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I'll say it up front I absolutely hate the hood latch mechanism on my 1969. A couple of times it failed on me... what a nightmare. To this day, every time I pull the cable, I hold my breath. And I pop my hood every time I take it for a drive.
Is there an elegant, discreet, solid, reliable product out there that I could install ? There are so many cheap, janky looking ones that I don't want near my car.
Not specific about a 68, but on my 78, there are only 2 cables, one short from the cabin to under the hood and one across from one side to the other. Once the initial adjustment of the parts are done there shouldn't be any problems. How old are your cables? There are some different ideas for emergency cables that might help you out rather than hood pins.
The factory setup works fine when it's in good condition. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine is that hood pins are really tacky. Especially if you install them because you didn't know how to fix the factory hood release.
The factory setup works fine when it's in good condition. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine is that hood pins are really tacky. Especially if you install them because you didn't know how to fix the factory hood release.
What's great about the car hobby is it's your car, you do what you want, some will approve of what you do and some will not.
The plus sides of hood pins are the look racy, they're functional and practical..... You could do a couple of dzus fasteners too.... just putting ideas out there.
What's great about the car hobby is it's your car, you do what you want, some will approve of what you do and some will not.
The plus sides of hood pins are the look racy, they're functional and practical..... You could do a couple of dzus fasteners too.... just putting ideas out there.
Hmmmmm. Dzus. I hadn't thought of those Gotta think about that one.
You know, the M21 worked fine… I installed a TKX. The carb also worked fine and I am very well versed in tuning them. Time for EFI
One issue with the C3, the hood is not symmetric. The stock latch locations are offset, so you'll likely need to do some fiberglass work to move one of them.
One alternative is to run emergency release cables down to where you can reach them under the car. There should be a few threads on this on the Forum.
In the 60’s and 70’s, GM (and the others) when they mass produced our cars, they were subject to the bean-counters. I remind you that we had to wait till now for the mid-engine. As such, many things are brilliant and durable. Others are flimsy compromises. There are more than enough threads out there on hood latch failures and the dismal options one has to get out of the bind. I don’t trust the OEM in this case. A cable that runs across the hood from one latch to another is shitty engineering. Too many possible failure points.
Be that as it may, the point of this thread is about elegant hood pins. Not my incompetence with OEM.
Last edited by DorianC3; Mar 25, 2024 at 04:30 PM.
One issue with the C3, the hood is not symmetric. The stock latch locations are offset, so you'll likely need to do some fiberglass work to move one of them.
One alternative is to run emergency release cables down to where you can reach them under the car. There should be a few threads on this on the Forum.
Thanks. The car is blue. I’m thinking that black latches would indeed be more elegant.
I love my tacky hood pins! Couldn't find a better picture. I did my pins so they were symmetrical and not in the factory passenger side location. Very easy to do.
Not sure how those quick latch would work as our hoods have a very uneven surface on the underside where those latches are. Not sure how they would install. I like them though and would look really nice!
Theres one guy on here that installed the hood pins on the wrong end of his hood! (Fake of course but it looks silly to me because any vette owner would know they are fake right away.)
My uncle has pins on his 76 and they work well for him. I'm wishing I had them right now as my hood has been stuck closed since october and im having a hell of a time getting it open this time (second time this has happened coincidentally both times were after a car show) I have an aftermarket hood and my car has seen a rough life before me as I purchased it as a parts car more or less.
I have a 77. So my hood latches are completely opposite of the early cars. In all the years I have owned this car. And 2 different hoods I might add.
never an issue. But I've seen so very many posts on here over the years about hoods that won't open. That I installed backup emergency release cables.
Have never needed them.
But about once a year or so I test them. They work.
Hood pins? Why not?
Hood pin solution
the hood latch mechanism on my 1969. A couple of times it failed on me... what a nightmare. To this day, every time I pull the cable, I hold my breath. And I pop my hood every time I take it for a drive.
Gotta think about that one. 
