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bj8 bonnet release broke

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buffalotom

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I am looking to purchase a 1967 BJ8 from a friend of mine and he has told me that he thinks the bonnet release cable is broken. Can anyone tell me how to open the hood with this being an issue? I'm new at the forum so if a have placed this add in the wrong area please forgive. Thanks!
 
YES THERE ARE AIR PANNELS ONEACH SIDE OF THE RADIATOR. REMOVE THE RIGHT HAND PANEL AND YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THE RELEASE MECHANISM.

it MAY BE ADVANTAGEOUSE TO REMOVE THE RIGHT HAND ROAD WHEEL FIRST.-
 
There's no cable to break, it's all done by steel rod. If the hood catch mechanism is jammed, you'll need to jack up the front of the car and use a really long screwdriver to reach up to the catch from underneath. The hood has a cone shaped post that fits into the hole in the picture below:



As the hood is pushed down, it pushes the crescent shaped piece of metal (which is spring-loaded) off to the side. When the cone is pushed down far enough the crescent shaped piece of metal snaps back, locking the hood. What you want to do is manipulate the crescent shaped metal to one side, releasing the cone shaped post. It will help to have someone pulling up the hood while you manipulate the latch from below.
 
In my opinion, the solution is better explained with pictures of the release apparatus from underneath the car, found in front of the radiator. Try to take a picture and post here for further direction.

Or, with any luck, someone here on the forum may already have pictures and can better explain the process easier.

But one solution is this.... There is a piece known as the "Striker Pin" mounted to the underside of the bonnet. Think of that as the male connector held in place by means of a female opening as part of the chassis framing (adjacent to the cowl) and offset slightly to keep it in a closed position and spring loaded. A picture of the part can be found on one of any popular parts catalog. Using a long screwdriver with a wide enough edge end, I was able to pry away the tip of the striker pin from the adjoining side which would release. It is really easy once you figure which side is the correct side to pry away. Hope this helps you. Good luck.
 
Well now that fella " RICK " did hiself proud splaining how that hood thing works IMOP
 
I had this problem and it was easier than I thought to fix. If you put the front end on axle stands, you can see the underside of the latch mechanism looking straight up. I used a long (12-14 inch) flat screw driver to push the latch toward the left front side of the car and "pop" it was open.
A cotter key had rusted out and allowed the lever to pop up and out. New cotter key and I'm back in business. The whole operation was done in less than thirty minutes.
 
Now what do you know I was born in Prescott AZ :applause:

Bobtruck
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Freshman Member
LocationPrescott, AZ

Welcome aboard- Hows that Healey runnin @ 5280' above sea level.--:applause:
 
John Turney said:
Got a job done on a Healey in less than 30 minutes?!?? That must be a RECORD!!

Welcome to the Forum!
Click to expand...

He better be quick John,that air up er in Precott be mighty thin---:highly_amused:
 
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