During the last three years of proud 544 ownership I've spent plenty of time to sitting around contemplating upgrades and retrofits. While I'm happy to tip a hat of respect to the "all original" folks, I'm more of a custom kind of guy. My reason for this is more practical than aesthetic since I actually really like the looks of the 544 just the way it is thank you very much. It's just that my goal is to own this car for the rest of my life (accidents, energy crises, and rust be damned), so many of my "improvements" center around enhancing longevity, convenience, and day-to-day performance.

I've been particularly curious about hood spring modifications. While the hinge works just fine, the spring creaks like the front door of a haunted house and is loud enough to make unsuspecting persons jump out of their skin. Also, although I personally have no plan on installing an electric fan, for people who do intend to do so the spring is in the way. I'd like to just remove the spring and leave it at that, but that would make changing the plugs outside on a breezy day more than a little hazardous.

What alternatives to the original spring have you seen that worked well?

Ry
PDX
'63 544