Fiberglass light weight hood spring question

[Crazy68Dart]

I have an AAR bolt on hood and got a set of springs from a guy here, DangerDawg I think??

Anyway, do I need to preload these springs on the hinges, and if so, how do I do this safely?

Thanks.

[Duster440]

I got mine, which were modified originals, from Herb. I don't know if Atomic Dog's are different or not. I just put the hinges on the pins, slid the spring on, and then hooked the end on the pin using a pair channel lock pliars. You want the minimum amount of preload or tension possible. A couple of spot welds on the center stud will keep it from sliding off.

[DART VADER]

I took my springs completely off. I just put the springs in a vise to keep tension on it. Then I popped it off the pin and slowly opened the vise. After that I just used a hammer and chisel to pull it off the post.

DV

[Crazy68Dart]

Man, I must be mental or something... I need to look at them again.