My dad has a 76 vette, he can't get the hood open. I'm not sure if the cable is broken, but i told him I would ask this question for him.

How do you open a hood if the cable is broken or stretched out ? I think someone told him He would have to damage his hood to get it opened ?

Any links or info would be great...........

thanks alot


Tim

 

Definately lots of threads here on the subject, so you can use the search function to search the archives in the C3 section and you will even find pictures.

Short answer is you will definately not need to damage the hood to get it open. There is an oppening on the drivers side of the wiper area that you can put in a long screwdriver and you will press against the hood release latch. Other people have even come from underneath the car to reach the hood latch and you can get at it from that way.

Easiest is with the long screwdriver if you can get it in there and press the latch release.

P.S. - If you can't find the place I can take a pic tonight and post it as i also have a 76.

 

A pic would be great ! Since i live in Az and he's in Oklahoma, I can't do it for him. I'm sure if I were there i could figure it out.

Thanks Tim

 

OK, so I went down to the garage a bit early tonight

The first pic shows you exactly what the hole looks like. The 2nd pic shows where the hole would be. You just press a long screwdriver through that hole and it will press against the back of the hood latch and pop the hood. I have an aftermarket Eckler's wiper area cover so thats why there is a big piece of plastic covering the wiper area. The red cirlce shows right where the hole would be. There might be a small plastic cap that is covering the hole. That's ok as it will pop out in the direction you are pressing with the screwdriver. You can see the small cap sitting on my wiper cover in the 2nd pic.

Just drove the car earlier today and it rained slightly so excuse the dirt on the wiper cover

 

There's a hole on both driver and passenger side.The pass side is right in line with the wiper stud.The driver sde is about 4" over from the edge of the hood.They are lined up so you slide the screwdriver in and press dawn and the release will pop.May tak a little patience till you do it a few times.

 

It does take a bit of mucking around, my cap was on the wrong side which compounded the problem. After the hood was popped I took a piece of s/s rod and bent it to fit exactly in the event of it happening again, then put a rubber plug on the end so as not to scratch anything.

 

I always tell everyone to practice doing it when the hood is working properly. It saved me, when mine actually broke.

 

I too have that cowl cover, and the bad thing is that the crewdriver trick will no longer work.....................

 

Unless you fastened down the cowl cover on the outer edges you should be able to pry up the edge of the cowl cover to get the screwdriver in. On mine, I attached the cowl in the center so that the outer edges can be pried up pretty easily. I hope this is the case with yours, otherwise it would be difficult to get at the hood latch holes.

 

Here is a link to an article with additional photos.

kdf

http://www.madvet.com/shop?store=1&...=236&frame=3852


Pop Your Hood-Not Your Cork


Shown above are some pictures of the hood latches on a '78.

Nothing is more frustrating than pulling on the hood release of your 1968-82 Corvette and having the cable snap! We have observed this happening at nearly every show that we attend. Simple maintenance, such as lubricating and checking the cables for wear will reduce the chance of unexpected failure, but if the worst does occur, there is a simple solution.

Located in the windshield wiper well, just in front of the windshield, are two access ports covered by plastic plugs. These are positioned just behind the hood latches in the engine compartment. Take a few minutes to check the location of the ports and their positions relative to the hood latches. In an emergency, you can push a long screwdriver through these plugs on 1968-76 models and flip the hood latches forward enough to release them. On 1977-82 models, the hood latches may be tripped by prying the drivers side latch lever to the outside. This should release both sides, but if it only releases the driver's side, then repeat the procedure on the passenger's side access port.

A) Shown here is the drivers side hood latch. Insert a long screwdriver (approx. 12") through the grommet from the windshield side and insert the tip into the slot on the latch. Push in the direction of the arrows.

B) Here's a close-up of the drivers side latch with the screwdriver engaging the slot. If the crossover cable isn't broken, this should pop the hood.

C) If the crossover cable is broken, you will need to repeat the procedure on the passenger side. The passenger side latch works a bit differently. Insert the screwdriver to engage the tang shown on the right and lever it down (in the direction of the left-most arrow).

D) The screwdriver only has to be inserted an inch or so to engage the passenger side tang.

Take a few minutes now to check out these access ports and practice the procedure. Its much easier to do if you practice with the hood open and get a feel for the locations and distances to reach these latches. If your cables are old and looking frayed, replacement now would be strongly suggested.

By learning this simple technique, you just may "save the day" for yourself or a fellow Corvette owner.

 

**** this just happened to me, I go to shut the hood, the passenger side closed but the drivers side didn't.
I press down on the drivers side and nothing happens, going to attempt to open the passenger side tomorrow.

 

happoned to me too, what happons is the plastic clip that holds the wire breaks, i did not want to spend the money so i made my own clip :P

 

The hood is open, with the help of Peter, forum member (LT4Coupe) .

trickier job on early C3's if the cross-cable is broken, PM me if it happens to you, and I'll walk you through it.