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Topic: Hood is stuck

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Hood is stuck (1/21)
 11/30/14 12:43pm
74-454Lifetime Member
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, - Canada

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Coupe 74 - 454 Drive it like you stole it!


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Hello

My hood is stuck in a weird way.

When I pull the handle, both sides pop out but the driver side is still stuck. It does pop up, but it is still being held by mysterious forces.

I enlisted my wife to keep the handle pulled while I wrestle it, but to no avail.

I'm a bit at a loss here.  I see the access hole (if I pop the plug out), but what's next even if I do that.  I wouldn't know what to pull/push with a wire.  The service manual/Haynes/assembly manual did not help me much.

It would be worth mentioning that I removed my hood a while ago and when I put it back, it was not aligned by 1/8" to 1/4".  Kind of tilting right to left.

Any suggestions?  I do have a hacksaw, but would like to avoid it.

Thanks!
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Re: Hood is stuck (2/21)
 11/30/14 2:24pm
F4GaryGold Member
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Grapevine, TX - USA

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1972 LT-1 convertible with factory air.


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Is the front of the hood binding on the body?  

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Re: Hood is stuck (3/21)
 11/30/14 4:42pm
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Hood is not binding on the body. There is a gap/spacing all around, just not even as it should. The nose part might rub a tad.
Re: Hood is stuck (4/21)
 12/1/14 1:29pm
eboLifetime Member
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Can you see for sure that the latch is actually released, can you get one more set of hands.... One holding the cable release latch, one pulling the hood to the off side  and one pushing toward that off side. Maybe it is just cocked to one side as you described?

ebo



|UPDATED|12/1/2014 10:29:18 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Re: Hood is stuck (5/21)
 11/30/14 8:41pm
tb2k82ceLifetime Member
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If what ebo says does not work.  I saw a thread on making a tool and how to use it to pop the hood.  I'm thinking it was on this forum about 3-4 years ago. 

Let us know if you need some help researching it.  It could have been a Google or the Collector forum also.  Just let me know and I can try to retrace my steps if nothing else works. 

I just do not want to go through that work if you can Ebo it open.
Re: Hood is stuck (6/21)
 12/1/14 2:17pm
Adams' AppleLifetime Member
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IF the hood has popped up on both sides, pulling the latch is a waste, since it has already released the latches on both sides. What has prolly happened is that since the hood is shifted to one side, it is hanging on the cone spring of the male part of the latch. Try pushing DOWN slightly on that side while also pushing the hood side-to-side, and then lifting. It's a ballet of movements, but it sounds harder to do than it actually is. Once you get it open, adjust the hood properly, so this won't happen again(theoretically, that is...).Thumbs Up

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Re: Hood is stuck (7/21)
 12/1/14 3:11pm
F4GaryGold Member
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Yea, unlatched, I can move the aft edge of my hood back and forth about a quarter of an inch (slop in the hinges I guess).

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Re: Hood is stuck (8/21)
 12/1/14 3:16pm
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, - Canada

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Joel's description of what "prolly" happened is most likely right-on, since both sides do pop when I pull the release, just that one side is still stuck somehow.

Can't wait to try this later tonight.

Stay tuned for updates and thanks for all the replies.

Re: Hood is stuck (9/21)
 12/1/14 6:57pm
eboLifetime Member
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Adams' Apple said: IF the hood has popped up on both sides, pulling the latch is a waste, since it has already released the latches on both sides. What has prolly happened is that since the hood is shifted to one side, it is hanging on the cone spring of the male part of the latch. Try pushing DOWN slightly on that side while also pushing the hood side-to-side, and then lifting. It's a ballet of movements, but it sounds harder to do than it actually is. Once you get it open, adjust the hood properly, so this won't happen again(theoretically, that is...).Thumbs Up



So glad I got you on the right track...... brother Joel!

So think you'll see snow for xmas............???

ebo



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Re: Hood is stuck (10/21)
 12/1/14 7:01pm
eboLifetime Member
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Steph..... please don not say hack saw and Corvette in same sentence...... ;)

Good Luck,

ebo



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Re: Hood is stuck (11/21)
 12/5/14 10:34am
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, - Canada

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Update : no update...

I tried every day for 5 or 10 minutes, but still no go.

I'll try to reach through the hole (near wiper) with a long screw driver and play with that for a bit.  If it's still a NO-GO, then I will try to get to the brackets bolts (at the spring) and loosen them up a bit.  It that doesn't work, I will try to reach for the hinge bolts (looks iffy, I think the radiator is in the way).

