Hood Pins, What do you think?

[geno58]

I dunno, I kinda like the hood pin look.

[RRoller123]

My hood has been adjusted to fit properly when the car is parked. It is evenly aligned and gapped, etc. But when hitting bumps while driving it necessarily bounces around, which drives me (and apparently others) crazy. I wonder if these hood pins could impart any rigidity to the system? Probably not enough to make a noticeable difference. They would have to be darned tight, and the resulting hood stresses and flexing while driving might craze the paint? Just musing.

Pete

[Holshot]

Man... I guess I'm the odd man out! Not for me... But to each his own. To me it just kills the lines of the hood and takes away from the car. When I see them I think '60s American muscle which the Fiat is not, our cars are classy. Just my .02

[v6spider]

Holshot, the Abarth spider has big rubber hold downs for the hood...definately not classy... hood pins are cleaner I think...

Rob

[SoFlaFiat]

Just out of curiosity, can anyone tell me if this car, in a sports car museum in Lany, Czech



Is a bad reproduction using hood pins instead of jeep style hold downs?
Thanks!

[Holshot]

Holshot, the Abarth spider has big rubber hold downs for the hood...definately not classy... hood pins are cleaner I think...

Rob

Hey Rob, I here ya but on a purpose built race car I can see it to a degree or as I mentioned before I can appreciate them like say on a 70's Cuda or '69 Camaro but on a regular cruiser like a Spider it just doesn't fit, again my opinion! As hold downs and straps go they are a little better and don't bother me as much because I think they tie into the vintage roadsters' of yesteryear. I just can't see hood pins on a Spider but in the end we all have different opinions and taste and that's what makes the world go round...

Giuseppe

[81SPIDERMATT]

I figure if all the abarth cars had them why can't I?



I had to cut my hood lose once... Never again!

I am assuming by this statement that your old hood release is disconnected ????? .. what all did you disconnect ??? thanks... Matt

[SoFlaFiat]

Hey Matt,
Hood release cable snapped, emergency cable was long gone...
I had to cut the hood pin with a hack saw blade in a pair of vise grips. That was one of the most aggregating things I've ever done, so at the time I thought... Never again!! I removed everything to do with the original latch.
The pins are actually very snug, with rubber bumpers under.
That said, I am working on a different system for the new car. I want to design a system which will pull the hood down, rather then having to slam the thing to get it to catch. I'll keep you posted on what I figure out.

[v6spider]

I was able to avoid the use of hood pins entirely.. And happily so..

Rob

[NSFIAT]

Would anyone be able to recommend a certain type of pin for our hoods? I see lots of 'generic' pins - just not sure if they would fit the shape of cars?

[v6spider]

Would anyone be able to recommend a certain type of pin for our hoods? I see lots of 'generic' pins - just not sure if they would fit the shape of cars?

Most common hood pins are made by Mr Gasket. There are two types flush mount that are key lockable and the standard pin that pokes above the hood and uses a clip pin to hold the hood down..

here's the non locking..

Here's the locking...I have used this type on the first version of v6spider..


Hope this helps,

Rob

[NSFIAT]

For those who have had them installed, can you share how they are mounted underneath? Maybe I'm missing something, but I feel like there aren't too many spots for an install . . .

[DieselSpider]

I have used flush mount locking pins on other cars in the past (both flat and barrel key versions) and it can get quite frustrating when one of the locks fails due to dust, dirt, ice, etc. I am still considering them for my Spider however I know that they can still present the same issue of failing to release as the existing hood latch.

[toplessexpat]

Obviously there is only one foolproof method here...



Seriously though - does anyone have any detail images of the abarth straps when fitted?

Cheers

Andy

[NSFIAT]

I'd like to eliminate the old cable release altogether if possible - any type of pin / strap install would be great to see! The current release doesn't seem too solid so I'm hoping to prevent some aggrevation