Hood/Trunk fasteners

[zenrat]

Specifically the type where a pin sticks through the panel from below and another pin on a ring goes through it ( I should know the correct name for them but all that springs to mind is Dzus fasteners and IIRC that just applies to the 1/4 turn to release type fasteners used on 60's motorcycle side panels).
When did these come into common use?
Would they have been used to hold the trunk in place on a 5 window gasser in '62?
If not, then what would?
(don't tell me, Dzus fasteners!)

Thanks.

z

[Bud Ellis " Kustoms"]

I do know that the common hood pin , round plate with pin and wire hooked too the pin came out as early as 1964 on nascars and drag cars... later they were used on factory muscle cars in the 60's and 70's
in the 40"s some of the ol timers used belts and buckles Ive even seen lunch box latches or fishing tackle box latches (ring clasp fold too latch type )
As far as the round dunz style that you can stick a coin into I recall seeing those type come out is the 70's on drag cars
oh and rubber bungy cords with hooks for early nascar's
Hope this info helps?
Bud Ellis kustoms

[zenrat]

Thanks Bud.
I'm using a Revell '32 5 window and want the louvered trunk lid to be removable but don't want to build hinges.
Bungy straps seem a bit to R** Rod and scale belts a fiddle to remove (and delicate).
Maybe big butterfly/wing nuts could have been used? I'll have to scan Gasser Wars again with a magnifying glass.

[ChrisV]

I've seen pictures of cars with the regular type (pin through the bodywork) in magazine as far back as '61 - they may have been used earlier, though.

As far a the DZUS fasteners go, I was very surprised when I saw those in a mid-sixties ('65-'66) magazine, as I had always assumed that they were a "modern" thing.

[reedeezel]

I just did a quick search on Dzus fasteners. Seems that they were invented in the early 30s by a guy named- William Dzus! The first wide-spread application would have been for access panels on aircraft, and after the war, the fasteners found their way into the California Hot Rod scene (dry lakes, drag racing, and even Indy cars). As I recall, Ted Dzus (Williams grandson) was an avid drag racer who's car proclaimed him to be the 1/4 Turn Fastener Guy! I'll look further into that.....
The hood pins were a big thing at the speed shop I worked at in the late 60s, and I would guess they became popular when the factories started putting fiberglass hoods on their super stockers. Quick-release pins of many variations have been used for many years in aircratt, industrial and agricultural applications. I would venture to guess that some early hot rodders used some type of quick-release pins to secure oft-accessed body panels on their cars. My suggestion to ward off "rivet counters" would be to fabricate something unique enough to not be mistaken for the more modern type of pin.

[zenrat]

Thanks Chris & Rich.
Thinking about it i'm pretty sure the bike I learn't to ride on (1950 BSA) had Dzus fasteners on the toolbox lid. The '71 Triumph I owned later definately had them on the side panels.

I'm favouring big butterfly/wing nuts at the moment but that may change when I come to actually make them.

[ChrisV]

I've been digging a little in my photo archives, and another option to consider is the "T-type" hooks in this picture:


Looks like wing-nuts were sometimes used to secure body panels as well (judging from the look of this Willys, I'd guess that this is taken somewhere around '65-'67):

[krassandbernie]

Chris, that '33 Willys was built by Chuck Finders....."The Traveler"........which also happened to be the very same car that Chuck drove prior when he was with the Stone, Woods, & Cook team the previous season.......only the coupe wasn't chopped then.....it's was the 'third' car in the S.W.C. team for around six months.........the light blue '33 Willys called "The Dark Horse"......and it looked the same as the Traveler does in this pic minus the color, chop, wheels, and super high nose. Basically, what I am pointing out is the deck lid with the wing nut fasteners were on the car then......that was around Feb.-April of '64 for sure......at least from the pics/articles I have on file.

[zenrat]

Hmmm, yeah. I'd forgotten about the spring loaded (or rubber strap) "T" fasteners.
Thanks.

[ChrisV]

Thanks for the historical info on the chopped '33! - It was my general impression that it wasn't until the mid-sixties it became popular to chop the '33 gassers.

On a side-note, I remember reading somewhere (the HAMB, I think) that the yellow "Graham Cracker" '41 Willys became the base for the Resto-Cloned Big John Mazmanian Willys - Can anyone confirm this?