Tips for removing hood "pop spring"? (M1009)

[HelluvaEngineer]

My old m1009 hood was bent and had stress cracks. Rather than weld on another part of truck, I bought a new Korean steel hood. Now I need to transfer the "pop spring" (the one that makes the hood pop up when you pull the cable) and the safety latch as well.

Yesterday I pried on the old one, using pliers and a screwdriver, trying to get the 90 degree bent retaining section out of the old hood and release the dang thing. I was compelled by our lovely 28 degree temperatures to give up after a few minutes.

Any tricks for removing these things? Alternately a new one is $3 from LMC so I'm wondering if that's the answer.

Side note - the new hood doesn't fit well side to side. I can't really see a way to fix that.

 

[Jeepadict]

If it was me I'd go back to the OE hood and add the hood brace kit that repairs the original problem you started with then lube the bageezus out of the OE hinge. This is a well known Squarebody problem, tho more prominent in the 73-80 hinge design...the 81-87/91 hinges have better manners and require less regular attention. If the OE hood is that bad, I'd be hunting at a pick-n-pull or even LKQ for a factory piece. There's even some folks (read: companies) that specialize in salvage CUCVs ex: Hibilly Wizard.

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[HelluvaEngineer]

I tried this again yesterday with much better weather and enough light to see what I was doing. It took all of 30 seconds to remove the spring. Basically you rotate it out of its perch. I used a pry bar and also lightly loosened one of the retaining tabs. It came right out. It's actually harder to reinstall.

The new hood looks pretty good now after some adjustment.

 

[cucvrus]

I am glad up figured this out. You done it the correct way. On the old scrap hood you just bend the ears up and remove the spring. On the new one engage the spring rod in the hole and twist. It will pop right in place. Happy New Year.

 

[nyoffroad]

If it was me I'd go back to the OE hood and add the hood brace kit that repairs the original problem you started with then lube the bageezus out of the OE hinge. This is a well known Squarebody problem, tho more prominent in the 73-80 hinge design...the 81-87/91 hinges have better manners and require less regular attention. If the OE hood is that bad, I'd be hunting at a pick-n-pull or even LKQ for a factory piece. There's even some folks (read: companies) that specialize in salvage CUCVs ex: Hibilly Wizard.

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The hood brace kits don't fix a problem and they can be dangerous. The kinks are in a preplanned stress point, in case of an accident the hood bends up in the center instead of tearing loose from the hinges and coming thru the windshield and taking your head off! If you squirt some oil on the hinges now and then the hood won't bend. On our CUCV's you notice the hinge has a hook built into it, that is an added safety feature because these 'newer' style hoods are stiffer/stronger then the 'older' ones.

 

[Jeepadict]

The hood brace kits don't fix a problem and they can be dangerous. The kinks are in a preplanned stress point, in case of an accident the hood bends up in the center instead of tearing loose from the hinges and coming thru the windshield and taking your head off! If you squirt some oil on the hinges now and then the hood won't bend. On our CUCV's you notice the hinge has a hook built into it, that is an added safety feature because these 'newer' style hoods are stiffer/stronger then the 'older' ones.

The brace can be used as an additional tool in the repair of a hood along with other body repair techniques in order to save the original hood as some folks prefer to repair to max possible rather than replace with inferior parts. I would debate the safety of the braces until I exhausted myself of air as I've lost count of how many I've seen installed and the additional ones I've seen destroyed in accidents. As both a Firefighter and a Wrecker Operator I've recovered too many to count and cut apart more than I care to recall. No Squarebody was ever designed with intentional crumple zones...the first GM trucks with engineered impact absorption areas were in the C/K (GMT400) series debuted in '88.

I agree that regular lubrication is paramount in the prevention of damaging the hood and the repetitive hood damage was the driving force behind the hinge re-design for the '81 model year "refresh". The hinge and hook is not unique to the CUCV, it was commonplace on every 81-87/89 truck/SUV and is interchangeable in all 3 truck-based platforms. The 81-87/89 hood itself has no more structural support than it's younger 73-80 brethren tho it could be confused as such given the differencein appearance, rather the hinge was redesigned allowing a fixed hinge geometry and requiring less force to close under normal circumstances.

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[cucvrus]

If you squirt some oil on the hinges now and then the hood won't bend.
In order to oil the hood hinges on a 1984-1987 CUCV you are going to have to remove the hood, the wiper arms and the cowl cover/screen. The hinge pivot part is up under the cowl. The hood reinforcements you are referring to were for 1973 -1980 models when they have the huge spring hinge design. When I have a CUCV torn down for paint and complete repaint I always remove the hood hinges and the wiper transmission and grease and oil them well. It may be the last time they ever get serviced. Because I know it is the first time they have been serviced. Nothing is more annoying than the squeaking wiper rotation. Over and over and over. And use grease and oil. No spray aerosol. Happy New Year to all.

 

[cucvrus]

I would like to see you grease and oil these hood hinges with everything in place. 3 cans of WD40 and it still would be dry. GM never expected the vehicle to be in service this long.
Average Lifespan of Trucks
Different makes have a different lifespan. But generally, expect the trucks to last between 10-15 years.

I think well-maintained trucks can do about 200,000miles to 300,000miles before major repair issues arise.

After that, the trucks can continue operating until they hit about 700,000 to 1Million miles of which most can no longer run.

In World War II in combat, a jeep had a life expectancy of 90 days. The CUCV's are quickly approaching 40 years of hard use militarily and private use. They have exceeded the design life and will now require constant attention if not taken care of as every issue arises. Cutting wiring and adding other non stock items does not always add to reliability. Just keep in mind they are just standard commercial vehicles with slight modifications from the same trucks that were sold to every dealership in the world during the same time period. A lot of time, love, care and attention to issues as they arise will make your ownership rewarding and enjoyable. Happy New Year.

 

[nyoffroad]

The brace can be used as an additional tool in the repair of a hood along with other body repair techniques in order to save the original hood as some folks prefer to repair to max possible rather than replace with inferior parts. I would debate the safety of the braces until I exhausted myself of air as I've lost count of how many I've seen installed and the additional ones I've seen destroyed in accidents. As both a Firefighter and a Wrecker Operator I've recovered too many to count and cut apart more than I care to recall. No Squarebody was ever designed with intentional crumple zones...the first GM trucks with engineered impact absorption areas were in the C/K (GMT400) series debuted in '88.

I agree that regular lubrication is paramount in the prevention of damaging the hood and the repetitive hood damage was the driving force behind the hinge re-design for the '81 model year "refresh". The hinge and hook is not unique to the CUCV, it was commonplace on every 81-87/89 truck/SUV and is interchangeable in all 3 truck-based platforms. The 81-87/89 hood itself has no more structural support than it's younger 73-80 brethren tho it could be confused as such given the differencein appearance, rather the hinge was redesigned allowing a fixed hinge geometry and requiring less force to close under normal circumstances.

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I think you totally misunderstood my meaning, or I may have not made myself understood and for that I apologize.

 

[HelluvaEngineer]

Just to clarify - my stress cracks were in the middle of the hood. Looks like someone stood or sat on it. Once it started, rust set in. I would be very difficult for me to weld it and make anything straight ever again. Thought about bending a TIG rod to the shape and trying to weld then realized that was insanely stupid for a $140 hood. I'd be happy to send pictures.

That said, I oiled the heck out of the springs when installing the replacement, and the hinges as well.

Cucvrus - thank for the tip I have to take the top plate off anyway. I will grease the top hinges and wiper joints.