Re: How to tell if my hood catches / latches are original or repro?
Richard - I removed my left latch and took this close up of the "diamond". This is the sharpest image I could get. FYI - I also examined the diamond using a 5X jeweler's eye piece - up close and personal - like 2 inches away. You can see a hair on a mosquito's butt with that eye piece. I can assure you that there are no "letter" characters inside the diamond. There is a spear shaped line coming from one corner of the inside of the diamond that points toward the middle of the diamond. It is a clear and sharp cut - looks to be a design feature of the dye stamp. I cannot be 100% certain, I can't "prove" but..... I am very confident that my latches are original to the car, based on info I was provided by the guy that restored it 19 years ago.
Richard - I removed my left latch and took this close up of the "diamond". This is the sharpest image I could get. FYI - I also examined the diamond using a 5X jeweler's eye piece - up close and personal - like 2 inches away. You can see a hair on a mosquito's butt with that eye piece. I can assure you that there are no "letter" characters inside the diamond. There is a spear shaped line coming from one corner of the inside of the diamond that points toward the middle of the diamond. It is a clear and sharp cut - looks to be a design feature of the dye stamp. I cannot be 100% certain, I can't "prove" but..... I am very confident that my latches are original to the car, based on info I was provided by the guy that restored it 19 years ago.
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