Does anybody have any experience with the 69-72 reproduction hood hinges? Are they all the same manufacturer or is one better then the others? I know OEM is preferred but it’s hard to tell the condition of used ones from a picture, I already have a bent up pair with slop in the pivots and I don’t want to end up with another. if people have not had good success with the new ones then I will continue my search for good used. Thank you.

 

I would recommend rebuilding a set of OEM hinges.

I used SMS in New Hampshire to do mine, and they can re-phosphate as well.

Don't trust the quality of most repro parts.

 

I bought a set for the 67 Cutlass from Yearone back in 09. They are still working as intended.

 

I know your question is about repo hinges but I used this company to restore my 68 hinges and was very satisfied with the results.

http://www.hoodhingerepair.com/

 

Yeah my question is regarding the quality of the reproduction hinges, but I do appreciate the leads on having the OEM ones rebuilt. What did you guys pay for that service, and what was the turnaround time? I may consider this if I find the reproduction ones are not good. Thanks again.

 

It cost me 243.00 shipped back to me. That was in March of 18. He did not have them very long maybe a couple of weeks.

 

Thats good to know, and may be the option I go with. Still hoping to hear from someone with actual experience with the 69-72 repro hood hinges though.

 

Another way of ferreting out info and gauging general quality is to call the vendor and inquire about the COA...country of origin... chineasium = caveat emptor.

 

I’m sure they are probably made in China. That doesn’t mean they are automatically bad quality. That’s why I was hoping that somebody who has actually seen this specific product would share their experience.

 

I've seen a few sets of repro hinges (from Fusick). They APPEARED to be correct....same thickness, etc and the main difference b/n the repros and the originals is the finish. The repros are coated with a black e-coat or possibly a shiny black oxide plating. Originals are a grey phosphate. You could always prep and paint the repros with something like Eastwood's Zinc Phosphate paint for a more original appearance.

Can't comment on the longevity, durability, etc of the repro hinges which I know is probably the "meat" of your question. However, if the friction points were kept greased they should probably work fine over the longer term.

 

69-72 ,hopd hinges & after 30 years I have never shipped any junk hinges to anyone...could give us you waranty if ya like...I hate not bein able to look , see , tpuch , try out stuff , but most people I deal with live a state or two away...

 

Just to update this thread. I did end up purchasing the repro hinges from The Parts Place. There were a few slight differences between the original and the repro hinges. One being the flat portion of the hinge that bolts to the hood was made out of the same thicker metal that the scissor arms are made of. On the OEM hinges the flat portion was a thinner material. The other difference was one of the pivot points near the rear of the hinge had some excess material around the rivet compared to the OEM. That excess material was contacting the bottom of the hood and making it difficult to get the rear bolt in. Even with the factory spacer I still needed to use a shim on both rear bolt locations. The shim actually helped with hood alignment though as the the hood was a little low in the rear on both sides. Overall the hinges open and close very easily and alignment is much better then I was able to get with my old worn hinges.