Hood Latch/pins twist lock

1sostatic · May 3, 2021

HEY ! all you lepers :wrench: out there in Aaaaamericaaaaa-land

Sorry to wreck your day again with another of my dumb posts....but .... :biggrin:

Some of you have these fancy twist lock hood pins (see pic)
I have been wondering whether it's a good idea having the hood pins like yours.

Is is easy to install them? -- what do you do? -- get a cylindrical saw and bore through the paint like a deep core driller?
Or do you use use a jack hammer?...or should I just keep hitting a center-punch real hard until it makes a hole? :whistling:

Lazarus · May 3, 2021

I have them in my 73 (bought that one first). Decided against them on my 72.

I REALLY like the look, especially on the boss blackout (which my 72 does have)... But they are a bit finicky and you have to adjust them just right or they cause a valley around them on that long hood. It makes a sort of halo around them in the light. The area they go on is not very strong. For what it’s worth, the latch already has a safety catch, so they aren’t terribly necessary.

I have heard of guys disabling them and just having the upper part to get the look without the hassle. I was actually kinda tempted to do that; it’s no different than my fake ram-air vents I guess. In the end I decided to forgo them.

That said, I remember one of the members did add them after paint with excellent results, and documented it. I bet if you do a search you can find the thread.

Lastly, I read an article once where a guy recessed them, which maybe helps with the valley... not sure but it looks very cool. I saved the picture of it, I liked it so much:

Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs · May 3, 2021

There should be a good write up on here somewhere for sure. You work from the backside using the hole in the reinforcement to locate. Seems like they made wood plug with a hole in the center. Then used that to drill center hole for the hole saw. I think the hood locks and black out were one of the best deals when you ordered new, $18.00 option.

vintageman · May 3, 2021

I installed them a few months ago. I bought them from Don at Ohio Mustang. Wasn't hard at all. I used a 3 inch hole saw on some wood I had laying around. Wrapped some tape around the wood so it would fit snug in the hole on the underside of the hood. Using the hole saw ensured that my center hole was in the proper place. after I inserted the wood with the tape on it in the hole, the center hole for the drill marked where to drill the pilot hole. After that, I used my hole saw again and drilled the 3 inch hole for the twist locks. When I installed the inside brackets, I did have to put a washer or two behind the bracket so that everything lined up correctly. Adjusted the nut on the twist lock so that I did not get any "oil canning" when twist lock was engaged and they fit correctly.

Yes, it was a pucker factor drilling into my new unpainted hood but I suspect it would be even worse drilling into a painted hood. I say go for it, they make the hood look great even if they are more cosmetic than preventive. Good luck.

Tom