My Willys 3A and 3B Community
TECH FAQ SECTIONS => BODY and trim => Topic started by: 54-27329 on April 08, 2024, 07:22:13 PM
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1954 CJ-3B. Assembling body parts on chassis. New tub and fenders, old hood and grill. Old hood too big, about 1 1/2 in wider than cowl. Question 1: would reproduction hood fit reproduction tub and old grill or just modify old hood? Question 2: where the cowl angles in and bolts to fender, with the hood down, there's about a 2 inch gap between the hood bottom and body. Is this normal?
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I've only owned an aftermarket hood and w/s frame. It's my feeling that if all the body parts are aftermarket - from the same manufacturer, then they all fit together. I sense that issues are seen during mixing/matching.
My w/s frame attachment arms weren't right - so I bent them. Its better now but I bribed a body shop into fixing my original that had screw holes everywhere in it. The aftermarket hood was straight - no "oil canning" but the hinge wasn't right. It caused the hood to sit too high at the cowl when attached. I swapped out the rear hat channel/hinge of a bad original hood and was satisfied. Until I ran across another original hood.
To your questions, there is a gap that runs all the way around the cowl - the hood should not sit down on the cowl. I've noticed most hoods have a gap of about the same width all the way around - not noticeably wider on the sides. There is also a gap between the side of the hood and top of the fenders - but 2 inches seems pretty wide.
Lawrence Wades' jeep:
https://cj3b.info/Photos/Owners/Wade/WadeBeachwoodTop.jpg
https://cj3b.info/Photos/Owners/Wade/WadeFoliageClose.JPG
https://cj3b.info/Photos/Owners/Wade/CurtisPhotos/HoodHinge.JPG
How close to the radiator guard contour is your hood? Nearly flush?
Have you scoured through all the images to compare?
Can you post images?
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Interesting my repop hood is tight enough on my original cowl that it actually digs into the paint on the sides
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I've had original hoods that have flared out too far and some that pinch in. I stand on the inside of the short side (on top of the hat channel) and bend. I do this in the grass so as not to scratch. Just a little at a time. Then swap sides to keep it about even.
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Will try to post pic. Windshield was full of holes, had welder fill in all. Does someone have the dimensions for the wiper holes?