bends in hood?

[rinigado]

I've been looking at a few 521's and it seems like it's common to see dents/bends in the hood, diagonally, just in front of the hinges. What's the cause of this? Is it a typical problem that happens?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

One cause is the hood flying open at road speed. Another could be frozen hood hinges.

 

The hood flying open usually results in a broken windshield.

 

Are there any cracks present at the bends?

[rinigado]

dunno about cracks.. these are just in craigslist photos from several ads. Are hood latches crap, or metal too thin near the hinges, causing this for multiple people, or just luck that I found a handful of trucks with the same problem. for example, here's one I see on CL:

 

[thisismatt]

521 hoods are made entirely out of a single 14oz soup can.

[hosestop@msn.com]

I repaired one on here need small angle welded in edges to start , on off topics . Alleycat Garage page 5-7 maybe  here at shop..

[datzenmike]

The latch and hood hinges are fine if used regularly. The hood hinges get rusty and seize sitting for 10 years. Then some idiot opens the hood. It's stiff so he and yards it up bending the hood. Fucking people.

[Doctor510]

Commonly known as a "taco'd hood"...

[spottedog]

harbor frieght, buy tool called a slapper it is used under the hood, worked great on my B

[HOGIE]

too many fat chicks sitting on the hood during photo shoots

 

 

 

 

 

and the seized hood hinges

[mrbigtanker]

The real reason why this happens is because of the hood lift latch, people think they pulled it out to let down but don't and as they start there downward force they bend the hood by you guessed pushing down.

[flatcat19]

The real reason why this happens is because of the hood lift latch, people think they pulled it out to let down but don't and as they start there downward force they bend the hood by you guessed pushing down.

 

Those bends in the picture are the opposite of the way you describe.

[datzenmike]

 

Because in such good looking shape likely not latched properly and it blew up. Seized hood hinges would look similar but the guy doing it would have stopped long before this ... if he cared. Seized hood hinge damage is usually seen in wrecking yards caused by the curious who don't care.

 

 

The hood support that holds it open is closer to the middle. I had a 521 and you wouldn't bend it from not releasing the hood support. Well unless really drunk and couldn't feel the resistance.

 

 

This hood looks like it was bent a long way towards the glass and then re folded back into place. 

[mrbigtanker]

Also pushing to hard up to latch. As they first start to detach skin from frame.

[rinigado]

gotta go with the drunk theory..you'd have to notice there's something wrong if your pushing up or down hard enough to start bending the shit out of your hood.

[rinigado]

ok, so unrelated to the original question, but today was the first time I sat in a 521. Holy crap they're small inside! Really not a lot of leg room. How's the 620 compare? I've been in 510's before and I don't remember feeling like there wasn't room for my legs.

[HOGIE]

Standard cab isn't much different. King Cab is the way to go of leg room, along with stock reclinable buckets

[rinigado]

the one I sat in had some relatively modern buckets, which maybe was part of the problem. I'd guess an original bench sits at least a little bit further back?

[flatcat19]

Off brand buckets in a 521 take up tons of room.