Maybe it's just me but it seems like the hood doesn't open very far on my 68 Cutlass. I have to bend down to avoid hitting the hood and I am only 5' 8". It is really difficult at the back of the engine compartment. My friend has owned 68 and 69 Chevelles and he said his hoods open a lot more. My brother has a 69 Cutlass and he said his opens more than mine does too. I looked at the hinges with the hood open and it is open as far as the hinges will allow it. For grins I looked up hinges in a catalog(legendary auto I think) to see if the 69 and 68 hinges are the same. The catalog listed 69 hinges but not 68. I know the 68 hood is unique but has anyone tried putting 69 hinges on a 68 and if so did it help with hood clearance? I appologize if this thread has already been discussed but I am new to this forum and there is so much to read here that I didn't find it yet. I would appreciate any info on this. Great forum!
Erik 68 Cutlass

 

I agree that the 1969-72 open higher, but I've not bothered to dig into it any further. If the springs were soft you should be able to lift the hood higher, then when you release it see it sag back down. I've always thought its something to accept and deal with, like the hood tooth that hangs down on the 1970. I can't count how many times I wacked the back of my head on that! John

 

The '68 and '69 hood hinges are definitely different. There are two anchor points to the fender with each hinge for '68; they went to 3 anchor points in '69. The '68 hoods don't open very far. I have to warn people not to try to force the hood further open than it will go, for fear of ruining the hinges. The '69s open further, but there's another hazard - that darn nose that sticks down off of the hood, front and center. Many times I've gone under the hood on a '69 from the front, only to come back out and get the back of my head nailed by that nose. If you look at a factory replacement fender for the '68/'69 Cutlass, it will be prepped with 5 holes to accomodate either the '68 or '69 hinges. Hope this helps! Randy C.

 

The '68 hoods never did open very high, that's why some of us went to the trouble of having our arms lengthened so we can reach from the front all the way to the distributor DO NOT lean over your 442 GRILLE and watch your head on the way back out or you will get hooked

 

I had that operation done long ago. I can tie my shoelaces without bending over.