'72 911E Front Hood Release Mechanism
 

I am about finished restoring my '72 E. I installed the hood and release cable mechanism. It worked fine for a day or 2, but now it releases partially, but not enough to slide my hand and pull the tab to completely release the "hook" and free the hood. The gap between the front of the hood and bumper seal is not enough to slide my fingers and pull the tab.

My guess is that the screw that locks the cable to the mechanism was not tightened enough, and the cable has moved a bit, thus not releasing completely.

This problem is probably already addressed at this site, but I cannot find it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hood release.....
 

The factory shop manual shows the way to open the hood if the cable breaks. You will have to remove the front bumper first, then on the driver's side of the front panel, you should see a rubber plug. Remove the plug, bend a small hook on the end of a stiff wire (coat hanger, etc.) and reaching thru the hole, catch the lever and pull to your right (when facing the car). That should release the hood.
Hope this helps! Good luck.

Can you slip a bent wire in there to grab the mechanism and release it that way? You may need to get clever and use a flashlight and some uncomfortable postions to see what you are doing, but I would try this before cutting your tub.

You may also want to have an assistant move the hood from side to side (gently) while you pull to see if that help in releasing the hood.