ’59 Apache, he stretched the spring coils open, then used wrenches between the coils to keep the spring expanded. This seems to work better on hood springs that are installed more vertical than horizontal. 

Cowboy points out that the spacers don’t have to be wrenches – any solid material that fills the space and keeps the spring stretched will work. Cowboy’s procedure is to let the floor jack down and remove the hood spring. With an assistant, raise and lower the hood until the end of the spring lines up with the body holes or spring hooks on the hinge assembly. Pulling out the wrenches, one-at-a-time, making sure to keep your fingers away from the spring’s coils, the spring returns to it’s natural size and the hood hinge is completely assembled again.