First disaster - snapped hood bolt

A Tough One!

>>>>>>its a carriage bolt flang installed inside before hood panels are bonded together. Its not threaded into the backing flange, just panel adhesived or spot welded. You cant “unscrew” it as tbe head is all one piece w bolt threads.
55-58 Chevy hood is real studs threaded into internal threaded flange.

Well that sucks! So much for drilling it out. Sorry to say major repair awaits.

Note! The dealership sheared the two shifter bracket bolts on my 2011 during trans service. So much for using an air ratchet on 10mm bolts. They didn't know how to fix it without tearing out the console and drilling and replacing the bolts from the top. I suggested they grind off the studs from underneath. Then place a new stud into a wooden dowel to hold it. Then tack weld it from under the car while holding the studs in place. Piece of cake and the dealer never sheared another stud, Just Saying.

Just installed my Steeda hood strut kit. You may have been relying on youtube videos which all say 17 ft-lbs., but the instructions (see below) actually show 10-12 ft-lbs. for 2018 models. Since you had a faulty torque wrench, it may not have mattered. I decided to just hand tighten with a little blue loctite. As far as your missing bracket, I was a dumbass and dropped not one, but two screwdrivers down into the black hole of death. I was trying to use them to position and keep the fender bracket support crossways while tightening it. All you have to do is remove the three push pins in the bottom of the backside wheel well liner. Then you can pull the liner out far enough to reach up in there and get it out.


CAUTION: For anyone installing a hood strut kit on a 2018 model, most youtube videos say to tighten the hood bracket nut to 17 ft-lbs. The correct torque is 10-12 ft-lbs.

Silver Bullitt said:

Just installed my Steeda hood strut kit. You may have been relying on youtube videos which all say 17 ft-lbs., but the instructions (see below) actually show 10-12 ft-lbs. for 2018 models. Since you had a faulty torque wrench, it may not have mattered. I decided to just hand tighten with a little blue loctite. As far as your missing bracket, I was a dumbass and dropped not one, but two screwdrivers down into the black hole of death. I was trying to use them to position and keep the fender bracket support crossways while tightening it. All you have to do is remove the three push pins in the bottom of the backside wheel well liner. Then you can pull the liner out far enough to reach up in there and get it out.


CAUTION: For anyone installing a hood strut kit on a 2018 model, most youtube videos say to tighten the hood bracket nut to 17 ft-lbs. The correct torque is 10-12 ft-lbs.

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Thanks, my paper instructions didn't have the bolded 10-12 ft-lbs for 2018 line.

I just installed Redline hood struts yesterday, sorry to see you had trouble. Stay focused and calm. Mine took me twenty minutes & a beer.

michail71 said:

Thanks, my paper instructions didn't have the bolded 10-12 ft-lbs for 2018 line.

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You may not have been the first to snap a bolt then since it seems they've had to update the installation procedures. Hope it works out to be an easy inexpensive fix with the dealer. Honestly, I'm really surprised a heavy ass hood is mounted with four bolts that small. Ford should have just put the damn hood struts on at the factory.

The choice of hood struts probably would have required larger/stronger fasteners and stronger hood stiffening (read, heavier still).


Norm

Norm Peterson said:

The choice of hood struts probably would have required larger/stronger fasteners and stronger hood stiffening (read, heavier still).


Norm

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If they were made like the Roush ones and actually fasten to the entire hood bracket, I don't think anything would have to be stronger (except maybe the dinky ass studs Ford used to attach the hood). I almost went with the Roush ones since their strut bracket seems a better design, but Steeda and RedLine both get good reviews, and I was worried about potential hood alignment problems having to remove both nuts. Had I realized just how small those studs are on the 2018, I may have just lived with the prop rod. Time will tell how well these are going to hold up I suppose.

Would just welding it and the strut bracket in place be a viable option? I think that was suggested a ways back.

I have my dealer appointment tomorrow for a dash rattle and trim issues. I'll see what they have to say. Their quote should be interesting.

Silver Bullitt said:

As far as your missing bracket, I was a dumbass and dropped not one, but two screwdrivers down into the black hole of death. I was trying to use them to position and keep the fender bracket support crossways while tightening it. All you have to do is remove the three push pins in the bottom of the backside wheel well liner. Then you can pull the liner out far enough to reach up in there and get it out.

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I found it in there!

I dropped two of the battery cover tabs as well but have no idea where they went.

Over the years I've found a few tools that were not mine inside of older vehicles.

Why not just hand tighten and not worry about snapping a hood bolt?

ATTFighter said:

Why not just hand tighten and not worry about snapping a hood bolt?

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Because with all the strut kits (excluding Roush), there is only one bolt that holds the hood bracket, and with that much force, the bracket will rotate if it's not tight enough.

I don't think that bolt is replaceable. Welding is out, aluminium hood. Remove hood and brackets cut a slot to remove old bolt and make a T bolt to fit the slot then use JB weld.
Lee

Isn’t “ft. lb” excessive for those bolts anyway, I mean why wouldn’t it be “in. lbs” instead?

Silver Bullitt said:

If they were made like the Roush ones and actually fasten to the entire hood bracket, I don't think anything would have to be stronger (except maybe the dinky ass studs Ford used to attach the hood).

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Making a lot of the hood overhang strut rods puts greater bending stresses in the hood structure. I have my doubts that the aftermarket does a very rigorous structural analysis for mods like this one, let alone doing one with design criteria comparable to Ford's OE requirements.


Norm