While we showed you our hood in our last article, we didn't share any additional details about how it would be hinged or latched. If you know '32 Fords, you'll know that there aren't too many options when it comes to the operation of the hood/sides. Specifically, you have the option of the stock-type 4-piece design where all 4 pieces are attached to each other (2 pieces of hood / 2 sides) and the 3-piece method (solid top and two sides that are fixed independently.

If you go with the 3-piece method, your next decision is how to hinge the top and hang the sides. There are a number of aftermarket hinge kits available, which allow for the top to open to the left or right or both. Or, if you're ambitious and have the talent and equipment, you can fabricate your own as Bob Klowak did (see an article in the Klowak's Koupe series).

As you saw in article 28, we are going with a 3-pieces setup but we have chosen to go with the unconventional and hinge the hood from the firewall creating a front opening hood. To achieve this we started with a pair of Sachse aluminum hinges. These hinges allow the hood to rise and then arc back. In doing so, the hood clears the body first. We say that we started with these hinges because we eliminated the mounting brackets that came with the hinges. To suit our firewall recess and the hood brace fabricated by Lowdown, custom brackets were fab'd. The result works slick. When the hood sides are removed, the hinges cannot be seen from the side for a clean view of the engine compartment.

To latch the hood, Lowdown adapted a VW latch. This type of latch provides a positive spring actuated "pop" out of the seat and has an OEM-type safety catch. The latch is a released via a Smart Parts handle and cable.

The same VW latch was modified to secure the trunk lid. By using this type of latch mechanism, a separate popper is not required to get the trunk lid out of its seat (i.e. there's no trunk handle). As with the hood, the latch is released by a Smart Parts handle and cable.

As for props for the hood and trunk lid, we had considered numerous solutions. One thing we knew for sure was that we wanted simplicity and something manual. That is, nothing power operated. After some searching, we came across a simple yet attractive and very functional prop manufactured by Big Al's Carponents. We used two props for the trunk to keep it uniformly supported and a single prop for the hood. To suit our application, we had to modify the mounting method slightly which wasn't a big deal.