The tabs you broke off were supposed to be turned CCW to loosen the locking mechanism, then you can turn the adjusters with your fingers. Once you have it adjusted, you urn the locking mechanism CW, and it will keep them in position.

You may still be able to adjust them, so give it a try.

 

the hood height rubber bumper stops do rust up here in rust belt back in nov 1995 I oiled those threads 96 IMP 23 miles on it .. I also had to grease front end and the lug nuts all were loose ...

having these vehicles since 1967 this does happen.. never seen a locking tab or nut to hold in position .

it may be possible to remove the rubber then try to screw in then out slowly .. if its too tight use a small tipped propane torch heat up the head with rubber off and then slowly turn the thread as the thread shrinks .. too much force it will break..more penetrating oil .. caster oil works really good expensive but it works ..

 

the hood height rubber bumper stops do rust up here in rust belt back in nov 1995 I oiled those threads 96 IMP 23 miles on it .. I also had to grease front end and the lug nuts all were loose ...

having these vehicles since 1967 this does happen.. never seen a locking tab or nut to hold in position .

it may be possible to remove the rubber then try to screw in then out slowly .. if its too tight use a small tipped propane torch heat up the head with rubber off and then slowly turn the thread as the thread shrinks .. too much force it will break..more penetrating oil .. caster oil works really good expensive but it works ..

This is not correct for the 91-96 B body cars, I have done this numerous times, and the process is as I described.

 

When I had the stock hood bumpers, just used a pair of channel locks on the rubber cushion itself and it worked fine and didn't chew up the rubber section. Jut just tried to grab the lower portion of the cusion so it got whatever metal was under it and a few wraps of tape on the cusion. You could also use a small Strap Wrench on it if you were worried about chewing it up.

I have had those out and replaced them with some billet stops which look much better and have an adjuster nut to lock them down. Sorry about the missing pics but there is a good amount of info in this thread and also some of the thread links.

http://www.impalassforum.com/vBulletin/3-exterior/268773-hood-bumpers-rad-support-removal.html

 

As Fred points out, they are indeed locking type , as opposed to the older cars we have

You put a flat 19mm or 3/4 wrench and turn less than 1/4 turn CC to unlock.


LOCKED

 

As Fred points out, they are indeed locking type , as opposed to the older cars we have
You put a flat 19mm or 3/4 wrench and turn less than 1/4 turn CC to unlock.LOCKED

good picture of that hood stop.. my stops do not have that part ...
looks like that locking nut is chewed up .If I had issues with this changing I would get S/Steel nut to lock it ..looks pretty weak .

 

Unlocked

 

Hell,I never knew that. Replaced mine with some off ebay,but plenty of resto,and rod sites have them too...

 

Thanks for the photos and the explanations. I did not snap the tabs off intentionally. I was trying to gently pry them up to unlock that piece that you say should turn counter clockwise. The problem with mine was that those tabs were bent into the holes that you can see in both the lock and unlock photos. There was no turning in either direction because those two tabs were in those holes and nothing was moving. Oh well, that "locking" piece will no longer lock anything if that is its function. As of right now, a propane plumber's torch might be the way to go. There is no way to turn those stops by hand after sitting in the same spot for 21 years. I will keep soaking the threads with PB Blaster, Kroil, and anything else that I can find to penetrate. I have some valve oil for a trumpet that I might even try. That stuff is amazing at lubricating.

If I try to remove the cushion so that I can grab the metal underneath, I'm thinking that the rubber may just crack off and then I'm going to need to replace the entire stop. If that is the case, where can I buy some sort of replacement? There are aftermarket hood stops with an adjusting nut?

 

Found a couple on ebay,and sure there's more. All stainless https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hood-Stops-Stainless-Steel-5-16-Hood-Adjusters-Rubber-Bumper-for-GM-Cars-Pair/272374216137?hash=item3f6ac4b5c9:g:YNgAAOSwdIFX1zHn&vxp=mtr

And, a more generic (far cheaper) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hood-Adjustment-Rubber-Stop-Bolt-Bumper-Set-1964-65-66-Chevelle-GTO-CVHD6466-1/251053090328?epid=1729987676&hash=item3a73ee2618:g:7qUAAOSwHYpZ5lsq&vxp=mtr

Keep in mind these are likely 5/16 thread,and an appropriate tap needs run down through the existing retainer in the core support.

 

There is a product called "Freeze Off" that may help you loosen them.

 

While I am all for reinventing the wheel ,
the original numbers are ,

14069250 bumper 3.98
25526456 stud 3.91
371914 nut insert ( can buy from GM Vintage parts)

Before someone comes on with " they cost too much , they aren't stainless"
I don't care , I am just passing on the OE part numbers for those who might want them.

The clips are a ropey thing yes , but mine were fine till I changed the rad support in 07 , and haven't be touched till the other night when I showed their operation.

What I like about them the least is no matter how careful you are installing them , they chew up the paint or powdercoat on the support.
That is way you see brush touching around mine.

 

There are several websites that come up when doing a search for "GM Vintage Parts". Is there one site that is preferred over the others? I looked at two sites.

One says that part number 14069250 is not the correct part for a 1996 Caprice. I would imagine that the rubber cushion should fit on most studs but there is no guarantee.

The other site says that the bumper part is discontinued.

The site with the discontinued part number for the bumper seems to have the stud and the locking nut in stock but there isn't any price since I'm not signed up yet on their website.

The stainless hood stops were a bit more than I would have thought at $50.00 for a pair with postage. I'll keep trying to get mine to turn. We'll see if I need to buy something.

 

The 3 numbers I listed are directly out of the old GM parts CD

The first 2 are readily available on a number of sights and ebay ( google the part number)

The last number, comes up on ebay but at insane prices

So I phoned my dealer and it came up obsolete, NLA
She checked Vintage parts ( they have one hundred and something of them) for stock
She would have to call for pricing
At that point I had her quit as I was just inquiring for you.

Not sure how GM Vintage parts works down there but In Canada, my dealer will order for me.

 

I was able to get the passenger side hood stop to turn yesterday. Now I can adjust it because it's moving freely. I guess that I'll have to find a regular nut to use as a locking device since the metal piece just flops around now.

Things are finally getting lined up with the front end since taking it apart to replace the radiator support. Now if I could just get the air out of the power steering system after blowing the high pressure line and replacing the high pressure and return lines, I'd be able to drive it again. It's been 1 year and 2 weeks since I had the car on the road!!!

 

You may have an obstruction in the steering box, that could be the reason for the pressure hose to blow. Make sure the box is not faulty.

 

FWIW - Here are some pics I had from converting over to these Billet Bumper Stops. They're $35 a set now....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-88-GM...043872611b&pid=100011&rk=3&rkt=5&sd=350488953286&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

The first pic is just a Generic Pic from the Web of these expensive little buggers. It gives you a good idea and a closeup of how these fit into the rad support.

The 2nd and 3rd pic is what my original looked like after taking it apart. The last pic is using the Billet Bumper and you can see how the Top Locking part of the Nutsert has been removed and I just retapped the bottom part of the insert for the 5/16" thread of the new bumper. I also took the time to trim up that bottom piece using a grinder to remove the remaining tabs and to clean up the Nutsert a little.