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I've been trying to get the hood up on my 76 for days now. I tried everything people have told me to try to get the latch to pop. Well a few minutes ago i reached up from under the car again and grabbed the latch and started pulling pieces of it off easily. At this point I think the latch is busted, jammed , or stuck on something and none of the conventional methods of popping the latch are working. What should my course of action be now? Is there any way to get the hood off without getting it off the latches? Thanks
Pull up the side that opens and reach in along top and grab latch cable and pull. If your lucky it will pop, if not grind off the hinge bolts in the wheel wells and pull up the front while helper is pulling cable. Should pop. Thats what I had to do w/my 76 when I put on a new hood that wasnt adjusted right.
Last edited by gjohnson; Apr 16, 2017 at 07:47 PM.
unsure of what you've tried.... try pulling the hood from side to side while someone pulls on release cable with medium force...then if unsuccessful, try pushing down a little and repeat the same procedure...then if unsuccessful, try popping area above latches with fist
if that doesn't work, call it a day and drink 6 to 12 beers
Last edited by jimvette999; Apr 17, 2017 at 04:20 PM.
I've been trying to get the hood up on my 76 for days now. I tried everything people have told me to try to get the latch to pop. Well a few minutes ago i reached up from under the car again and grabbed the latch and started pulling pieces of it off easily. At this point I think the latch is busted, jammed , or stuck on something and none of the conventional methods of popping the latch are working. What should my course of action be now? Is there any way to get the hood off without getting it off the latches? Thanks
The 68-72 cars had a trick to pop the latches from the intake grille area.
Yours doesn't.
I went through the same thing with my long hood CE.
1. Do either of them open?
2. I put a movers blanket on the hood...nice and thick.
3. We'll assume for a second you are trying to open the pass side...
Push down on the hood a little bit at the latch area....do you hear a little click when the pin from the hood 'finds it's limit' Upper and lower??? you want to be in the middle of that range
Put weights on hood until the pin is JUST unloaded.... sneak up on it! Have someone pull hood up when you hear the latch move.
Bingo.....repeat as necessary. The pin may be jamming the latch.
This also works well for the long hood guys with the bail type keepers not pins.
With patience and the right wrench it's possible to unbolt the front hinge bolts from the inside the front wheel well.
I've done it already.
Once the hinges are free you can carefully lift it from the front and access the rear latches.
When my car was paint the painter unbolt the central cable, passenger side latche would not open, that's how I saved the day.
C3 hood latch broken