Good luck to me and my knuckles.

I am also thinking of raising the car on the driver side and try something from under, but with a big block, not much space to go around.

Re: Hood is stuck (12/21)
 12/5/14 1:16pm
CCasey
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On a somewhat related issue, I just recently installed a pair of emergency hood release cables just in case my primary hood release cable ever breaks.  Got them at Corvette Central and were very easy to install.  (You never know.)



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Re: Hood is stuck (13/21)
 12/6/14 3:54pm
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Update #2: Half-way through (the easy half).

I was able to loosen the hinges bolts on the passenger side which gave me a bit of wiggle room, but still not enough to disengage the stuck "cone head".

I went through just about every forum post that had the word "hood" in it.  Many suggests to go through the front grill or from under the car.  Breaking news: Even the light of my flashlight doesn't reach that area, so this is not happening. Don't know if it's because I have a 74 or because I have a big block or simply because I have a radiator (duh), but there is not way to reach those except from the wheel well.

I am not able to reach on the driver side (through the wheel well like I did on the passenger side).  The hood support bracket is in the way.  I tried to remove it from under, but realised it's also held from by a 4th bolt; from the top.

SO, on the driver side, I took my dremel and flatten the bottom of the 2 screws (pointy bolts) of the hood hinge and then made a groove so I can use a flat screw driver.  The torque required is too high and it distorts the bolt (well, half the bolt at this point...).

Unless someone has a super good idea in the next few hours; I'm going to shave the bolt even more and then drill it out from under.

MAJOR PITA if you ask me and what's left of my knuckles and my back.

Time spent so far on this; 6 hours.


Re: Hood is stuck (14/21)
 12/7/14 6:20pm
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Resolved! After working my way through the wheel fenders, growing a second elbow and rewriting the book on 1001 new fun ways to swear; the hood is free from his captor. Thanks to my new 26.67$ combo wrench. It's got curves and is longer than standard wrench by 1", which made a world of difference. Put this thing on your XMAS list, great stocking stuffer.
Re: Hood is stuck (15/21)
 12/7/14 8:50pm
dads2vetteLifetime Member
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Congrats!!Thumbs Up  Did end up being the spring that was bent or the hood misaligned or gremlins?

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Re: Hood is stuck (16/21)
 12/8/14 12:16pm
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dads2vette said: Congrats!!Thumbs Up  Did end up being the spring that was bent or the hood misaligned or gremlins?


Misalignment.  I rushed it when I moved 3 years ago and now that I'm getting back to finish a few of my projects, I'm paying for my mistakes.  Since winter is fully installed here in Quebec, I just took the hood out and it will stay that way until spring.  In the meantime, I can work on my list without having the hood in the way.


Re: Hood is stuck (17/21)
 12/8/14 1:34pm
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Equinunk, PA - USA

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Thumbs Up  YUP! I have a couple of those wrenches myself. VERY useful. Glad all is well. Hope you have a heated garage, I don't, so I only work till I get cold. Couple hours maybe.

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Re: Hood is stuck (18/21)
 12/8/14 2:23pm
F4GaryGold Member
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So what exactly did you do with that wrench?

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Re: Hood is stuck (19/21)
 12/12/14 10:14am
Cory454
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My hood is a tad off.  I was going to adjust myself but after reading this thread I think I will head to the local bodyshop.  Glad you got it opened.

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HELP: Hood is REALLY F stuck (20/21)
 2/10/18 5:39pm
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1969 with L88 427 and L88 hood.  Hood release cable snapped.  I am in through the driver's side fender and can move the lever to release the mechanism from underneath. But, there is next to no movement when I try to pull the hood open from above.  On the right side, I can grab the cable with a fireplace poker from underneath the car and pull down on it.  But, again, no movement when I try and pull it open from above.  I am 10 hours and every swear word into this and will soon need a chiropractor and shrink.  Do I need to cut the hood off of the car?!  Readers on this forum likely know, but I want to emphasize how little space, visibility and accessibility is afforded with a 427.
 
Re: Hood is stuck (21/21)
 2/11/18 5:57pm
BillHanna
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Cana, VA - USA

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When I first got my '75 the hood would not release because it was not aligned right.  My solution was to drive on a rough road (we live off of a gravel road) while pulling on the hood release.  After a few bumps it released.
I can't imagine trying to unbolt it from underneath. . .



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