so today we re-installed the hood on the ole 66 dart and everything went well. A little moving, tightening, loosening, adjusting, re-tightening... well you know the song and dance.

SO I go to install the locking mechanism and the piece that fits inside of it. YOu know the one with the thumb tab so that you can disengage the catch so the hood pops up and then you open the hood. I tested it to see if the opener thingie would work and NOTHING. NOt one time could it open or disengage the catch. SOmething is wrong. I have all the pieces, consulted the manual and confirmed I had everthing mounted the right way and installed properly and still it would not work. Thank goodness I didnt close the hood all the way otherwise I would not have been able to get it open.

Question is this: what do I do now? I am not missing parts, havent modified the pieces in anyway, and it is not working. What went wrong?

HElp me please I need to drive my baby on the road, and freeway. the last thing I need is a hood shooting up at my windshield. oh by the way, it worked perfectly 100% of the time before we removed it and painted it.

Caesar

Could the new paint be causing it to stick and not release? I would lube it well and see if it will disengage.

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

I'd say paint has gotten somewhere that it shouldn't and gummed it up. All other things equal, paint is the only possible problem, since it's the only thing that has changed. I'd say look it over very carefully, and you should be able to find the part that should be moving and isn't. Once you find that part, just gotta unstick it .

I realized upon closer inspection that MAYBE, MAYBE a part could be missing. The "key" that slides through the hood and into the catch mechanism to release it is a long skinny flat small bar. THe hole in the catch is round. It appears that when the thumb tab on the "key" or "release" is turned it is supposed to hit part of the catch that has a spring on it and raise it, allowing the catching hook mechanism to release itself. The long skinny key is basically a rectangle and cannot possible hit the part it is supposed to. I am thinking that perhaps there was an insert or something similar in the hole of the catch assembly that had a cam on it. WHen the long rectangular release moved, it would turn this "thing" and the cam would hit the mechanism to release it, that is the ONLY way I can see this thing working, any other way literally appears to be impossible.

ANyone havea 66' with the hook on the front end and the catch attached to the hood? I Would like to see pictures if you have them.

Thanks.
Caesar

PS it is confirmed, I have seen pictures of the catch when it was previously installed and there was a grommet or a key or something in the catch housing that allowed the release to function. It is gone now, we will search, but i think when we cleaned it (in muriatic acid) IF it was aluminum it is now gone.

Help me please.

i accidentally broke the part where the cable attaches to the latch on my sisters car and DID shut it all the way...brain fart
im still not sure how im gonna get it open, its been too cold to mess with