So the other day I was going to release the hood latch on my 73 98 and the release cable came off the latch I das a mini heart attack well trying everything and calling a few people nothing worked I even dropped the sway bar and tried crawling up in the bay with my arm trying to open the latch but the dang nose is so long I was about a foot too short I had to cut a hole in my hood to open it looks like the bushing that held the cable in place came off and wrecked my world

 

So you already cut the hood? Did you try using a coat hanger? Sucks if you lost your hood.

 

I spent 3 days trying to get her open coat hangers slim jims wire you name it I tried it gotta do what you gotta do I got another hood sourced just need to get up money and go get her

 

hope you can fabricate a way for it not to happen again.

 

I'm gonna get to working on that tomorrow

 

There was no way to get to the latch by removing one of the grilles???

 

Nope I'll have to take a video tomorrow and show it's easier that way

 

Not gonna be a negative slug here but. more creative measures could have been taken. been doing body work for over 10 years and i have done lots to safely open seized latches and what not. dropping the bumper and removing the grilles should have given you enough room to safely get the hood open.

 

And again I will say if I had saw a better way I would have I thought about that too and I got down to doing so realized it would t work and did what I had to

 

Cutting a hood to get it open is the big hammer approach. More critical thinking would have probably paid off and im 100 percent sure of that.

I have had it happen many times in the shop and cutting a hole in the hood isnt an option. Your car has a huge advantage in that you can drop the bumper and many parts to access the latch and probably split the latch in half then grind the remiander from the striker on the hood. Then all you would need is a latch assembly.

On more modern cars like early 2000's impalas its not so simple as you cant really remove the bumper with out the hood being open. I have had to go underneath with long reach carbides and grind the bolts off the latch and cut the cable to open it without causing damage.

1hr grinding off bolts 50 bucks in parts and we did what many shops told that customer they couldnt do.

 

Drop the front bumper and take hood off then the driver fender.

 

wow

 

Looks like Bill has dropped off the radar again.