Majoho

I re-installed the hood today on my 1970 coupe. I replaced the hinges to the scribe marks but didn't like the uneven gaps that resulted. I decided to re-align the hood. While working on the adjustment, the hood was prematurely latched down (please don't ask how). I pulled the release handle but only the passenger side latch popped up. I've been struggling with the other latch for a while now. I removed the left fender vent grille and reached up and manually operated the latch- nothing. I had a helper wiggle the hood from side to side as much as possible while I manually operated the latch-nothing. Pulling up on the hood while releasing the latch- nothing. Slightly pressing down on the hood and jiggling it side to side while releasing the latch- still nothing. I'm about out of ideas. It's difficult to see what's happening up there but I think that the latch cone or spring is caught somehow in the latch striker hole. Any suggestions/wisdom/advice will be welcomed! I don't wanna Sawzall the hood!

Forgot to add, the reason I was operating the latch manually from underneath is because the actuating lever from the body side latch is not properly aligned with the release lever on the hood side latch. It was just close enough to work the first time (when the passenger side latch popped up) then slipped off. The hood was that far out of alignment when it was inadvertently closed. It sure seemed to have closed easily though...weird.

kkEdlund

EDIT: Sorry, I just realized this is on a '70. IDK if that car has the same little pop out thing as mine did. Maybe this link might help. Good luck.

Happened to me once. I got it open with a coathanger, several hours and lots of swearing.

Skip to 1:40 in this video; it turns out there is a neat little thing that pops out and gives you access from the wiper tray. Have you looked at that?

Wish I knew about that last year...

76CSRvette

I crawled under my car removed the panel underneath and removed vapor canister and was able to fit part of my body in there to pull lever from down there. on a separate occasion i was fitting a new hood and was realigning the locks on car slightly move them a little to get it to align and close better same thing that happened to you happened to me it locked couldn't get the drivers side to pop up. I have electric fans and i had removed front impact vacuum tube which made it easier for me so i went under car while on ramps and unscrewed the bolts on the hinges enough to have the hood wiggle freely and the thing popped right up when i pulled release.
try no. 3 on post 1 when you get it open should make it a little easier next time around.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html
good luck i had a lot of fun with that one

Majoho

The video doesn't apply as it's for '77 and up C3's. The link you included though is a really well thought out procedure for dealing with this situation on all years of C3's. I'll study it closely tonight when I have more time, grit my teeth, roll up the sleeves, and hopefully get this hood functioning again. Thank you! And by the way, you are correct in that my '70 does not have the access plug on the driver's side. There is one on the pass. side though.

kkEdlund

Ya, sorry about that. I realised just after I posted that the video didn't apply. Ive only ever had my 79, and I often forget how long they made these cars and how many little things were changed. I hope the link has something helpful.

Let us know how it turns out.

20mercury

a number of methods here.

try this


http://www.capitalcorvetteclub.ca/in...-stuck-shut-c3

gjohnson

Been there done that! For sure way to get the hood open. Grind off the nuts in the wheel wells that hold the front hinges on. Takes 5 mins.Your then able to jocky the hood around so it will release.

bluedawg

You can either jack up the car and put it on jack stands or use a lift, what you do is get under the passengers side of the engine with a rigid hook and a flashlight, look up between the engine and the wheel well at the rear of the engine and locate the cable that comes done between them, hook it and pull down on it. I did the same thing when I changed hoods and this worked for me, it might also help to have some one pulling on the hood release. Good luck!

Franks73

I will be installing the hood on my 73 soon, nervous about it getting "locked". Many good suggestions here. Has me thinking if there might be ways to make temporary external attachments to release the hood until I have it working and adjusted well. Hmmm

68/70Vette

Congradulations! Now that you've unlocked your hood, how do you make sure it never happens again...I've experienced the locked hood problem.

With a newly installed hood, before you've tried to slam it closed, and with the hood up in the air....look at the cable lever arm on the driver's side..the cable lever arm in the hood. It's the lever arm that's connected via a cable to a corresponding lever arm on hood's passenger side. Take, say a 18 gauge insulated wire, and tie it to the driver's side lever arm. Now when you close the hood, leave the wire exiting the crack between the hood and the body. If the hood won't release within the interior handle, just pull the wire to actuate the cable to release the hood. I drive the car around for a long time with multiple hood opening and closings before I feel the hood is reliable enough not to need the helper wire. I call it my tampax string...hanging out of the crack...if the hood won't open, I pull the string.

