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Greetings all,
I'm new to the club. I just "inherited" a 1956 Firedome wagon that I'd like to resotre. I do not even know where to begin with questions so my first one is: I'm having trouble getting the hood open to take a look at the engine. It seems like the latch disengages when I pull it but the hood is still binding.
The car has sat for 20+ years so it could be sticking somewhere, I just do not want to force it and start breaking things from the get go. Any advice is appreciated.
If you are able to lift the hood enough, I would definitely encourage you to put some lubricant on the pivoting areas of the hood hinges.
It's easy enough to go buy some brand of penetrating fluid. If you're going to be doing a lot of "bolt turning" on the car, I would mention that one of the best and least expensive penetrating fluids is a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid.
Also be aware that there is a safety catch on the hood latch. After you pull the lever above the grill, there's also a safety catch on the hood itself that you'll need to release. My pictures are of a Dodge, but the workings of the hood latch are essentially the same.
It's supposed to be fun!
1949 De Soto Custom Convertible (project)
Thanks Tim. A picture is worth 1000 words...
Is the bottom pic the one of the safety catch?
Also I've used PB blaster as a pen fluid in the past, I'm assuming this would be OK? I'm away form the car right now but will try it later this week.
The top pic is the safety latch/catch. The bottom is the main latch.
Congratulations on your '56 wagon. Let's see some pictures when you can and keep us posted with your progress.
"It's delightful, it's delovely, it's DeSoto"
"It's delightful, it's delovely, it's DeSoto"
