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    Hood ornament repair

    Last July, my hood ornament wore out - the loop on the bottom for the retaining wire broke through, fortunately overnight in my garage and not on the road. The car didn't have an ornament when I bought it and I have to wonder if the previous one broke in the same manner. These seem harder to find on eBay than others, so maybe it's a common problem.

    Regardless, I decided I'd try to fix this one before shelling out the money for a replacement.

    I drilled a hole in the bottom of the ornament and tapped it for a 4-40 screw. I had to run it just ahead of the remnants of the loop; any further forward and wouldn't fit in the receiver.
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    I wrapped a length of 18 gauge wire once around the screw and threaded it in snugly but no tighter - I doubt the potmetal would handle firm tightening. I wanted to have a washer on the screw, but I couldn't get the wires to quite fit in the receiver properly that way.
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    Once I got the wire to sit where I wanted it, it was a simple matter of running into the receiver, slipping the spring over and compressing it, and bending up the wire ends.
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    It does lean slightly forward and the range of motion is reduced, but it's better than not having one on there. I could probably try applying some epoxy to shim it up at the front.

    I have no idea if this will hold up for any length of time, but it was worth a try.
    Last edited by Stocker; 07-20-2020, 09:19 PM.
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria
    1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
    1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, 360

    Past: 1995 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

    #2
    Well you are being creative trying to make it work. You might keep your eyes open for a inexpensive replacement just in case.

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      #3
      Check this out ! I think you can afford this. EB Auction #373115643379Click image for larger version

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