NOTE: If you have a 4.3 you might need to relocate your coolant reservoir
Here you can see where it can be relocated.
**First off ya need to make a trip your local junkyard and get the hood hinge assembly from a
Buick LaSabre (there are a couple other models that have them as well but I don’t remember what they are), I know '84-88 LaSabres have the hinge. Anyway, they aren't hard to find, most junk yards have the hoods open on all the cars anyways. While your there, pick up an extra set of hood snubbers.(I bought my hinge kit for like 30$)
**After you get the hinges home, first thing ya need to do is measure the distance between the
inside of the fenders…. Also measure the width of the new hinge assembly. The new hinge assembly should be about 2-3 inches wider than your fenders. You'll need to cut a section out of the support bar for the hinge assembly, which keeps the hood from twisting when you open or close it. What I did was cut the support bar in the center… and put a 1/2" diameter 8” long bolt that was a bit smaller diameter than the support bar on the hinge into the support bar and re-welded it together to make it fit on the water runoff lips. I originally used a v8 manual fuel pump
pushrod hammered into the support bar, It fits very well.
**Set your hinge assembly on the water runoff lip of the fender and mark where your gunna mount your hinge. The rubber stop bracket should almost touch the radiator support. Mine is about ¼ away from the support. After you get your holes marked and drilled, mount the hinge from the BOTTOM of the lip and attach with bolts. I used bolts that I got at a local hardware store like Home Depot. I used 3/8" bolts and I used nuts to go along with it. I used 2 washers on top of the water runoff lip and 2 washers under it to have a little more support on such a thin piece
of metal (the runoff lip is very thin.. but holds very well when washers are used).
**After both sides are installed. Fold the hinges down into the closed position (Removing the
spring from the hinge may help in allowing it to stay closed). Remove the inner fender wells,
and jack the truck up to have access to the bottom of the hood. You can remove the front wheels
if you want to give you more room I did and it makes the job easier this way. Others have done
it without pulling the fender wells… I prefer pulling them cuz it assures the correct placement
on the hood without having to adjust it later. If pulling the fenderwells is out of the question
or you just dont wanna do it that way, another way you can do it is by taping markers inside the
upper hinge bracket on the new hinge. Then when you close the hood the markers will mark the
location on the bottom of the hood. Another way one person did it was by removing the headlights and reaching his hand in and marked the spot.
Here you can see where it can be relocated.
**First off ya need to make a trip your local junkyard and get the hood hinge assembly from a
Buick LaSabre (there are a couple other models that have them as well but I don’t remember what they are), I know '84-88 LaSabres have the hinge. Anyway, they aren't hard to find, most junk yards have the hoods open on all the cars anyways. While your there, pick up an extra set of hood snubbers.(I bought my hinge kit for like 30$)
**After you get the hinges home, first thing ya need to do is measure the distance between the
inside of the fenders…. Also measure the width of the new hinge assembly. The new hinge assembly should be about 2-3 inches wider than your fenders. You'll need to cut a section out of the support bar for the hinge assembly, which keeps the hood from twisting when you open or close it. What I did was cut the support bar in the center… and put a 1/2" diameter 8” long bolt that was a bit smaller diameter than the support bar on the hinge into the support bar and re-welded it together to make it fit on the water runoff lips. I originally used a v8 manual fuel pump
pushrod hammered into the support bar, It fits very well.
**Set your hinge assembly on the water runoff lip of the fender and mark where your gunna mount your hinge. The rubber stop bracket should almost touch the radiator support. Mine is about ¼ away from the support. After you get your holes marked and drilled, mount the hinge from the BOTTOM of the lip and attach with bolts. I used bolts that I got at a local hardware store like Home Depot. I used 3/8" bolts and I used nuts to go along with it. I used 2 washers on top of the water runoff lip and 2 washers under it to have a little more support on such a thin piece
of metal (the runoff lip is very thin.. but holds very well when washers are used).
**After both sides are installed. Fold the hinges down into the closed position (Removing the
spring from the hinge may help in allowing it to stay closed). Remove the inner fender wells,
and jack the truck up to have access to the bottom of the hood. You can remove the front wheels
if you want to give you more room I did and it makes the job easier this way. Others have done
it without pulling the fender wells… I prefer pulling them cuz it assures the correct placement
on the hood without having to adjust it later. If pulling the fenderwells is out of the question
or you just dont wanna do it that way, another way you can do it is by taping markers inside the
upper hinge bracket on the new hinge. Then when you close the hood the markers will mark the
location on the bottom of the hood. Another way one person did it was by removing the headlights and reaching his hand in and marked the spot.