dawnkashane

I'm stuck on a project....I shut the hood on my 67 coupe and it didn't close all the way. Now, It's jammed in place and the mechanism seems stuck. The lower hook is engaged but the upper hook is resting on the locking bar. Does anyone have any ideas for disengaging the upper hook that doesn't include disconnecting the locking bar? This looks especially tough since the rear bolt is mostly blocked by the latch mechanism. Any and all help is appreciated.

Starfury

Ya know what the problem is? You named the car Christine :P (I hope you're old enough to get that...)

iirc, the lower hook should be able to be moved by hand. Use a screwdriver and lift up on the handle if you need to, but you need to move the lower hook out of the way to lift the hood back up. Spray the mechanism with some degreaser, then lube it up with lithium grease (not WD-40). You might have to pry at it a bit while working the handle to get the upper hook open again.

dawnkashane

Thanks! I did get it and the car wasn't always Christine. It's just fitting that mold recently. I LOVE the car but it seems to have that 'personality'. Usually nice to me, but not for the wife.
The hood came up when I took the bolts out of the entire hood latch bracket. It loosened it up enough to pry the bottom latch off. Found the problem. A 42 year old spring broke in the mechanism and caused the upper latch to bind. New one coming in.
Now I think I"m on to replacing the starter. Went to jump it and nothing. Lights came on but not so much as a crank. Disconnected the battery and tried the direct jump on the cables with the same result. It's alway something....but hey, at least I have something to do.

Thanks for the help!