Has anyone used these hood hinges on their cars?

[70yell500]

Was looking at these units and was wondering if anyone has put them on their Charger or you might know someone whom has...    Just trying to get some feedback on these from others that might have put them to use.
 
Check them out here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&vxp=mtr&item=330879802761


Thanks in advance,

Eddie

[68RED4SPEED]

I saw them mounted on a Road Runner at Ocala Don Garlits.

[BrianShaughnessy]

Not that I know of...   that's a lotta cheese for these things.   It's your dough  

Used pairs of hinges $70,  new repros $229 on ebay right now.  

[bill440rt]

I have a set of Ring Bros hinges on my '69, the smooth polished type. Found them second hand on eBay, brand-new in the box never installed, so I got a smokin' deal on them.
They are very nicely made hinges. But, I ran into two problems. One minor, one major.

If you buy them, read the instructions carefully. They don't flex, so they need to be mounted equally horizontal to the hood so they don't bind when opening & closing. If you look closely, the inner fender aprons are "stepped" in the hinge area. I had my machinist whip me up a set of nice 3/8" spacers out of aluminum to take up the slack that way the hinges would be equal distance front & rear to the hood. Washers would also work, which I used temporarily. Also, the mount flange on the hinge where it bolts to hood is straight, whereas the hood has just a very slight angle to it so be careful when tightening it down.

The BIG problem is the pistons. They are not strong enough to hold up a stock Charger hood. They offer two types, one for fiberglass hoods & the other for steel, then a third one higher than that. I am on my third set of their highest rated pistons, they work for 3 weeks then lose strength & no longer hold up the hood. And, my hood is stock. Granted, Ring Bros has been excellent & they have been swapping out pistons for free, but I am paying return shipping on the old ones so it's getting old quick to say the least.

Right now, they are very aware of the problem & are developing an even higher rated piston to solve this problem. I should have them hopefully by the end of the month.
Their reason for this is that Mopar hinges use a lot more leverage to open the hood vs GM hinges, so holding up a Camaro or Monte Carlo hood is no problem.

[LaOtto70Charger]

Is there a benefit of these hinges over stock besides different look?  Just asking out of curiosity.

[moparstuart]

my buddy Scott thedodgeboy here has them on his challenger

[ACUDANUT]

Scott told me his buddy made his set in KC somewhere. I "think" he said around 500.00 Bucks. I just remember how shocked I was about the price.

[bill440rt]

Is there a benefit of these hinges over stock besides different look?  Just asking out of curiosity.

Well, I do know they don't flex like originals do, so supposedly they will "last" longer. I'd say originals could last about 20 years or so without showing signs of fatigue, so they have a pretty good lifespan, too. The billet ones are definitely beefier.
But I think their sole purpose is really looks vs function for the custom crowd.
I'd be VERY happy with them once Ring Bros gets this piston thing sorted out. I wonder if other B or E-body owners have had similar issues? 

[ACUDANUT]

Okay stupid question. How can you tell if a hood hinge is good or bad WITHOUT installing it.

[bill440rt]

Okay stupid question. How can you tell if a hood hinge is good or bad WITHOUT installing it.

No such thing as a stupid question, but darned if I know. Usually you can spot them easily when they're on the car.
I suppose the only thing you could do is look at the pivot points for any signs of excessive wear. 
Kicker is that my 40-year old originals were totally fine. A friend/member here is now using them on his car.

[Brass]

I need to revive this topic because I  am considering using the Ringbrothers hinges, and wondering if they've made any improvements over the last several years; like using stronger pistons, as pointed out by Bill440rt. Does anyone know, or have more recent experience?

Thanks, all. Any insight would be apoappreciated.