Broken hood release cable...help please
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 2
From: Severna Park Md
Broken hood release cable...help please
Went to open the hood on my 73 today and....POP!!!...the T-handle pulled out of the housing with the cable attached. I guess it broke off where its attached to the latch. Any tricks on how I can get up in there and pull the latch?
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 6
From: Spicewood, Texas, USA TX-Texas
Re: Broken hood release cable...help please (Jvette73)
Jvette, try removing the splash shield behind the left front wheel, and reaching up into the hood latch area until you find the lever on the latch that is activated by the cable. You will have to feel and negotiate your way around your brake booster/MC, assorted hoses and harnesses. Once you have found the lever, move the lever until the hood pops open.
This procedure is much easier on the 70-72s since the side grilles can be removed and you are almost there. I believe this can also be done from the bottom of your 73 IF you have long arms. :lol:
This procedure is much easier on the 70-72s since the side grilles can be removed and you are almost there. I believe this can also be done from the bottom of your 73 IF you have long arms. :lol:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 9,662
Likes: 7
From: Semper ubi, sub ubi
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Re: Broken hood release cable...help please (Jvette73)
I have used a old coat hanger wire with a hook on the end, it takes some concentration and luck, but you can usually get hold of the latching mechanism with the hook and pop it loose.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 2
From: Severna Park Md
Re: Broken hood release cable...help please (Jvette73)
Thanks Chuck and Mark. As a matter a fact my arms are long.....long and skinny. If my long skinny arms wont do it, ill go for the coathanger method. I think I got a few really old coat hangers around here. You know, the thick ones, From back when coat hangers were coat hangers. :D
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 2
From: Severna Park Md
Re: Broken hood release cable...help please (Jvette73)
I reached up in there with my long skinny arms and ...POP!!!!...it opened. I found that the cable had broken just before the clasp. The clasp rig is nowhere to be found. Its probably laying on the ground back at the carshow. I think the cable had too much slack in it to begin with. Hmmm...lets see if I can Bubba rig this thing so i dont have to buy a new one. Hey!!! sometimes Bubbas work is better than original. Anyone agree????
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 2
From: Severna Park Md
Re: Broken hood release cable...help please (Jvette73)
Yes Bubba shines thru again. I found that the hood release cable had snapped off about 1" short of the lever. I corrected this problem by cutting the eye/cable clamp from an old bicycle brake caliper. I also used the cable from the bike brake to feed through the latch and lengthin the broken hood cable. I had to enlarge the hole in the bike caliper clamp so the shortened hood cable would pass thru the eye along side of the bike cable. I fed them thru the eye togeather, took up the slack, tightened the nut and trimmed the excess. Presto, good as new...well, maybe not. It does work fine though. :D
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Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 2
From: Severna Park Md
Re: Broken hood release cable...help please (Jvette73)
Thanks Chuck. Well....its not that I cant afford a hood release cable? Im just kinda tight on spendin good money on things that are not that important.
Tune in next week to see how to replace your cracked windshield with cellaphane. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Tune in next week to see how to replace your cracked windshield with cellaphane. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
