I guess it was inevitable that it would happen one day...and yesterday was my day. Came back from a beautiful morning drive, pulled into the garage and pulled the hood release (so I could unscrew the green knob on my battery safety switch and plug in the Battery Minder) and the left side (driver's) popped up but the passenger side didn't. Got out and pushed the driver's side back down and tried again with the same results. Went inside and got the wife and had her sit in the driver's seat and pull and hold out the hood release as I tried to push/pull up the passenger's side...no luck. I have to assume the barrel nut has come loose on the passenger side release lever but, obviously, can't see for sure. Who has the magic answer for releasing the right side hood latch?? Thanks, in advance, as always for you assistance.
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Leif
'67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
Top Flight 2017 Lone Star Regional -
Re: '67 hood won't open
Leif, Try removing the triangular splash shield below the battery. With it removed you may be able to reach up and unlatch it. Good luck. Bill -
Re: '67 hood won't open
That's what Bill is talking about as the normal battery location is on the right side.Comment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
You can also reach it with a coat hanger between the manifold and the frame, or from above. It requires a little finesse since the spring is pretty strong.Comment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
And if your car has factory AC, then the task becomes a bit more difficult due to the outer AC box and associated hoses. But it can be done from underneath, with the triangle splash shield removed, using a heavy wooden dowel or shortened broom handle. You need to "catch" the hood pin release lever and move it to open/release the latch.
Once under the car and the shield removed, you should be able to see what broke and where is the correct place to put your wooden dowel extension.
LarryComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
I did fail to mention in my original post that this is a factory A/C car. The battery is on the left hand side with a access door in the left fender well. But, there is no access door in the right hand wheel well. I know there has to be a way to get to this latch but I just can't see how. Surely the General anticipated this issue when designing the hood latches. Please keep the suggestions coming.Leif
'67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
Top Flight 2017 Lone Star RegionalComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
Read my post again (#5). You access the hood latch from UNDER THE CAR after removing THE TRIANGULAR SPLASH SHIELD THAT IS UNDERNEATH THE CAR. The car must be jacked up so you can slide underneath it, and laying on your back with a trouble light, reach up into the engine compartment with a wooden dowel and move/release the latch connector.
It can be done this way………….others have used this method successfully………even on factory AC cars.
LarryComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
OK, Larry. I wasn't understanding clearly...was, obviously, thinking of an access panel in the wheel well. I now know exactly what you're saying and I will give that a try. Thanks for the suggestion and the reassurance that it has been done successfully in the past.Leif
'67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
Top Flight 2017 Lone Star RegionalComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
Fellow member Dave Zuberer and i put a doc together recently that may have some info to help with some pics and tips beginning at Page 9 for the midyears.
Rich
Evolution of Corvette Hood Latches - 1953 to 1967 - Rev. 6-22-14.pdfComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
Richard,Funny (not haha) that you mention that as I was reading your very educational article last night when trying to find a solution to my dilemma...all I could think of was I was a day late reading it. Maybe if I had seen it sooner I would have checked my barrel fasteners to be sure they were tight and looked over the mechanism a little more carefully. So now I need to get her in the air and attempt to release the latch as mentioned above. Thanks for your reply and the terrific article...hopefully, many others will read it and check their hood latches before a problem arises.Leif
'67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
Top Flight 2017 Lone Star RegionalComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
Leif, I thought the pics might help. All of the guys have given you great advice. Because the A/C unit is in the way it'll be a bit trickier to get up in there, but after the splash shield is off you should be able to get at it. You may be able to get a thin wooden stick(a pool cue may work) up in there between the spring and the latch body, then pry the bottom of the stick rearward to push the lever forward to release the latch. I wouldn't use metal since the battery is still connected. Or just yank the negative battery cable off the starter mount bolt to kill the power to the car.
Here are a few pics of a '65 with C60(similar to your '67) and the latch mechanism to help give you a idea where to hook the tool to.
P4140099.jpg P4140131.jpg P4140071.jpg P4140095.jpg
And please give Dave FULL credit for the document. I was only his assistant with some pics and some text. It started by Dave's eagerness to share information. It began as a reference to the 1959 female latch running changes and he sent to me for review. Then with some suggestions I gave him it grew into a more involved and more detailed document. We created a monster.
We had about 6 or 8 revisions of it along the way over about two weeks of reviews and changes/additions. He did a awesome job putting it all together. And now with your experience, I think we need to add in something about the midyears with A/C too! 
RichComment
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Re: '67 hood won't open
Rich,Leif, I thought the pics might help. All of the guys have given you great advice. Because the A/C unit is in the way it'll be a bit trickier to get up in there, but after the splash shield is off you should be able to get at it. You may be able to get a thin wooden stick(a pool cue may work) up in there between the spring and the latch body, then pry the bottom of the stick rearward to push the lever forward to release the latch. I wouldn't use metal since the battery is still connected. Or just yank the negative battery cable off the starter mount bolt to kill the power to the car.
Here are a few pics of a '65 with C60(similar to your '67) and the latch mechanism to help give you a idea where to hook the tool to.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]53425[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]53423[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]53424[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]53426[/ATTACH]
And please give Dave FULL credit for the document. I was only his assistant with some pics and some text. It started by Dave's eagerness to share information. It began as a reference to the 1959 female latch running changes and he sent to me for review. Then with some suggestions I gave him it grew into a more involved and more detailed document. We created a monster. We had about 6 or 8 revisions of it along the way over about two weeks of reviews and changes/additions. He did a awesome job putting it all together. And now with your experience, I think we need to add in something about the midyears with A/C too!
Rich
Thanks for the additional pictures. I now have a very good idea what I'm up against...just need to get her up in the air. I certainly didn't intend to shun Dave's contribution to the article. Working in tandem y'all did a great job. Thanks to all for your suggestions...I will report back once I have her fixed. And, by all means, add my issue to your article...double barrel clips and bending over the end of the wire would be my suggestions (extra insurance).Leif
'67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
Top Flight 2017 Lone Star RegionalComment
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Leif
'67 Coupe L79, M21, C60, N14, N40, J50, A31, U69, A01, QB1
Top Flight 2017 Lone Star RegionalComment
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