Check out this rad engine lid modification Tim did on a project today. Ended up being a really quick mod. The lid only comes off when it's up all the way, so it's really secure when it's latched. I'll take some pictures tomorrow.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buap0nSuZcI

Now that's pretty slick!
And I'd be interested as well...

Nicely done Mark/Tim! I'm interested if you will make the kit. Easy access with the engine and if you like doing the rain tray removal every now and then.

That's pretty cool

Wow, an even better improvement over notching the tabs.

nice...

yes please. 1 for me. Unless you'd be willing to post "here's how to do it yourself".
Either way - super cool mod. Nicely done

That makes so much sense. Nice work!

Really like it, I'm interested.

These take some fab to make right. But doing the work and shipping them is possible...

How'd u do that?. I like.

OK, everyone wants these. Get busy.

Detail pictures please !

I'm in!

I like it,I'm in!

One of my support tabs (that the lid attaches to) recently broke...... would the attachment method for this idea do WITHOUT the stock mount tabs??? Or does this mod REQUIRE that the stock supports be in place??



Hoping to be lazy and avoiding a stock repair...... please reply.

Can't quite tell from the video how that works but I'd be interested for 2 if you make them...

I like that!

I'm in. One of the worst parts of working on the engine is dealing with the limited space between the engine opening and the open hood.

I would be interested as well.

Have you had a chance to test this design while driving on bumpy roads?
I can only assume it is more secure than "slip-fit" (??)

Keep up the great work! Another Original Custom's innovation

I really want this mod!

I'd be interested as well.

Count me in!

This would be extra good if it could hold up the lid like stock without having to take it off so I can do a quick engine check without having to remove the whole lid or hold it up.

We may add a prop rod

I would be in for two (2)

What locks the hinge pieces into location? A ball on a spring like a socket on a ratchet?

Pretty soon, positive responses will reach critical mass before an answer is announced.... I think.

S

Sure is pretty mean to toss this in our punchbowl and not follow up...

I could use this for the race car, aft edge is secured with a hood pin.

So...let's get this going!

Honestly, I wouldn't expect Mark to share how Original Customs did it. It's a business for him, they put in the R&D and I'm sure he'd like to profit off of the effort. It's really cool though, and a good thing that folks are still finding ways to do it better than the engineers 40 years ago. Many have tried and failed. But someone with a keen understanding of engineering principles and a solid workflow can certainly improve upon an existing design : case in point, all of the things that Racer Chris has come up with to make our cars better.

I ain't askin' for free...

I like the idea but would have to see the price before I committed. Mostly because I became quite good at removing that lid during my conversion.

Okay, here's the deal. The prototype unit works well, but the process to do the mod isn't as 'clean' as I would like. So I'm going to look at how I can make the modification process easier, perhaps even bolt-in.

It would be perfect if you can do a mod kit, so you don't have to ship the whole lid.

How is the progress going for a kit?

Any updates? Race car is going back together for the racing season, would be nice to incorporate this idea into the plan...

I just can't see how to make this into a kit, or at least, I can't find the time to put in the design work.

Here's a rough overview of what we did.

First you have to carefully cut the hinge tube without hitting the hinge pin and without removing too much material. This is almost impossible without cutting into the lid sheet metal, which you have to weld back up later. Once you have the hinge off, you have to weld a section back into place to re-form the tube, but with a slot in it.

Then you have to thin out a section of the hinge pin, just enough to fit through the slot, and you also have to do this at the correct angle because this thin section dictates the angle where the lid will slide out.

And finally, you have to notch the sheet metal behind the hinge in order to allow the lid to actually slide off the hinge bracket.

So it's a fairly complicated conversion.

Very clever, thank you for the description and pics.

Since I have a hood pin holding down the rear of the engine lid, I'm wondering if I should just do that to the front, too...pull pins, lift out of car (I already do that with the rear trunk lid). I'm tempted to just leave the damned engine cover off the car entirely...

Thanks again.

I would also be interested in that mod

If I were going to pin something today, I would order these and see how they work.

http://www.quik-latch.com/black-anodized-m...quik-latch.html

Ok. This started as a quick remove engine lid thread and I'd like to have something work but simple. Here's my free idea gift to you.

A simple pocket attached to and below the firewall mount. Slide in the lid hinge, drop in a pin, close the lid. Pull the pin, slide the lid out and off.

You make the pocket, add the pin, and sell the kit.
It could attach to the firewall with jb weld, pop rivets, or some easy way to install the pocket.

Just installed these in my GT front Getty front lid

Unless there's a simple add-on device to make this happen, I don't see many owners performing surgery on their lid (it's not a Honda).

The factory engine lid is too heavy to make everyday R&R convenient. Suggest a lightweight lid alternative; perhaps similar in appearance to the factory lid, with quick disconnect features. I'm surprised there already isn't a FG option.

FWIW, I leave mine off because I'm in the engine compartment so often.

Security-wise, the battery would be the most sought-after item in there (maybe the dipstick too). There are solutions for those scenarios.

S

There's the answer.

Screw the pin into the chassis bracket nut, cut off the excess. Mount the black dish to the lid pivot.
A little tricky if the spring rod is still active, and you don't have the rubber bumper anymore, but I would think doable.

I've never used them so I'm assuming it has the holding power.

Yes it has holding power, and optional springs to make it pop up. Either 10lbs or 20lbs.

I slotted the hinge hole and use bicycle fork cams as bolts. Open the hood, swing the two cams to loosen the bolt and slide back. One person job. Will try to post pics when I get home. It also works to slot the hinge and loosen the bolts just a bit. Your idea is going to work more easily, but mine retains the pop up, which isn't that big a deal. I am gonna bet someone else has posted a similar idea.

I said "eff it" today, and after a quick trip to Lowe's to pick up some steel I did a front pin conversion on the race car. It was an easy fab, took a couple hours, including a beer or two while I mulled out exactly what I was going to do.

1-1/2" square perforated steel, bolted to the stock firewall bracket (so it can always go back easily). 1/2" hood pins through the holes. Removed the hinges from the decklid (used a drift to punch out the pins in 3-4 good whacks) and the front edge of the decklid rides right on the square steel at the right height. Couple holes in the decklid, adjustment of the pins, done.

While I was doing this, I thought of a way you could do your removable decklid in semi-kit form. First, the end user can punch out the existing decklid pins easily, it really didn't take a lot for those splayed-out ends to give up. After that the only mod that has to be done to the decklid is to slot out the front of it to allow it to slide in, and you can provide a template for buyers to use to know where to cut. So in the end the buyer just needs a drift to get the slot out and some metal cutting tools for the slotting.

You'll get a stack of the hinge brackets and mod them as needed (I can provide to you the first pair from the race car). You'll provide these modified brackets on a core/return basis so that you never run out. Along with that, you'll provide modified shank bolts that you've modified with the flat, and the user will install that with washers and Nylock lock nuts into the location where the hinge rod used to be (with instructions on the required orientation of the flats). Or maybe you fab up a specific threaded rod that could be inserted in its place?

So, users buys hinge brackets and flattened rods from you (with a core charge for return of their hinge brackets). User drifts out the stock rods and removes the stock hinges. User grabs your template, places it correctly on the decklid and mods to your instructions. User bolts the two provided hinge brackets to the firewall and slides in their newly-removable engine decklid cover.

Done.

GA