leaving the hood open & my latches.....

[2kviper]

2 questions:

1. is it okay to leave the hood open? i have my battery tender hooked up and just wonder if it is bad to keep it open too much...

2. my hood latches have moved down. it was like this when i bought it in december. the hood closes fine and seems to be aligned properly, just curious if this could be a problem now or in the future....

thanks!

 

[Steve-Indy]

#1...I have been doing this for several years...so for, nothing bad has happened.

#2...just keep a close eye on your headlights...I like to be able to slip a thick business card through the space between the edge of the hood and the glass over the headlights to be sure there is no contact which,if there IS, will etch the glass and eventually break the glass....as an aside, EVERY yellow 2001 RT/10 that I have seen was deliveered with etching on the lights...easily cured with a minor adjustment.

 

[Scorch]

Headlamp lenses; they are Polycarbonite, not glass. Yes, they can be scratched but it is extremely unlikely you will break them with casual contact from the hood. Polycarbonite is used for headlamps because it is so difficult to break.

Battery Tender; I wired my attaching plug/harness permanently to the jumper cable posts under the hood on the drivers side of the car. To hook up the Tender all I have to do is reach in the side vent, grab the cable and plug it in. No more need to open the hood.

Winter stinks!

 

[Steve-Indy]

Thanks, Scorch...got a little sloppy with terminology!!

 

[snakebitdave]

I have wired the plug/harness permanantly as well. I have wired the ground to a nearby screw that secures the plastic equipment to the foot box. Is this adequate or should I make up a longer wire in order to reach something on the block or to get it connected to the chasis?

 

[Simms]

Another alternative for the tender is the cigarette adapter. Very easy, just leave your window cracked and lay a towel down the side of your car where the wire is to keep it from scratching. Or I just wraped the wire in an old soft t-shirt.

 

[thebigsnake]

Your hood support springs will last longer. Cost me $300. and I replaced them myself!

 

[Scorch]

Snakebitdave, no need to ground to the engine. Just attach the negative side of the Tender harness to the vertical chassis ground post (post you would use to jump start the car). If you need a photo I will try to post one.

Where the heck (pardon my French) is Hudsonville? I'm in Shelby Township.

 

[snakebitdave]

Scorch, thanks for the info. Hudsonville is about 6 miles SW of Grand Rapids. Traveling Chicago Drive you have Grandville, Jenison, Hudsonville, Zeeland, Holland. Is Shelby north of Muskegon? My daughter in law is from there. Her dad is a long long time dentist in Shelby.