Redline Tuning Hood Supports

Republished from http://www.duggerracing.com

Introduction

Those of us who have fox hatchbacks know the feeling. You put the hatch up, only to see (or feel) it slowly start to drop lower and lower. The quick solution is to stick a broom handle in there to hold it up, and nearly all of us have done it out of desperation at one point. It does look cheesy, but it works.

Perhaps that is what Ford was thinking when it put a broomstick style piece of metal to hold up the hood of our mighty steeds. Interestingly enough, the "prop rod" has continued its life with even the current S197 models.

Our Project Fobra 88 GT retains its prop rod, although it wears one that is chrome plated. Although it is much better looking than the stocker, it still function exactly the same.

Out on the show field, anything that sets your ride apart (in a tasteful way of course) is a good thing. My buddy Tommy Newcombe's show stopping 93 notch is void of any such prop rod. He replaced his with a set of Redline Tuning Quicklifts, and he has been preaching its virtues to me for some time. I finally gave in to the King of Bling and got myself a set.

Tools Needed:
Power Drill
5/32" and 3/16" drill bits
5/16" socket and 3/8" drive ratchet
Marking pen
Masking tape
Tape measure
Hammer
Center punch
Rivet gun

Installation

As per the instructions, I measured 23 3/4in from the rear of the hood (for aftermarket hoods). On masking tape, I made my mark and placed the hood bracket on the underside of the hood with the ball stud on its center.

Removing the bracket, you can see the 3 marks that I made to show where the rivets will theoretically go.

I noticed that the brackets were not sitting quite as flush as I would have liked. Big thanks go to Brian @ Redlinetuning.com for his quick replies to me concerns. He stated that my Cervini Cobra R (an awesome hood btw) is one of the few that doesn't follow the stock hood frame exactly. Tom has a Cervini Cowl hood on his car and it didn't have the same issue.

The fix is easy. I used a small metal file to clearance the top of the bracket that will rest against the hood skin and the back of the ball stud. You can see in this picture that the amount to be clearanced really isn't much at all and took all but a few minutes.

Test fitting showed the bracket sitting just a bit more secure - giving me that warm fuzzy feeling.

A quick few brushes of touch up paint and they were ready to go. The modifications cannot be seen, even if you were to point it out to someone.

I must admit that making that first hole in the underside of your hood can be very unsettling. I took the advice of the directions and wrapped electrical tape on the drill bit leaving only about 1/4 inch exposed. This, along with a careful trigger finger on my drill, will help to ensure that the hole stays on the underside of the hood.

There are two types of rivets in the kit. Four are 3/16 inch multi-grip rivets, and the other two are 3/16 inch aluminum high adhesion rivets. You can tell them apart by their longer heads. Each has its own purpose during the installation, and you cannot substitute standard rivets for the ones in the kit. I readied my rivet gun for the 3/16 inch size and began the work.

There are three holes in the upper brackets. The outer holes are retained by the multi-grip rivets, while the center hole uses the aluminum ones.

I started with the upper hole first. I placed the rivet in it, put the gun on it and slowly pulled the trigger until the rivet popped. Then, I moved to the lower hole. Carefully (again) I drilled the hole, inserted the rivet and pulled the trigger. The center holes are drilled in the same manner, but the aluminum rivets are used here. They install the same way as the others, but you can feel that they are softer as you compress them with the gun.

Here you can see both of the upper brackets completely installed on the hood. Take a good look at that prop rod - it won't be there for much longer...

Now let's move on to the lower brackets. There are once again specific dimensions that should be followed. Measure 3 3/4 inch in front of the center line of the rearmost fender bolt. Once again, I used masking tape to write my measurement lines on. Then, measure approximately 1 inch from the fender, and make another line. This is where the edge of the bracket, ball stud facing out, will sit. I placed the bracket on this line and marked the right hand side bolt hole.

Use the center punch and hammer to mark this hole. This will help keep the drill bit from walking. Remove the bracket and drill the hole using 5/32 inch drill bit. The bolts are self tapping, so push them in and use either a power drill or a hand ratchet and a 5/16 inch socket. I made out fine using a ratchet.

I kept the one bolt snug, but not too tight or too lose, and went to work on the other mounting hole in the same way. Once both bolts are in, tighten them up and repeat for the other side.

Measure twice (maybe three times) and drill once. Also, make sure that the ball stud faces outwards.

Now all that is left is to have someone hold the hood up while you pop in the gas supports. The wider, cylinder end goes up. Remove the retaining clips and put them somewhere safe, because if you lose them you are surely out of luck!

Once both supports are in, carefully place the retaining clips through the hole in the support and rotate it until it clips into place. Believe me... it makes a lot more sense when you see it. Remember not to drop them!

Now remove the prop rod and the retaining clip, and you are done! The hood goes right up with minimal effort, and we now have a ton of room to work under the hood.