Hood Latch and Spring Question

[72barracuda]

My car is originally a 72 Barracuda. I have swapped to a shaker hood and still using all of the original 72 flat hood latch hardware. I want to bring the front of the hood down just a little more when latched for better alignment with the nose. I have already extended the mounting holes in the latch and I can see that I am about to run out of room to compress the spring. Before I go any further I wanted to see if maybe I need different hardware or is there some tip that could help. It is possible that the after market hood, core support, and latch mount bracket have resulted in a different fit. Maybe I could remove a coil from the spring?

 

[Adam]

You have adjusted the bumpers at the corners of the hood down, right?

I doubt the spring is preventing further downward movement; take the spring out and see, before cutting it.

If all else fails you could cut and re-weld the loop that bolts to the hood...

 

[72barracuda]

Yes, the bumpers are down. Prior to installing the spring and latch I was able to level the ridge in the hood with the ridge on the nose. With latch and spring installed a lot of force is required to get the loop to the latch. I think I will find an extra spring to experiment with so I can at least move forward with what I have.

 

[rbbruno3]

What is the height of your spring