HOOD & TRUNK ADJUSTMENTS

Written by Mustangworld.

The Mustang is one of the most well put together sportscars in the world. Over time however, some things may start to fall out of alignment. This "may" happen in the hood and trunk areas. This can happen because of uneven ground in your parking space, heavy "race style" driving, cornering, chassis flex, etc. Fortunately, it's real easy to put all these things back in place and return your stang to a factory new looking hood and trunk alignment. Let's take a look at how we can do this:

OK... HERE WE GO!

1. Let's look at what we're doing here. If you find your hoodline is "off" we can adjust it. The photo shows the areas where we can adjust the spacing between the hood and the stang. We want the hood to fit nicely in place with even gaps on both right and left sides. We also want the hood to clamp down but not quite touch the front bumper fisca.
2. There are four places to adjust the hood, two in front and two in back. In front we have two hood height adjustment "knobs". One on each side (left and right). Turn these knobs (like a screw) to adjust the height of the hood gap. A SMALL turn makes a BIG difference. You'll have to shut your hood completely to check your adjustments.
3. In the rear (of the hood) there are two bolts / nuts that hold the hood in place (on each side). You will only need to adjust these if the right / left spacing gap of your hood is off. You do so by loosening the bolts, moving the hood and re-tightening them. SMALL changes make a BIG difference in alignment. Keep your adjustments small.
4. In the rear of the stang, this photo shows where we can adjust the way the trunk closes and how it fits on to the taillight area. Make sure there are even gaps and that everything looks "uniform". If it does not, let's go onto the next step to adjust it.
5. This is the upper-rear trunk lock tumbler. There are no adjustments to be made here. It is securely bolted in place. Our stang had a shim placed on one of the trunk hinges to adjust the rear trunk height on one side. For the most part ,you'll never need to adjust the two rear trunk hinges.
6. You'll also notice small springs on both sides of your trunk. There are also no adjustments to be made here. These springs are in place to "cushion" the closing of the trunk.
7. This is where we'll adjust the trunk. We must first remove a plastic panel that covers the lower rear latch. This panel is held in place by 4 plastic panel plugs (one shown in photo). They can be very difficult to remove. Use a forked metal shim or "panel popper" tool to remove them. Place a towel between the tool and the plastic panel to prevent scratching and to increase leverage.
8. Next adjust the latch by loosening the bolts and changing the position of the latch. It can be moved right, left, up or down. If your trunk looks high on the right side, you'll want the latch to pull it left and vice versa. MAKE SURE you have the latch high enough to ensure the trunk locks properly. Again, make small adjustments, then check, etc. After you've adjusted the latch, put the plastic cover back on by pressing the panel plugs back in place.

That's it !

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