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83 D150 hood latch not engaging
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65243		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  DadTruck [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:12 am ]
Post subject:  83 D150 hood latch not engaging
Yesterday while driving the 83 D150 ( at low speed) noticed the hood was up against the safety latch. Stopped and closed the hood, in a matter of minutes of driving it was back up again.

Today I looked closely at the latch. There is a semi rotating claw that closes over the hook on the hood. That claw is retained by a dog latch that swings into a stop when the hood is closed.
To open the hood ( mine is a factory cable release) the dog latch is pulled back from the claw alowing the claw to swing open.

The problem seems to be there is nothing positioning the dog latch to lock into the rotating claw when the hood is closed. See photos below. For someone that has a mid 80's D150, is something missing from my hood latch. It was functioning fine for the last 37 years until yesterday,,,,,
I don't see anything obvious, I have a 83 FSM and a parts manual, neither has a photo or drawing with enough detail to see anything helpful.

Attachments:
File comment: dog latch in position with finger pressure
lock set with finger pressure.jpg
lock set with finger pressure.jpg [ 90.85 KiB | Viewed 5035 times ]
File comment: dog latch not moving into position
lock not moving into position.jpg
lock not moving into position.jpg [ 97.17 KiB | Viewed 5035 times ]
File comment: hood latch open lock retracted
hood open lock retracted.jpg
hood open lock retracted.jpg [ 94.3 KiB | Viewed 5035 times ]
Author:  DadTruck [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
I talked with Charlie S, he gave me a verbal description and then I found a photo on the internet,
the torsion spring on my latch has gone AWOL,, I'll find a suitable replacement.

Attachments:
d150 hood latch spring.jpg
d150 hood latch spring.jpg [ 79.48 KiB | Viewed 5016 times ]
Author:  DadTruck [ Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
Added a spring to do a temporary repair. The spring pulls and holds the dog leg latch into position when the hood is closed.
Photo shows the temporary spring and the dog leg in the locked position

Found that LMC Truck has a replacement hood latch 55-1609, fits 81 through 93 Dodge trucks for $29.95

All I need is a $2.00 torsion spring, but I have it fixed for now and getting the complete assembly saves the time of matching up the
spring rate and size for a permanent repair.

Attachments:
IMG_0180.jpg
IMG_0180.jpg [ 69.36 KiB | Viewed 4976 times ]
Author:  DadTruck [ Thu Aug 27, 2020 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
The new latch from LMC arrived. In the photo the OE latch still installed with my temporary spring is on the left, the new LMC latch is on the right.
Did a visual comparison, the re-popped latch sure looks identical to the OE part, metal thickness the same, rivets the same...
I am sure that if I could buy a replacement 1983 D150 hood latch across the service counter at my local Ram dealer, it would be more than $29.00

Installed the new latch and it works fine.

Attachments:
D150 hood latch.jpg
D150 hood latch.jpg [ 79.29 KiB | Viewed 4910 times ]
Author:  Charrlie_S [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
Just a "note". LMC has a lot of truck parts available, but I can't understand why they don't have a fuel tank. I think there is a large range of trucks that use the same tank. My 84 and 88 both use the same 40 gallon unit, and both had the plastic crack. Not many good used tanks out there.
Author:  DadTruck [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
Agree used fuel tanks are hard to find. The pull a parts around here cut a hole in them to drain the fuel as part of the prep prior to setting the vehicle on the lot for parting.
I found a fuel tank at an old school mom and pop salvage yard.
Author:  volaredon [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
Quote:
Agree used fuel tanks are hard to find. The pull a parts around here cut a hole in them to drain the fuel as part of the prep prior to setting the vehicle on the lot for parting.

I found a fuel tank at an old school mom and pop salvage yard.
yup me too.... had a very hard time finding one for my son's 80/ also found at a small mom and pop hole in the wall type yard. 81-87 I can find thos etrucks all over, though I havent had to find a gas tank for one.

and Charlie... 40 gallon? Ive had an 81 and an 83 with 30's in them, never a 40. from what I have seen and read 31 was the "big" one. Not sure yet what my current 85 has in it, but based on gauge needle position and what I have added a 5 gallon canful at a time, Im guessing the smaller 20 gallon version taht some of these trucks had. ....
on LMC... I had an 83 D250, from 2008 til about 2012-ish (one I should have kept) I called them in 2009 or 10 and requested a catalog, and I am STILL waiting.... they go back to '47 for Ford Chevy and even International but according to LMC Dodge never built a truck before 1994. Screw them.
Author:  Charrlie_S [ Fri Aug 28, 2020 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 83 D150 hood latch not engaging
Quote:
Quote:

and Charlie... 40 gallon? Ive had an 81 and an 83 with 30's in them, never a 40.
Maybe I'm thinking wrong. I was thinking 30 and 40 gal. Maybe it is 20 and 30 gal. Whichever, but my trucks use the bigger of the two tanks.
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