DSE hood hinge review...

[Steve1968LS2]

Installed the hood this morning at Best of Show.. This meant that we finally got to try out the DSE billet hood hinges.

Installation went pretty good. There was a "learning curve" on how they adjust compared to normal hinges, but once we figured it out we found them to be a lot easier to dial in than stock hinges.

The main attribute was the small turnbuckle (blue arrow). This made adjusting the hood forward and aft a snap. The buckle was simply turn a tiny amount and the hood moved closer or farther from the front valance. It also made getting the hood "striaght" easy as well.

The only close call was the bottom of the hinge. The end (yellow arrow) comes very close to the inner fender. In fact, if you were to open the hood all the way, and push, it would hit the inner fender. Not a huge deal, but it is what we found on this install, you're deal might be better or worse.

The operation of the hinge is much much smoother compared to a stock hinge/spring combo. There's none of the "jerkiness" and the hood open velvety smooth. Balance seems very good and the shocks seem to have the proper amount of tension.

Not a cheap date at all, but at least they function better than stock. Still should be considered a totally un-needed appearance item (except for the adjustment benefit), but then again I want many things in life that I really don't "need" ;)

So ends my review.. I will open the floor to questions.. lol

http://www.lifeinwidescreen.com/siihp/hinge.jpg

[MaxHarvard]

Dang! Looks nice, i like the adjustment turnstyles.

Only one question:

Can i get a loan, i umm...err... have a sick relative who needs surgery :D

[Serpa69]

I have a set as well so it's nice to they work well. It is a hard pill to swallow. My I ask where you got the washers for the fender bolts, that looks very clean.

[Steve1968LS2]

I have a set as well so it's nice to they work well. It is a hard pill to swallow. My I ask where you got the washers for the fender bolts, that looks very clean.

www.hillcofasteners.com :)

I went there today and bought 20 bolts, washers and alum washers.. cost me $70 :faint:

But they sure look nice. The large ones on the fenders work real well and it's the little things that add to the detail.

[Serpa69]

Thanks for the info Steve.

Jason

[Serpa69]

That place is going to be bad on the pocket book! Thanks again

[J2SpeedandCustom]

I love these hinges. The ring bros definitely have a great design there! I told my brother we are going to use them on every car we build no matter what it is... :lol:

Glad you like them to Steve.

[rocketrod]

Make sure the bolts that secure the turnbuckle to the base of the hinge are tight. Mine weren't and came apart allowing while installing them allowing the hinge arms to move independently and it stripped several of the threads out of the hinge base. Luckily it didn't damage the car and I was able run a tap through the hinge base.

Very cool looking though and they get a ton of compliments, which makes it easier to justify the cost.

[BThibodeaux]

Thanks for the info on the inner fender clearance and the turnbuckle Steve and Rod. I have a pair I have yet to install even for mock up purposes.

One more bit of information though. I want to have mine anodized black, so I called DSE about trading them for an unassembled set. They are not available unassembled, as DSE receives them assembled. This means that the bearings must be pressed out to disassemble them. The sales guy at DSE says they tend to destroy bearings when doing this. The bearings cost $15 each to replace. I'm still gonna do it, but at least now I know...

[mazspeed]

One thing I liked about them is there stiff. No side to side movement like a normal hinge. I doubt they are stronger, but they look better and are much stiffer. And yes it makes adjusting the hood easy.

[Blown353]

Come on Steve, you know that pin-on hoods are where it's at! :D

Those fancy hinges sure look bitchin' but that's a lot of green that could be spent on making the car faster-- not just making it *look* faster. ;)

[Steve1968LS2]

Come on Steve, you know that pin-on hoods are where it's at! :D

Those fancy hinges sure look bitchin' but that's a lot of green that could be spent on making the car faster-- not just making it *look* faster. ;)

Blah.. the car is already fast..

Besides, there's no crime in looking good AND being fast :)

I only draw the line at stuff that sacrifices performance for looks. If it doesn't hurt performance then what the hell.. at that point it just becomes a matter of cash and how much you wanna spend.

