aloharick

I have a 1966 big block red convertible with side pipes... just had to introduce my car

The hood release stopped working last week. When I pull on the release there is no tension and the hood doesnt open. I think the medal rod connected to the mechanism under the hood is either stretched out or came off. Someone suggested getting pliars and pulling the cord with that. But I'd like to get more ideas.

Thank you
-Rick

Frankie the Fink

If its anything like my '61 the cable might be sliding back and forth in the tube that holds the cable right behind the release lever. The tube should be crimped enough to anchor the cable but mine isn't - I put a small hose clamp right at the end of the tube to anchor the cable housing against the tube until I get around to fixing it.

JohnZ

The release cable pulls on a lever that sticks straight down from the driver's side hood latch; the cable has either broken or come loose from the stop that attaches it to the lever. Go up from underneath with a long screwdriver or piece of broomstick and push rearward on the lever that sticks down just inboard of where the harnesses plug into the connectors on the engine side of the fuse block, and the hood will open. The lever is shown in the photo below.

Shurshot

You have standard throttle stops on the cables that allow them to do the job when they are pulled

If you cannot open your hood jack up the car and remove the drivers side splash shield...... looking straight up you will see a lever out from the firewall in line with the release you have inside your car...... pull that and if it opens let us know what you see.......... if not or it only opens one side let us know that and we will go from there.

Doug

aloharick

upon further investigation, I discovered the cable snapped when the incident initially happened, because when I pulled on the cable from under the hood, half of the cable came into the car. At the end of the snapped cable there was a small cylindar type mechanism (about 1 inch tall) that looks like a grip for the cable.

So I will put the car up on ramps and get underneath and try to push the lever rearward to open the hood. I'm hoping all the other parts are working just fine with the hood release but I will let you know once I have pushed on the lever.

I won't be back in town to do this until next Monday night. Thank you so much for helping me as I'm a 30 year old rookie Corvette owner.

aloharick

actually, taking a second look at it, it think the cable isn't broken. I think the screw that secures the mechanism connecting the lever to the cable fell loose. Because the mechanism is secure on the cable to the end. And the end of the cable doesn't look frayed. So I'll get underneath and see for sure. The screw is probably long gone because when the hood problem happened the car was a few miles away at a store parking lot.

62Jeff

If the barrel mechanism came into the car with the cable, then it sounds like the lever on the corresponding hood latch has broken, because the barrel is what keeps the cable from slipping through the small hole that normally exists in that latch lever.