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Sure could use some help on my 68' hood popping open while driving from some of the veterans on this forum. I'm quite aware that this topic has been covered endlessly, but the threads I have read have mostly indicated it's best to leave it alone. While I understand the pitfalls of the hood not opening, are there any suggestions which are "relatively" safe to try. This problem is really starting to annoy me, so any suggestions would be welcome. My 68' had the hood removed for some work that was done and now the driver's side pops open after about 3-5 minutes of less than spirited driving.
I have adjusted the male hood pin up and down to no avail. But, I did notice that the female latch on the hood does not close completely on the driver's side due to the cable that controls both latches being too loose (see pic). There is no more adjustment to tighten up the slack (see pic), so I was contemplating a new cable or adding some tension to the existing one through various methods. I also have not tried the centering of the male hood pin to the female latch yet - is that a "safe" adjustment?
Thanks for the quick response. I checked the pin and while it is still flat and square, it does have noticeable wear. I will order a new set of pins.
Given that the cable between the female latches on the hood is not closing the latch fully on the driver's side, could that be a problem as well? I doesn't have the same tension that the passenger side has, thus possibly not allowing it to grip the pin securely when the hood closes.
yes, that frayed cable is no bueno.
and do basics, make tool, align.
what do you mean, doesn't close as much?
a lot of adjustments, trial error.
Don't just change parts.
good luck
Thanks Peterbuilt - I will make that tool ASAP. Hopefully that will resolve it. This car was very clean when I bought it and I also enjoy detailing cars. Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks Calwldlife as well. I will order up a new left to right cable. What I meant regarding the female latch not closing enough is that the passenger side latch with the hood up is spring loaded and in a more closed state vs. the driver side where there is no tension on the latch and it is more "open" - see my original picture of that latch. The left-right cable should apply tension to the left latch and close the opening more, but the cable is frayed and worn eliminating any further adjustment to make it more taught. I'll post a picture of the passenger latch which is clearly more closed so you see what I'm referring to.
Here is the picture of the passenger latch - where the hole is filled in much more with the latch mechanism itself, than on the driver side - see original post showing the driver's side. If you pull on the left-right cable, the driver's latch becomes more engaged and looks exactly like the passenger's side picture. Again this all relates back to the left-right cable having no more tension adjustment available - thus it can't apply the proper tension to the driver's side latch. I'll replace it.
Looking at your pictures it looks like you have late ‘69 latch assembly. With the larger pin you should align the pin to the hole in the latch not so much as the up an down adjustment. The larger pin works better then the ‘68 early ‘69 pin and latch assembly.
Bandit54 - Thanks for pointing out something I would have never realized. Here is what I found online at Top Flight. So, if I install this 69L pin assembly, then that should mate up with my 69' latch assembly much better and hopefully secure the hood so that it doesn't pop open - is that correct?
Looking at your pictures it looks like you have the correct pins for your latches. The cable needs replacement for sure but be careful for which cable you get. Measure the length to make sure you get the right cable. What it looks like to me you just need to align the pin to your latches. Get good alignment then take your time setting up the cable you should be fine. Do you have a way to measure the diameter of he pins that way you would know for sure what pins you have. Late ‘69 pins are around .937 in diameter the ‘68 pins are around.780 in diameter.
The pin is .757", which would indicate a 68' pin with some wear. Would you still suggest getting the 69' Late pins or would a new 68' pin that is closer to .780 do the trick?
I'm starting to think the left to right cable is my main culprit - it can't be adjusted to remove the slack, therefore leaving the driver side latch without any tension. My existing cable is frayed, so I'm hesitant to remove it to measure it without a new one on hand. The 68-69' cable is 34.25" long, while the 69L - 76' is 33" long. Any thoughts on which one to order, given my 69L latch? I'm thinking I have the 34.25" 68-69' cable now, which would explain why I have no further adjustment to remove the slack - see adjuster pic below set at the maximum tension already..
The cable is your problem, but what’s throwing me a curve is your pin size. The picture of pin on the drivers side looks like the larger size. The picture of the passenger side latch on the hood I can only see just the corner of it looks like a late ‘69 which mean it should be the larger hole requiring the larger pin. Do you have away to measure the hole size in both latches? And can you post a better picture of the latch on the passenger side. While your doing that I going to take a picture of the two pins to show you the difference.
The latches are late ‘69, the hole size on the laches that I have are 1.355 for the late ‘69 and 1.200 for the ‘68. The picture of the pins to me are ‘68. That combination is not good there’s to much clearance between the pin size and the hole. Normal clearance between the two is around .420. With what you have it’s over a half inch. That would be a problem you could probably get them to work but would not be easy. Best thing is a new cable and to new pins for late ‘69-7?
what you have on your hood is what I have on my 69 L88 hood. When I changed to an L88 hood on my ‘68 I went with a ‘69 hood because of the larger pin size it fit better and holds better because the larger pin has a better shoulder to lock on. I’m using a 33 inch cable that I got from Corvette America part number 2346. I have a 34 inch cable and it’s to long to get proper tension.
I have a couple pins you can have if you want them I can’t help you with the cable.
68' Hood Releasing While Driving
