70-442-W30

Just wondering how many fatalities there have been by people hitting their head off that hood tooth. Apparently it is in the perfect location for me to hit it, sometimes multiple times in one day. I bet my father in law laughs every time it happens.

oldcutlass

I helped judge at 2 of the past NTOC Zone show events and have the scars to prove it.

Greg Rogers

Yep....

Toms cutlass

Major design flaw fixed in '71 - '72. I have many permanent bumps and scars over my 39+ years with my '70. My father would wrap a towel with rubber bands around it back in the day when I was wrenching on it.

My2nd 69 442

Yep...and Damn that hurts... I dont have enough brains to knock anymore out

Oldsmaniac

It got you good when skin with hair attached is still hanging on the tooth!

Gary M

Even the 72 hood release secondary safety latch can make your day. Ask me how I know. Not a deal breaker though.

MDchanic

I hear that was what finally did in Ransom E.

- Eric

Gary M

Poor bastard. Meet my new mechanic. Shorty. 😜

tru-blue 442

I think that's why they call them hood teeth, they will bite you every time!

76olds

I've taken a few good one's off the head and I don't work on my 76 very often. I just mix the next drink up a little stronger haha.

marxjunk

try a 68 hood...its as bad or worse if youre close to 6 ft tall....the whole hood gets ya, not just the tooth...

oldcutlass

The 68 hands down is the worst...

76olds

Ah yeah the centre of the hood on a 68 comes down to the bumper eh. I told my wife if it ever takes my head off, I hope it takes it clean off cuz I don't want to leave another mess around for her to clean up.

1969w3155

My sonar kicked in 40 years ago on my '70 SX, after many head whacks, hasn't happened since.

rocketraider

I still have scars on me noggin from the 70 Mama had. The tooth is big reason I can't see myself owning a 70.


Headed to 1990 Columbus Nats, one of our guys lost a water pump on his 70 SX in Portsmouth OH. We had all the tools, NAPA 1/4 mile down the road had the pump and a furniture store let us use their lot to change it. I said, not my car, I'm not tangling with that tooth!


IDK what got into GM on the 68 A-body redesign. None of the concealed wipers A-body hoods opened high enough for a tall guy to work comfortably underhood. I whacked my head on my dad's 68 ElCamino a lot too.

Olds64

It wasn't just the Cutlass that had the hood tooth, the B and C body had it too. I whacked my head on the tooth of my dad's 69 Delta 88 many times. Pretty much unavoidable since I'm 7ft tall.

bccan

I developed "the dip" back in the early 80's having had both 70's & 68's. Still do it today any time I'm moving in/out or left/right near an open hood of any kind, it became a reflex.


Funny thing is that I now hit my head on all sorts of other things. I attribute it to the pair of $1 reading glasses typically propped up on my head interfering with my altitude clearance radar/sonar. Sometimes it reall hurts mashing the frame of those suckas into my scalp. Good thing they're cheap - 3 pairs for $3 @ Job Lot!

70-442-W30

I've got plenty of cuts on my arms from cleaning under the hood too. Those fenders are sharp. I bet some assembly line workers had a bad day from those things.

Joffroi

I also had a 70 SX..... I'm sad I sold it, my head is not.

ELY442

If I could get a quarter for every time I head my head on that hood tooth, I would be damn rich.

76olds

Haha, I'm on the 3 pairs but they are $19.99 at shoppers drug mart here. I destroyed several pairs already. Wearing them to bed is dangerous when the headboard appears blurry until I get a couple inches away from it. Yeah it leaves a mark in the pine!!

jensenracing77

Yep! did it a couple times in high school hard enough to make me remember for the rest of my life till this year. I did one time on your car but not that hard and another time on my car and it was a bad one. I thought I bent the thing I hit it so hard.

RROLDSX

Every time I open my hood I have 3 nerf noodle pieces I put on. One about 10" with a slice lengthwise to fit along the bottom of the tooth and 2 short pieces that get stuffed on the lock and latch. I barely ever hit them anymore but I'm sure glad I put them on when I do.

Don R.

I can't ever shave my head as all the scars will scare too many small children...

Local Hero

I'm very involved in the Classic Cougar Community as well. The 70 Cougars have the same problem... the dreaded "snaggletooth". Lots of guys pull a winter hat over the fang when working under the hood just to cushion the blow a little bit.

Pic attached is not mine. Just one I pulled for demonstration purposes.

Jamesbo

X 2 on the pool noodle

Fun71

Same here. I might have hit my head twice in high school but learned really fast and didn't have another incident in the following 22 years until I got rid of the car in 1998.

gehrig44

Ha. Just looking to order new hood springs for mine. Hood doesn't even open all the way! Ouch.

lshlsh2

Never had the joy on working a 70. However my first olds was a 68. I cracked my skull hard enough to make me stupider than I already is.

deadeyejedi

got a good one from the hood latch yesterday on the 76. always liked the look of the 70 hood but never had the opportunity to crack my head on one

TripDeuces

<.................several purple hearts from hood teeth

z11375ss

Try a 68 non opening hood. They are fun, fun. I'm 6'3". My back hurts like hell after a good while under there.

70-442-W30

If you saw my garage, you'd understand. There are times I have about 4 inches from the front bumper to the garage door. I envy the guys that have room to work on these things.

Hurst/Olds 73/74

This is one funny post! I've heard about the hazards for years, but just recently bought my first 1970 model. Unfortunately, it's missing its W-25 hood, so I'll have to wait to see if I remember to duck every time (I may make something to slip over the hood tooth with sections of pool noodle).

orange442

I'm 6'5" on a short day so I have been well acquainted with almost every under hood hazard of every car I have ever owned as well as the many other vehicles I have worked on over the years.(5 staples was the worst) I like to say I have learned from all of this practice and I do not seem to do it as much, but I still have an occasional argument with an inanimate object or two when working on my cars!

1970cs

One time my height is an advantage! 5'-7" I just clear that bugger if it's pushed all the way up

Pat

rob1960

My 2 oldest friends each have a '70 Olds. Brian has a '70 W30 4spd post,& Craig has a '70 W31 auto. I've been maintaining Brian's W30 since he bought it back in '77. We learned along time ago to wrap that hood tooth right after the hood was opened!! I agree with some others though,the '68 is about the worst!!! The guy that designed those hood hinges had to be less than 5ft tall!!!

Diego

This is what I look like now after 29 years of 1970 ownership:

Fun71

I didn't have a garage back then. It was outside all the time so there was plenty of room to work on it, as long as it wasn't raining. Unfortunately, that was an everyday occurrence on the Gulf Coast.