Cavu2u

Here's a good one for ya (and it sucks for me) . Askin for help.
Had the Hood off for Tranny/Engine R&R. Engine/Transmission now installed and hood on with alignment to my satisfaction for now.
While hood was off, was a good idea to cleanup the lower latch mechanisms. You know, the the cone/spring units attached with 2 nuts. Never disconnected the PULL OPEN cable on the LH unit.
I put the units in place and loosely installed the nuts so the unit could later be adjusted. Mistake #1. Should have left both removed until ready to align them.
Leaned over the lowered hood (Mistake #2) to reach for something (Mistake #3) and click! Upper LH Latch engaged the Cone on the lower Latch. Should have been aware of the risk.
Pulling the Hood Open cable has so far no effect on release. The 2 nuts holding the unit on the car are loose, allowing movement of the unit and not so much of the cable's effectiveness. Looking up from the lower Splash Guard opening, it appears not too much can be done from there. I haven't explored the removable-grommet-on-the-fire wall possibilities yet. I did slide some stiff cardboard underneath the RH Hood Latch so as not to engage THAT ONE!

Any ideas?
THANKS.

Steve

Mooser

At least that's a NEW version of the stuck hood problem. Kind of refreshing in a strange way
M

69L88

Do you have enough room to fish a piece of closeline/similar texture rope around the nuts and spin them off?

Cavu2u

Ya know I did make up a Slim-Jim with an angled cutout on the end to fish around with, while a block of wood jammed in the Pull Open Handle is holding cable out. Don't really know what I'm fishing for though.

Steve

Mooser

Well here's a reminder of what's there to guide your blind poking around


(ignore the acorn nuts and everything else that's wrong but at least it might help you imagine what you're feeling)
M

Cavu2u

Thanks M.
I never mentioned the latch is NOT fully engaged. To me, it's the bottom edge of the cone bolt that's hanging up somewhere on the big hole's edge in the hood. That half-moon lock piece is disengaged from the cone bolt, so pullin on the cable doesn’t do squat. Have to figure out where around the hood's hole the cone contact is, then move either the lower base or the hood (by way of grabbing and moving it) in the direction to free it.

Am I missing something here?

Steve

Mooser

No sounds like that's where it's would be caught. Keep in mind that the half-moon can still grab the mushroom even when retracted.
About all you might be able to do is either try to unscrew the nuts like mentioned above, if they are loose you might be able to "rub" them with a bent section of hacksaw blade (tape off everything but the teeth to keep it from scratching the crap out of everything) and push along the passenger side of the nuts...

Or try making something to grab the bolt under the mushroom and randomly move it in all directions to see if you can center it in the latch hole like you're thinking


M

4corvettes

Try to loosen the hinge bolts from the front end through the grille. Or maybe go through the wheel well up through the A arm flaps. I believe I remember another member did so this way. Once those hinge bolts are loose, you can wiggle the hood around and get it to release. Good luck

Cavu2u

Great Picture my friend. Helps me visualize things.

Like right now, with the cable not pulled, the half-moon latch piece is pushing on the cone bolt to the hood hole's windshield direction/side. Perhaps pushing the cone bolt (base) toward the car's forward direction (opposite the latch piece) will clear the cone's edge free from the hole and I can then celebrate a needless/preventable loss of just 2 hours of progress.

Thank you much M.

Steve

Cavu2u

It crossed my mind to take that approach. But I thought those bolts were inaccessible so I never checked.
Yet.

Thanks much.
Steve

Mooser

You can't get at the hinge bolts with the hood closed
M

Cavu2u

It's just too thin of a working area in there between the hood and the cone bolt's height. Hood doesn't raise high enough to get even a thin wrench between hood and fender to reach any bolts. The 2 nuts securing the LH base latch to the car are even recessed a little. Good thought though.
I did have enough lift to reach and finger off the nuts on the RH base latch and removed it. So that risk is eliminated.
Always learning.

Thank you sir.
Steve

Mooser

The other thing is that without the hood fully closed on the drivers side, the part that pushes on the latch to open it might not push it fully open when you pull the handle
I think the 73 still had the gromets in the wiper bay that would allow you to get a bent rod into push that latch manually
Removing the splash pan under the fender allows you to (with much screwing around) reach up from underneath and trip it manually with a stick or something, don't think you can go in from the fender vent on yours

The more I think about it the more I'd try to undo those two nuts and let the hood take the male part up with it
M

Catfish4818

You may be referring to this post of mine from a few days ago -


My hood got stuck after I'd removed and reinstalled it. One of the worst 'sticks' I ever had; I could release earlier 'sticks' by removing and reaching up through the fender grates.

This one was so bad, I had to go into the front wheel wells to free up the front hinges and give me fore and aft movement that got it unstuck. On the passenger side, the hinge bolts were attached with nuts that I was able to spin off. The driver's side was tougher. The hinge bolts were threaded into weld nuts; I had to use a sawzall and a grinder to remove the weld nuts. I reinstalled that side with nuts and new bolts. Ugly, but it worked.

Good luck with your problem.

4corvettes

I did see your post. I have also done it myself on my 68 Corvette. I went through the front grill. I still think you can get to them through the wheel well as well. Maybe the rubber bumper on the 73 does not allow it. I think the OP has a 73?

Eliredandblack

I was in a similar predicament and wasted an hour with the stupid rod that is supposed to go through the hole Chevy put in the wiper trough. The simple way to get the hood open is to first remove the drivers side rocker panel, which will allow you to remove the flat splashguard. Next lay on the floor and reach your arm / hand up toward the latch mechanism through the space vacated by the splats guard. Your fingers will be moving the latch that is mounted on the hood and what you are doing is bypassing the cable that goes under the dash. I have a 73 and this worked for me after wasting time with the bent rods, I also stuck some sticky Velcro tape on the latch so that when it happens again my fingers will find the latch in no time. Go to a vendors manual or Google a picture of a 73 latch so you will know what/ where to push. The latch is easy to move with your fingers. Good Luck

Cavu2u

Thanks Folks!
It's a toughie alright.

One of the 1st things I did was just SEE what I could get at from the bottom.

I can get up & through the maze of wire, cables, push rods and lines to reach it.
But what for? The hood release cable has done it's job in freeing the cone bolt from the upper latch (actually the hood never came down hard/far enough to fully latch the cone bolt). Lucky huh.


Yes indeed; '73s have access plugs too. Perhaps THIS may be my solution to allow me to push the loose lower latch mount in order to free that cone bolt from the hood hole's edge it's hanging up on. May have to push down a little on the hood while moving the latch mount in case it's spring tension on the ring that surrounds the cone bolt is like sandwiching the works in place along an edge of the hole (which I think it probably is. Wouldn't be surprised anyway). Will try it in the morning.

Thanks again.
Steve

Cavu2u

Came up with these tools to see if they help free the hood hole from the loosely attached lower mount.

You recognize the Door Spring Installation Tool. Running that thing through the wiper bay hole may move the bottom mount (cone bolt) away from the hood hole's edge where it's grabbing onto and free the hood to raise.
We'll see.

Steve

71 Green 454

Is the '73 latch the same as a '74? Here's photo of a '74 that shows the access hole on the drivers side.

Cavu2u

GREAT PHOTOS!
Now I know what I am trying to push on while I work in the blind.
Extremely helpful.

Steve