A recent thread about the hood latch cable not working on a 46-48 Chevy, got me thinking about how I would get my hood open if that happened to me. I came up with this little tool today that seems to work. I'm going to keep it in the car from now on. I started by bending up a coat hanger and once that worked I used a little heat to bend a long thin screwdriver. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us The duct tape was to hold it place for the pictures Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us You just stick it in the gap between the hood and grill, and a little push releases the latch. I put a dab of red paint on the shaft to mark the top and how far in to go. Been driving on the highway a bit lately and the bugs are plentiful at night. Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Hmmm...I worry over the same issue on my '48 Ford, even though that stuff is older than I am and still working perfectly. Gonna make one, will probably add some electrical wire insulation/spaghetti to slicken the shaft.