Technical '54 StarChief hood spring disappointment

Just installed my new hood springs from CPR using the 150 flat washer technique. Time consuming but didn't kill myself doing it. It does hold the hood up better but I was expecting the front of the hood to be around 6 foot but it's about 6" lower than that, around face level. But it does hold it higher about 6" more than it did before. I guess you would typically work on the engine from the fender side and with that swooping hood it would be doable. Was it worth it? Probably not. I'll always have my stick if I need more room I guess!

 

was there any slop in the hinge pins? that will cause a sag the springs can't compensate for.

 

Where does the lower end of the spring attach??

 

The hinge assembly seems in good working order, no play there. The lower end of the spring hooks up to an arm connected to the body by 2 bolts. I only see an adjustment at the hood hinge which should be for alignment of the hood but I think I know what you're thinking. I have a question now and am unsure of the answer.....if you were to lubricate the hinge pins on this style, would it help keep the hood up or actually make it fall lower?? Obviously it would make it easier to open and close but I'm scared to try!!

 

Did you have a chance to compare the "relaxed" length of the old spring(s) with the new ones before you installed them?

 

Yup, the new ones were shorter by a couple coils so that was encouraging.