People piss away $$ every day.. I chose to piss away some on sweet-ass hood hinges :D -- I used all the money I saved on chrome.. lol

[fatlife]

They are killer hinges, I bet a bigwig like Steve gets a discount anyway. I personally coudln't justify forking over that kinda cash though. Thats like 3-4 trackdays which is way more enjoyable than opening and closing my hood ;)

[Diognes56]

They look great, glad to hear they work as well as they look :) . Now if only somebody would make a set of these for Tri-Five Chevys :yes: .

David

[Steve1968LS2]

They are killer hinges, I bet a bigwig like Steve gets a discount anyway. I personally coudln't justify forking over that kinda cash though. Thats like 3-4 trackdays which is way more enjoyable than opening and closing my hood ;)

Uh.. no.. I paid full hit.. I did score the crate engine for free though :)

Don't you have like super expensive wheels? Arn't they round just like cheaper wheels?? lol

[fatlife]

hey, I'm not talking trash :P , they are nice, just saying personally where I'm at now I would not spend that kinda coin on something like that. But if thats what floats your boat they are definetly nice :drool: I like nice stuff, I enjoy taking pride in my stuff rather than having junk that I don't care about. but I think that they are not a waste of money if you can afford it. You know whats funny about the car scene? Everyone thinks that they need the super fancy fast ultra car, that the car will make them fast. But they don't invest any time or money into themselves. Cars don't drive themselves.

On bikes(at the track) most current bikes have unlimited potential with a few basic mods, its all about the rider, it takes a lot of time and determination/skill to get fast. I think there is a huge false perception among track driving with cars and what it takes. THis is probably due to the fact that there really aren't that many people with older cars that actually do it consistently. Apples and Oranges though, but its something I see a lot and its interesting to come from that and then look at the car world where everyone puts driving skills way under car potential. It's cool though most people just like to cruise the street and like the look of fast stuff even if they don't know how to use it :rolleyes: :D

BTW I spent UNDER $2K on my wheels, not sure if that is considered super expensive?

[Damn True]

BTW I spent UNDER $2K on my wheels, not sure if that is considered super expensive?


According to my wife, yes. That is expensive. Of course she just bought me a watch that cost over double what you spent on your wheels so uh yeah, whatever.

I keep looking at it thinking, "Damn this is nice, but for another $1k I coulda had an LS2."

[Bowtieracing]

Thanks Steve for the great info again! Your project and documentation is a big help.

[Steve1968LS2]

BTW I spent UNDER $2K on my wheels, not sure if that is considered super expensive?

Steelies are just as round ;)

[cheezer]

[QUOTE=Steve1968LS2]Blah.. the car is already fast..

Besides, there's no crime in looking good AND being fast :)

I only draw the line at stuff that sacrifices performance for looks. If it doesn't hurt performance then what the hell.. at that point it just becomes a matter of cash and how much you wanna spend.



There has been no mention of the weight of the new hinges. How much weight savings is there, if any ?

That could be enough to say it is a "performance" item and justify the cost, no ? lol

cheezer
69 Camaro convertible

[BThibodeaux]

[QUOTE=Steve1968LS2]Blah.. the car is already fast..

Besides, there's no crime in looking good AND being fast :)

I only draw the line at stuff that sacrifices performance for looks. If it doesn't hurt performance then what the hell.. at that point it just becomes a matter of cash and how much you wanna spend.



There has been no mention of the weight of the new hinges. How much weight savings is there, if any ?

That could be enough to say it is a "performance" item and justify the cost, no ? lol

cheezer
69 Camaro convertible

Nice try, but fogetaboutit. Weight savings is either negligible or negative.

[Steve1968LS2]

[QUOTE=Steve1968LS2]Blah.. the car is already fast..

Besides, there's no crime in looking good AND being fast :)

I only draw the line at stuff that sacrifices performance for looks. If it doesn't hurt performance then what the hell.. at that point it just becomes a matter of cash and how much you wanna spend.



There has been no mention of the weight of the new hinges. How much weight savings is there, if any ?

That could be enough to say it is a "performance" item and justify the cost, no ? lol

cheezer
69 Camaro convertible

Didn't weight them.. They feel about the same or maybe a touch less than the steel stockers..

[warriorbob]

Does anyone happen to have a pic of the hinges in the hood closed position?
Maybe someone has a pic of the hinge installed and pushed down (as the hood would be closed) before the hood is installed.
I would even appreciate a pic of just the hinge in the closed position.
Just want to check clearances before i order.

thanks
bob