[Shiny]

Thanks to you both.

I now have a "custom" latch that is working well!

I concluded my latch had a difficult childhood so I spent some quality time with pliers, vice grips, and a hammer after a visit to the hardware store.

I straightened the arm, bent the "u-shaped" end of the arm to reduce clearance between the arm and the pawl/fulcrum, and bent the frame to allow a little more travel for the safety arm:



This is where I wanted to reduce clearance:



Finally, I found a flanged plastic bushing at Ace Hardware that I put in the rod hole to tighten it up:



If this proves problematic, I may have to roll over and buy a repro latch but for now, I'm good with it.

Mike

[Greg Reid]

It'll probably last forever.

[Shiny]

I'll be happy if it survived overnight!

Thanks again for another valuable PY assist!

I clearly enjoy learning the details of all these old mechanisms. For me, this latch is another tribute to the glory days of American manufacturing. Nostalgia!

[1968GTOGary]

had the same problem mine was bent as well, the safety latch would not release. I end up sawall it in half. and buying a new repo couldn't be happier. it was always a pain to open the hood. Gary

[Red Box Rebel]

My hood has always gotten stuck and the solution for me has been to:
(1) Make sure hood is fully closed;
(2) pull hood release, if hood does not pop all the way up; (see step three)
(3) While Pulling on hood release, press hood slightly down from half popped up position.

This will allow you to pull the hood all the way up from the half-popped position.
Been using this technique for the last fifty years. Always works.

[Red Box Rebel]

My hood has always gotten stuck and the solution for me has been to:
(1) Make sure hood is fully closed;
(2) pull hood release, if hood does not pop all the way up; (see step three)
(3) While Pulling on hood release, press hood slightly down from half popped up position.

This will allow you to pull the hood all the way up from the half-popped position.
Been using this technique for the last fifty years. Always works.

[Greg Reid]

I think that's actually the normal way to open. Pulling the release opens it only to the safety latch, press down slightly and pull the latch to fully release.

[tstroud]

Mine is original and pulls pretty easily. One firm pull and it goes past the safety catch and you just lift it up. It took a lot of adjusting to get there. A weak pull will stop at the safety catch.

[Greg Reid]

Exactly the way mine functions tstroud..
Mine stuck for years after the repaint. I finally got tired of it and fixed it by squaring the hood opening. Measured from corner to corner and got the measurements equalized. After that it worked properly.

[VCho455]

I went through days of toil and trouble on a 68 several years ago. After all the possible options were expended we ended up cutting a 1" x 2" hole in the hood above the latch. With access from above and a big screw driver we were able get the hood open. Once open we swapped different latches but the latches ended up not being the culprit. After hours of comparing the 3 latches we had and blueprinting, what looked to be the best latch, no progress was made. So we looked elsewhere for the problem.

In the end the was problem was the fixed box (?) (See photo) in the hood that the latch hooks into had come loose. The spot welds had failed and when the hood closed the box would slide over and no amount of movement in the latch would unlock the hood. Once the box was positioned in its original location and secured with a screw the hood opened like it was brand new.