You can purchase a spring kit, did you check the rubber bushing under the radiator support bar if its not high enough it wont allow the hood latch to lock into position

 

Lots of tinkering to get my '56 fairly acceptable years ago. Shimmed the latch and also spent a lot of time (I don't recall the specifics, sorry) ensuring the latch was all free and working correctly. If I build another one (and know this wont be to your taste) but had figured I would install a more modern latch mechanism.

 

saw this for a 55.

I run a sheathed cable from the hood down through the radiator drain hole on the splash panel on my 57. Bolted bar stock and drilled an access hole for clip lock. sort of like this. Used for highway travel. Easily removed after I get where I'm going.

 

Most of the time, it's an adjustment needed to get and keep that second catch tight. I had an issue with mine as you had and adjusted it to where it works as it should.
That pic with the pin above would scare me. What happens when you forget that and shut the hood?

 

Most of the time, it's an adjustment needed to get and keep that second catch tight. I had an issue with mine as you had and adjusted it to where it works as it should.
That pic with the pin above would scare me. What happens when you forget that and shut the hood?

hello i cant see from looking at these latches how that second one does anything !!!!!

 

Thanks. All this is giving me some ideas. Like nudging the latch one way and the striker plate another – just to put more pressure on that cam.

 

I fabbed up a plunger to place a rod into the back of the spring latch. This was just to keep the hood from being opened not due to a weak capture, but it achieves the same result.
A tiny chain transfers the pull off from under the grill top bar via a sprocket. Chain ties to a cable run under the fender well to the dash. Made a larger cover to hide the chain.

 

BACK ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO THE HOOD ON OUR 55 SEDAN BLEW UP AND BLOCKED OUR LINE OF VISION.
THANKFULLY IT BLEW OFF THE CAR.'
IT DAMAGED THE ROOF....FRONT FENDERS...DESTROYED THE HOOD...WHAT A RIDE ....
ALL TOTAL BACK THE $8500.00 IN DAMAGE,
DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH A BAD HOOD LATCH...IT WILL KILL YOU.

 

I think the lowest latch is the secondary safety latch. When the latch is working properly, you should not be able to pull the hood up without depressing the release handle. Also, if you release the handle to soon, the safety latch should catch. How strong that secondary latch is, may be why some people have mentioned their hood blowing open. The force of air under the hood with the large reaction surface area of the underside of the hood could possibly just sheer that latch off at highway speeds????...or cause it to jump past the bracket edge.

Glenn

 

Does the standard latch spring replacement kit fix this? Or do I need a whole new latch? (The cam has a slight point of wear just at the spot it meets the striker.)

Just fyi, the replacement spring kit mostly fixed this issue. (Hood still lifts a little at 55, but way less than before.)

 

ok but technically what keeps it closed in the first place ??? these dont make any sense to me by looking at them !!

 

Side-ways pressure from the curved tab. (That's why a weekend spring lets it ride up with wind catching it from underneath.)

 

The spring doesn't keep the hood closed. If it's riding up, the latch #1 in this picture is too far away from lever #2 or the tongue #5 is too far away from the passenger side of the latch plate. You cannot push the curved tab in until the release lever is picked up, which moves #1 from under #2 and allows the curved tab to move in so you can raise the hood. You can bend #1 up to close the gap between it and #2. Adjust the latch plate so the tongue just clears the passenger side of the plate.

 

Thanks