1970 broken hood release cable

[R N.]

Hi All,

Upon returning home from a drive today, I pulled my hood release cable and I ended up with the T-handle and length of wire in my hand. My LH hood is open but the RH side is close.

Checking the archieves, I should be able to gain access to the RH hood pin from the passenger side windshield wiper area by removing the grill behind the back of the hood, OR via access through the side fender vent (grill). What's going to get the job done the fastest way?

If I go through the w/w area way, is it the cable I access or the hood release bracket?

[Anthony M.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

This has happened to me twice and removal of the grille was the easiest. Just reach up and feel around for the release.

If your left side is open you can also reach in and grab the release that is attached to the underside of the hood and connects the left and right releases. That will only work if the cable broke near the T handle which seems to be your issue. In my case the cable under the hood broke so I had to manually release the latches through the grilles.

[R N.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

This has happened to me twice and removal of the grille was the easiest. Just reach up and feel around for the release.

If your left side is open you can also reach in and grab the release that is attached to the underside of the hood and connects the left and right releases. That will only work if the cable broke near the T handle which seems to be your issue. In my case the cable under the hood broke so I had to manually release the latches through the grilles.

Anthony,

Are you talking about the side grille or the grille behind the hood? FYI, I have 14.5" of wire on the end of my T-handle - I think the wire pulled out of the cable stop.
Thank you for the help.

[Jim T.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

The preferred way on my original owner 70 is to remove the driver's side fender grille. Remove one 3/8 nut or 7/16 nut on the bottom stud bolt, and two philips head chrome screws and carefully remove grille. Feel for the hood latch lever that the under dash pull is/was connected to.
Wish my 68 was this easy.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

Hi All,

Upon returning home from a drive today, I pulled my hood release cable and I ended up with the T-handle and length of wire in my hand. My LH hood is open but the RH side is close.

Checking the archieves, I should be able to gain access to the RH hood pin from the passenger side windshield wiper area by removing the grill behind the back of the hood, OR via access through the side fender vent (grill). What's going to get the job done the fastest way?

If I go through the w/w area way, is it the cable I access or the hood release bracket?

Kurt------


The easiest way for you is going to be simply raising the left side of the hood as far as you can and then reaching in with a hook-shaped tool (maybe a bent clothes hanger wire) and pulling the hood release lever so that it activates the cross cable and releases the right side latch.

[Alan S.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

Hi Kurt,
I believe this is the lever you want to push on to release both sides of the hood. You reach it by coming up along the left side of the master cylinder.
You an see the rub mark on the tab from the 'finger' that the hood release cable operates.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

[Joe L.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

Hi Kurt,
I believe this is the lever you want to push on to release both sides of the hood. You reach it by coming up along the left side of the master cylinder.
You an see the rub mark on the tab from the 'finger' that the hood release cable operates.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

Alan------


Yes, with the left side hood latch released as it apparently is, all that needs to be done is lift the left side hood as far as it will go without breaking anything, reach in with a hooked tool and pull the lever. The right side will then release and the problem is over. It's only when BOTH side latches fail to release that a more complicated process is necessary.

By the way, repairing the broken release cable problem is quite easy. Purchase a new cable assembly (the GM part is discontinued but available in reproduction). Remove the handle and cable from the bracket and sheath assembly. Insert the new handle and cable into the existing bracket and sheath. Connect the cable end through the appropriate hole in the lower hood latch and fasten the retainer (I use TWO retainers). Done.

Trying to replace the entire cable, bracket and sheath assembly is a lot more work and unnecessary in about 99.5% of the cases. Although reproduction assemblies are available in both the belden cable-type sheath and the plastic type sheath depending on year model, it's still usually unnecessary to replace the bracket and sheath. I think that one of the vendors might even have started selling just the cable and handle without the need to also buy the bracket and sheath. I hope so because I'll bet that a lot of these bracket and sheath assemblies have been discarded over the years OR unnecessarily installed at great effort and frustration.

One other thing: the 1968-79 cable and handle assemblies used a monofilament ("solid") wire cable. 1980-82 used a stranded wire cable. The 1980-82 style was sold in SERVICE for many years by GM for all 1968-82 Corvettes. In reproduction one can purchase a cable assembly with either monofilament or stranded cable. In fact, in reproduction one can purchase the monofilament with either metal sheath or plastic sheath. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the STRANDED wire design for ALL 1968-82 Corvettes. It operates much more smoothly than the monofilament. More important, it will not work-harden and break like the monofilament. It will be essentially "immortal". Also, although it was never used by GM with the metal sheath, it will work fine in any 1968-77 with original metal sheath.

[R N.]

Re: 1970 broken hood release cable

Thank you everyone for the help - I will attemp to get the hood open on the week-end.