Re-inforce hood to prevent bending?

Got a question, not ready to do it yet but just a random thought....

I am going to be putting a new NASA hood on my 72 coupe this winter. I took the original straight hood off my parts car, boy is it heavy!! The hood on the car I'm building is bad, it is crunched a little in the front, and is bending right at the hinge.

This got me thinking, I haven't gotten my new hood yet, but I know repro stuff normally is thinner/lighter than stock. As long as these hoods are, do they have a common problem of bending at the hinges? My hinges seem to work well, especially on the parts car with the good hood, but didn't know if this was anything to worry about as I am new to these cars. (Finally, after wanting one for years! lol)

I know the older chevy trucks had a problem with this, and you could by a re-inforcing plate to attach to the hood to prevent bending.   It looks like if someone were to push the front edge straight down when closing instead of carefully pushing back and down together there could be a problem. Or am I overthinking this, and I am good as they are? Thanks! Earl

The sheet metal on the re-pops is very thin, which allows them to be much lighter.. Also, most re-pops do not get seam sealed at the crimp joints.  Should you wish to reinforce the hinge points, (if it were me) I would mig or tig weld a couple of 1/16" steel plates along the inside edge of the ribs that hold the plate nuts for the hinges.  That will help a great deal in preventing that fold down buckle.. Make them long enough to exceed the hinge edge by an inch or so..

Grind them smooth, fill where needed and paint.. They won't show and will work wonders to strengthen the hood frame.

It is important to have hinges in good shape and aligned so they don't bind or work against one another. Worn out hinges are the reason most hoods buckle at that location

I was just thinking about hinges today. How do we know when are they worn or need replacing? Are there any good hinge sources out there?

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We put new hinges on the car I restored this past winter and they were JUNK!!! So was the hood! it buckled bad!!! Brand new hood and hinges creased the crap out of it. A lot of time to repair. Check some of my other threads, you might be able to find where I posted about it.

If I were to do it again, I would have the stock hinges rebuilt. Then fit the hood nicely, you will more than likely have to adjust the arch of the hood to match the fenders. Then once you get it where you want, tack weld the seam under the hood all way around the perimeter every few inches spaced evenly to keep it from flexing.

Heres a link

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-hood-arch

Before installing new hinges (especially aftermarket) clamp them in a vise and lubricate the rivets and hinge points with oil, not grease.. Springs NOT installed..  Work the hinges up and down until they loosen up and do not bind.. We've done it all the time in the shop from a well learned lesson from the past..