Hood release

[Bill Tubbs]

Okay... someone please tell me the answer to this one. I started to replace my broken hood release cable last weekend and had it all dismantled until I got to the knob itself. Suddenly I realized that I couldn't get to the nut on the back of the knob portion. It appears that the only way to it is by putting the car up on a lift and trying to access it that way.

Did I miss the easy way somewhere in this project??

Help!!!!!!

Bill Tubbs
https://tubbs.cc/mg

 

[Kim de B]

Hmmm. I haven't had to replace mind, but I did just adjust it so that the "B" (I have an early model) is right-side up.

I'm just guessing here, but my guess (without going to look at the car) is that the thing pulls out from the front. I know there's a nut in the front. That's what it looks like in the Moss catalogue, too.

If you loosen the nut completely from the front, can you pull it out from the front?

 

[Kim de B]

Oh, by the way, you might want to consider installing a handy SECOND hood release cable for convenience and emergency use. (Like when your original one breaks . . . how do you open the hood?)

I just put in a simple kit I got from a guy in Louisiana who is making and marketing them. You just drill a small hole in your inner front left wheelwell and run a cable from the bonnet latch through the hole. Then you just reach under in front of the front left tire and pull the loop to open the hood. A lot easier than having to open the door and reach under the dashboard.

The beauty of the system is that it's inconspicuous. Unless you're determined to keep everything absolutely original, this is a quick and easy way to make sure you can always open your hood.

If anyone's interested in getting one of these ready-made hood release kit, email Gerry Masterman at GMasterman@aol.com.

Oh, he also makes replacement seat packing kits out of either aluminum or PVC, to replace the wooden ones which always rot or break and which hold water, promoting floorboard rust... I put aluminum ones under my seat rails when I put the heatshield insulation under the carpet. They work great! Even though my car was recently restored, rust was already starting under the seat rails, where the wooden strips had absorbed and held water.

 

[Bill Tubbs]

No, the nut is on the engine side of the firewall. That's what keeps you from pulling the cable out into to driver's compartment. And without getting onto a lift (I think) I can't reach the nut. There is a chrome washer on the driver's side that the nut tightens against.

I hadn't heard of the other arrangement but maybe I'll look at it once I get THIS problem figured out

Thanks for the reply!
Bill

 

[Bill Tubbs]

I guess I should have mentioned that mine's a 79. Maybe yours is an earlier one?

 

[Kim de B]

Bill -- Yes, I've got a 66. But I can't imagine that the hood releases are that different, other than maybe a different knob.

As I said, I didn't have to replace mine, I only was looking to straighten out the knob, so I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. And then I forgot to look at today when I was in the car.

What you say makes sense, though . . . Which means you'd have to get at it from the engine side. What a pain!

 

[Kim de B]

Bill --

Did you ever figure out your hood release problem? Finally looked at mine, and on the 66, anyway, it is fairly easy to access the "back side" of the cable knob mechanism from the engine compartment.

In my car, it's a pretty easy reach through an access hole in the inside the driver's side inner fender, right next to the brake and clutch cylinders. Can't imagine it's much different in later model Bs, but I don't know.

 

[wolfman]

Now that I have figured out that you are talking about a Midget and not a B (which I know next to nothing about), Yes, removing the hood release cable is a PITA. I managed to remove mine (76 Midget) by putting the car on Jack stands, having my wife hold the cable base from inside the car and then laying on my side with a short wrench I could reach up and feel the nut. Never was able to look at what I was doing. Everything was done by feel. but I did manage to get it removed.

 

[Bill Tubbs]

Well, I guess that's what I'll have to do. After working with my 59 VW and how easy everything is on it, it's strange to work on a car where almost nothing appears to be engineered for ease of mechanics. But as long as it can be done! ;-)

Thanks!!

Bill