Help with fornt hood latch ('73 911)

[rpmooreii]

Happy Memorial Day!

I have a problem with the fron hood latch on my '73 911 and after hours of trying to get it free, I am at a complete loss. I am hoping one of the experts can shed a bit of light on the problem.

The problem:

I can not get the front hood to release. Pulling the T handle doe snot release the spring loaded male portion that sits down in the hole in the body.

Background:

I have had this problem to a lesser degree for some time but was always able to get the hood to release by gently pulling the hood to the side. In an attempt to fix this problem I (erroniously) thought that by shortening the male portion that locks the hood down, it would pop out easier when the hod release lever was pulled. Unfortunately, now there is NO" room to even get ones fingers under the lip of the hood. It appears the the male portion (plunger) is not releasing when the lever is pull.

How do I get the hood the release??

Any hep would be appreciated as I have been struggling with this for a couple of hours and it is ruining my Memorial Day holiday )

Thanks,

...Roger

Roger Moore
rpmooreii@yahoo.com

[twistoffat]

its happened to a few people but here´s the procedure

Help! Locked-out of the trunk.

[rpmooreii]

It appears the the male portion (plunger) is not releasing when the lever is pulled. The release cable is intact and when pulled does move the catch away from the plunger. I tested this numerous times before shutting the lid again. Is it possible that the plunger is getting stuck on the fixed plate? If so, then drilling a hole and manually pulling on the release level will NOT release the lid.

I am going to try driving over some even bumps in the hope that body flex will pop the lid. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

...Roger

[SP2]

Accd to the P manual, "If the cable shears, the catch opens automatically." I checked my pull handle on the garage and there is a small screw under the dash, part of the pull handle mechanism. I don't know if that screw would release the handle from the cable or not. Or maybe there is something else under there you could release to disconnect.

[donporfi]

Try this, get help from somebody who pulls the cable release, while you try to open the hood from the front, twist it, push it, it should release.

[rpmooreii]

thanks... but I have been trying to finesse w/ two people (one pulling the release while I gently manipulate the hood) all afternoon to no avail. I just went for a drive over some uneven surfaces while pulling the lever also to no avail.

I am at a total lost and as I stupldly shortened the plunger there is no play to insert anything. Is the hood doomed to never opening again??

[rpmooreii]

Does anybody know of somebody in southwester Montana (near Bozeman or Big Sky) that could help me out?

Thx,

...Roger

[SP2]

Read twistoffat's link above. You will have to cut a hole if the other suggestions didn't work. You'll need to get the front bumper off first. Sorry you're having a hard time with this.

[ossiblue]

You might try putting jacks under the front suspension points and lift the car unevenly causing body twist. You can pull out the cable knob and clamp vice-grips on it to hold it open while you try to finesse the lid at various stages of lifting/twisting.

[rpmooreii]

Hi James. Thanks for the response. I did read the link above.

When you refer to "cutting a hole" are you referring to drilling a hole as in the description in the manual or cutting a hole somewhere else to access the plunger/plate?

Because I verified that the release lever and cable were working before shutting the hood, I do not believe that the former sol'n will prove worthwhile. I fear that I (or somebody I pay) will need to cut a hole somewhere to access the mechanism and get it released. If this is true where do I need to cut? Has anybody else had to do something like this?

Thx,

...Roger

[rpmooreii]

ossi... interesting suggestion...one that I had thought of but has not yet tried as I was not sure how high to jack or of the induced twisting moment might cause some long term issue.

[donporfi]

You cannot remove the bumper without opening the hood on a 73 and for this problem you do not need to. You drill a hole when you have other problem not a stuck plunger.

[SP2]

Give John Walker a call tomorrow at his shop in Seattle. Be ready to take notes cause he is an expert and explains things fast. Good luck!
206.789.6800

[regency]

rpmooreii, the very same thing happened to me with my '73 911 T. I ended up using my long thin MFI adjustment screwdriver. In my case, the hood was not all the way latched down and I was able to slid in the screwdriver and push the latch over and release the hood all the way.

I too was considering removing the bumper untill I tried the above.

Steve

1973 911 MFI T Coupe, Aubergine / E throttle bodies, Cams, MFI pump, J&E pistons & MSD.

[rpmooreii]

Thanks for all the comments. Unfortunately as I continued in my efforts this morning my wife pulled the t handle off the cable... so now my situation has gone from bad to worse. I am now scouring the local body shops in the hope that somebody can help release the hood AND fix the t handle. It has been a bad couple of days (

[regency]

my "T" handle also broke while trying to unlock the latch, Pelican sells replacements.

[rpmooreii]

thx, I just ordered a new handle and cable. Heading to the body shop later in the week w/ fingers crossed.

[Trackrash]

I would try pushing down on the hood while someone pulls on the knob or cable. This worked for me when I adjusted the latch on my car so there was too much tension on it.

[cmcfaul]

use vice grips to keep the handle pulled. Use a pry bar to, as gently as possible, force the hood up.

Same thing happend to me more than once. I screwed the plunger in to get the hood to close tighter and it was too tight to get fingers in there and too tight to open. The above metheod worked and cause no damage.

Chris
73 911 E

[RWebb]

drive over some bumps at an angle