The hood on my 85 has been getting lazy over the last couple years. When I pull the release, one side or the other does not release and pop up. Is this because of the springs weakening or can something be adjusted.

 

Cables probably strectched over time. Alot of guys have attached a short, small rope or cable directly to the latch after experiencing broken cables just incase-they usually run it to the cowling just below the windshield near the wipers so they can reach it and manually release the hood latch. You might try this just to see if in fact your cable has strecthed.

 

On my 88, it was doing the same thing, and I'd have to pull up on the hood while I pulled the release lever to get the hood popped. There's a couple of adjustments you can make. The first is to make sure the cables are able to go far enough to release the pins. At the rear of the hood, on either side, is where the cables end up. There's plastic ends that are threaded. Adjusting these will take care of the problem if the cables are stretched. Have someone pull on the release so you can see the passenger side one.

More likely, it's the hood pins that need adjustment. On the hood, there's 3(maybe 4, but I can't remember off hand) bolts holding the plate in place. Loosening these allows adjustment of the pins. Some people try to adjust it a little at a tiime in the direction they think it needs to go, but the easiest way is to loosen the screws. Loosen all of them but leave one a little snug. It should be enough that you can move the plate around by hand with a little effort. Then, let the hood shut from about 6 or 8 inches. Make sure it shut all the way. Pop the hood and tighten down all the plate bolts. If it's done right, the hoods will align themselves perfectly and you're hood will release when you pull the lever.