Before closing the hood for the first time: Get some child's modeling clay and mold it into two flat sheets. For the female mounting holes on the hood, place the sheet of modeling clay over each hole..one at the driver's side and one at the passenger's side. Gently lower the hood. Let the male pins on the bpdy start to penetrate the hood female holes. Open the hood and look at the indentations in your clay sheets....you should see if the male pins are going straight into the hood latch holes....if they are not...this is why you may get a lock up...adjust the body hole latches until the pins are going to go straight in in the center of the holes. Remember drive with your helper wire sticking outside of the hood for a long time until you feel safe.

cobrachuck

This is what I did on my 75. I used an old choke tee handle with 5" of wire hook on the end, lift up on the open side slide the hook under the hood & pull the cross cable to un lock. Then adjusted the latches more carefully.
Chuck

Majoho

Lots of good suggestions here. My issue is not that there is a broken cable, but that the hood won't pop up on the driver's side when the latch is released. Seems like the lock pin (the cone shaped part on the cowl) is hooked up somehow into the hood latch. I'm heading to the garage now and plan to raise the front end, put the car on stands, and see if I can get to the hood hinge bolts to loosen them up. IF I can then I should be able to move the hood laterally enough to free the latch.

76CSRvette

bluedawg

It could be as simple that the cable between the two isn't tight enough or the latch release isn't quite aligned binding the release mechanism or not allowing full travel , which ever it is if you pull on the cable between the two will release them.

65GGvert

He said he can move the latch and the "cone" is caught. No manner of pulling on cable will release it if he actually moved the lever itself and it didn't release.
You're going to have to have someone sit in the car and pull the cable while you put a lot of pressure left and right and back and forth to get that edge at the top of the cone to pop out from under the ring in the latch. You're getting a lot of advice on how to pull the cable and move the latch, but from what you said, that's not your issue. If the passenger side pops up (as you also said), the cable between the two is not your problem. Lots of people are reading their experience into your question and not yours.

Majoho

65GGvert, what you said is all true. However I appreciate all the replies I've received. I had searched the forum for information before posting and found dozens of 'broken hood cable' threads but nothing really on my situation. Maybe someone will learn a thing or two from my question and all the comments received.

I've tried the left/right/back/forth procedure many times and it won't budge. I can't reach the hood hinge bolts to loosen them from under the car. Someone mentioned removing the front wheels and grinding off the nuts that the hinge bolts thread into. Sounds like that may work to free the hinges so that the hood can be moved enough to release it...BUT I'd rather do that only as a very last resort. In the meantime I'll keep trying. I'll find a way to hold the release handle back (vise grips?) so that I don't need to have a helper- that will allow me to work on it on my own time. In the meantime all suggestions are welcome!

gjohnson

Like I said before. The latch pin is off center of the latch hole. If it hasn't popped by now it isn't.! You'll thank me later

Majoho

GJ, after you ground those nuts off did you replace them with regular nuts, weld some nuts on, or replace the brackets that the nuts are welded to with new ones? Did you use a grinding wheel or a cutoff disk? I have a small 4 inch angle grinder that should work well in the wheel openings. I've fooled around with this for quite a few hours now and am considering following your lead. I want to drive it, not fool with the hood for hours.

gjohnson

I just used an angle grinder w/ a new disk as to get it done quick.I then only needed to move the hood a little while helper pulled the release.I then just used new bolts,washers and nylock nuts.I did both sides but do the drivers side first because you might luck out and that will relieve enough pressure to pop it.On mine I had to move the drivers striker pin/plate approx.1/8" forward so it was centered on the latch hole on hood. Good luck and keep us posted!

Majoho

Thanks GJ, I'll give this a try for sure. We're having company over all weekend so probably won't get much done until next week. I'll post as soon as I get back onto this job.

Over the last few months, I installed a new GM crate engine, rebuilt the Muncie 4spd, replaced clutch and all linkage, installed new radiator, fan shroud, radiator support, front cross member, changed all six u-joints and a dozen smaller jobs. I would never have thought that putting the hood back on would be the most frustrating part of it all!