Cracks in Hood Support

[Epiphany]

Houston Kid, thanks for bringing attention to this. I learned today that this "phenomenon" was heretofore unseen by those responsible for the GT500 program but they have been made aware of it due to your bringing it up here. This could prove to be a bit of an expensive issue to address and is by no means being treated lightly, especially with 2021 production right around the corner. In the meantime, everyone should be wary of incorrectly adjusted stops and to be as gentle as can be in shutting the hood while being very sure that the hood is securely latched. Might not be a bad idea to mark the limits of the crack(s) if you have them and see if the crack continues to grow.

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[Houston Kid]

Houston Kid, thanks for bringing attention to this. I learned today that this "phenomenon" was heretofore unseen by those responsible for the GT500 program but they have been made aware of it due to your bringing it up here. This could prove to be a bit of an expensive issue to address and is by no means being treated lightly, especially with 2021 production right around the corner. In the meantime, everyone should be wary of incorrectly adjusted stops and to be as gentle as can be in shutting the hood while being very sure that the hood is securely latched. Might not be a bad idea to mark the limits of the crack(s) if you have them and see if the crack continues to grow.

That is good to know and if it saves folks a headache moving forward all the better. Hopefully it is as simple as the hood stops not properly set and a redesign is not needed for those that are not experiencing the issue now and it is prevented.
I would think Ford corporate would want to resolve this issue before the 2021s roll out thus saving a bit of coin for them and from your statement, they seem to be on it.

 

[The Chairman]

As I recall, when I got my car home, I noticed that you had to drop to hood 12-18” to get it to latch. I immediately raised the latch about 1/8” to reduce the slamming effect and adjusted to bump stops so everything aligned. I can now set my hood down normally and just push on it to latch.
My guess is the factory setup is real tight and the slamming against the bump stops is not good for the materials in use.

And, no, I do not have any cracks after 13 months and a few track events.

 

[Tomster]

As I recall, when I got my car home, I noticed that you had to drop to hood 12-18” to get it to latch. I immediately raised the latch about 1/8” to reduce the slamming effect and adjusted to bump stops so everything aligned. I can now set my hood down normally and just push on it to latch.
My guess is the factory setup is real tight and the slamming against the bump stops is not good for the materials in use.

And, no, I do not have any cracks after 13 months and a few track events.

I don't drop it as suggested. I push it down and lock each latch by hand. I think lubrication of the hood pin latches so that so much force is not required to latch the hood is probably what makes the difference. If you slam the hood like that and the bumpers are not adjusted correctly, I can easily see how the hood support structures were damaged. Chalk this up the the lack of attention to detail during production on the line.

 

[The Chairman]

I don't drop it as suggested. I push it down and lock each latch by hand. I think lubrication of the hood pin latches so that so much force is not required to latch the hood is probably what makes the difference. If you slam the hood like that and the bumpers are not adjusted correctly, I can easily see how the hood support structures were damaged. Chalk this up the the lack of attention to detail during production on the line.

They probably thought these new hoods could handle the slamming like regular Mustangs and GT350s. So they didn’t give it a second thought....

 

[Tomster]

They probably thought these new hoods could handle the slamming like regular Mustangs and GT350s. So they didn’t give it a second thought....

I think the hood is engineered just fine. But it is my impression that the hood has to be installed and adjusted correctly so that undue force isn't exerted on it while being latched. If the hood pin mechanisms are lubricated correctly, the hood doesn't need to be slammed like that.

Maybe that is why I don't have cracks?

Ford has its best people on it. We will see.

 

[Houston Kid]

I will say I would drop my hood from the recommended 10" or so with a loud thud as it closed. I did lube the hood pins as your post advised @Tomster because my passenger side latch was a bit "sticky." To this day it is not as smooth as the driver's side but maybe that's due to misalignment????

 

[Tomster]

I will say I would drop my hood from the recommended 10" or so with a loud thud as it closed. I did lube the hood pins as your post advised @Tomster because my passenger side latch was a bit "sticky." To this day it is not as smooth as the driver's side but maybe that's due to misalignment????

I dont think so. What did you use to lube the mechanism? The stuff recommended by the TSB is very thick and viscous. If it doesn't Penetrate to the O ring in the assembly, the latch will not be as free as it should. When you press the latch, is it very firm and resistant? A light press on each latch is all i need.

 

[Houston Kid]

I dont think so. What did you use to lube the mechanism? The stuff recommended by the TSB is very thick and viscous. If it doesn't Penetrate to the O ring in the assembly, the latch will not be as free as it should. When you press the latch, is it very firm and resistant? A light press on each latch is all i need.

Drivers side is smooth as silk easy press and it releases. Passenger side requires a firm, very firm push and it almost pops as it releases like it is under pressure and that side of the hood pops up. The driver's side does not pop up, it just releases.
I used Motorcraft XL10.

Since I have not messed with the rubber hood stops at all, I am going to the garage right now and lowering the passenger side hood stop and see what that does.

 

[Tomster]

Drivers side is smooth as silk easy press and it releases. Passenger side requires a firm, very firm push and it almost pops as it releases like it is under pressure and that side of the hood pops up. The driver's side does not pop up, it just releases.
I used Motorcraft XL10.

Since I have not messed with the rubber hood stops at all, I am going to the garage right now and lowering the passenger side hood stop and see what that does.

It seems to me that there is too much pressure on that latch. Lower the stop to see if it makes the latch action easier. The XL 10 is a silicone lubricant that works well with the rubber O ring in the latch mechanism. If the latch action does not free up, you might want to try a silicone spray to penetrate the mechanism and follow up with XL10 for a more persistent lube.

 

[Houston Kid]

First two videos are the untouched non-adjusted as from factory hood adjustment.




This video is after I lowered the passenger side hood stop.

 

[Houston Kid]

It seems to me that there is too much pressure on that latch. Lower the stop to see if it makes the latch action easier. The XL 10 is a silicone lubricant that works well with the rubber O ring in the latch mechanism. If the latch action does not free up, you might want to try a silicone spray to Pentwater the mechanism and follow up with XL10 for a more persistent lube.

It made it a lot easier to depress after turning the hood stop down several turns. Pretty much the same pressure as the driver's side.

 

[Tomster]

It made it a lot easier to depress after turning the hood stop down several turns. Pretty much the same pressure as the driver's side.

And there you go. Your hood bumpers were way out of adjustment. This is probably the reason for the hood cracking. Those latches have the capability of holding 2500 pounds. The force of a slammed hood, combined with the holding force of the latches puts a huge stress on the hood structural integrity.

Its a shame that these cars leave flat rock like this. Someone on the line who knew what they were doing or cared could have prevented this problem.

I can say with certainty. This is a demonstration of how powerful those latches are. I spoke to the owner of the company a while back. He is very proud of his product and how well his latches work. This is a good testimony of the holding force of those latches.

 

[Manny231988]

It made it a lot easier to depress after turning the hood stop down several turns. Pretty much the same pressure as the driver's side.

Hey Houston how did you go about making a the claim ? Did you take to the selling dealer or just any dealer ?

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Ford has its best people on it.

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