Panic in Cork with 164 Bonnet/Hood Hinges

[briertyj@xxxxxxx]

     I was recently asked by friends if I could provide my 164 for use as a 
     wedding car in Cork in the southern part of Ireland. The car was 
     cleaned and polished for the day.  As the bride was preparing to leave 
     her home for the church I had time to tie a white ribbon from the 
     front grill through the doors and on to the sun visors. I lifted the 
     hood/bonnet to see if I could find a fixing for the ribbon and instead 
     of rising assisted by the pressure in the struts the hood started to 
     move towards me. 
     
     It was a heart stopping moment and instant panic set as the only car 
     still available was a scruffy 2 door Nissan Micra. 
     
     With the few minutes remaining I examined the problem and found that 
     the left hinge bolt had sheared. With some help we managed to push the 
     hood back into place after a few tries. The bride and her father 
     unaware of the earlier panic were driven to the church on the right 
     side of being traditionally late. 
     
     Who said modern Alfa's can't surprise anymore ?
     
     
     Have any other 164 owners had problems with this part failing and if 
     so is it difficult/expensive  to fix ?
     
     
     John 
     
     Dublin
     

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