Thanks so much Ben! I spent my whole afternoon under my C3, trying to figure out a way to open the hood. And Hallelujah🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏your video saved me! Thanks again!
My driver side of the hood is unlatched - cable is broken so I reached my arm in to pull cable but as hard as I pull it is not releasing the passenger side- any tips?
Oh My God....... What a Life saving video ... Mine is Currently Broken and I'm going to try your method ... I'll be coming back shortly to report how this helped me !!!!!
As a new C3 owner love short and helpful video's like this one and learned what that round thing is next to my windshield washer tank is that's disconnected. Don't have time to listen to someone who want's to tell me their life history or what the weather is while having to listen to their favorite tunes. Thanks.
And I'm ordering a new cable now. Never even thought about dealing with it if the cable breaks. Nice to know how, but I think I'll just replace my cable now as a precaution
Hey Ben, I was working on my C3 today and looking at that cable thinking, what if this stupid cable don't work one day, I am screwed. No you have unscrewed my potential future situation. Great video man
I'm not sorry it was short!!!! to the point and explained perfectly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you! I'm looking into a 75 vett and the release won't pull so,, I'm gonna do it your way!! I don't want to pull too hard and break the release/handle/ cable. again, thank you, sir!
Thanks Ben, this worked for me. The only thing I did different was detach the charcoal cannister by removing the 3 screws that hold it against the wheel well. This gave my arm more room to reach the latch. .
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This just happened to my mom's 78. Grateful for you putting this video together as I'm sure it saved hours of frustration.
As seen in the video, when you're using your fingers to do something and you can't see your fingers, it helps a little to close your eyes. It helps your brain "see" what your fingers are "seeing." Keeping your eyes open just distracts from mental imaging. I first realized this when I observed my dentist had closed his eyes during parts of the procedure for a toot canal. I've used the procedure of closing my eyes to (1) release the hood as seen here, and (2) install the spring on the back side of the accelerator pedal. t
The 81 is a little different (TG). There is a rubber grommet on each side in the wiper tray. Pop it out . The drivers side can be opened with an up and down motion of a screwdriver and the pass Side with a side to side motion if you can’t hook the cross over cable. Even if you don’t need it I would practice like a life boat drill. Thanks Ben I love your tips and help,
I'm no genius but here's what I did. My garage is full of stuff from a lifetime of tinkering. I had some stainless steel cable on a spool that was about the same diameter as the stiff wire on the OEM hood release pull lever. With a piece of that cable I fastened one end to the hood release lever inside the engine compartment. A simple, strong knot did the job. I then found a small piece of very light redwood about 1.5" x 6" x 3/8" and tied the other end of the stainless steel wire to the center of it. There is enough room to let this piece of wood hang down and dangle freely and out of sight. It wound up right around the shark fin louvers on my 1969 L-71. Once you do that, it's simply a matter of pulling down on the redwood and testing it to make sure the hood release lever works properly. I did that several times with the hood open and then several times with the hood closed. It worked just fine but if it doesn't, play with it until it does and make sure if you ever need to use it, it will work. This may not be the NCRS method of insuring your Corvette is up to "factory standards" but if you're out and about somewhere and need to open your hood in an emergency, you've got that situation covered.
It has never happened to me on my ‘78 but I had two tools made to trip the small tongue behind the latch via the access hole. One for the driver’s side and one for the passenger side. Those tools plus an inexpensive inspection camera will work for me if I have a problem.
Super value video! I went to check on my more current mustang and naturally no luck trying to get an arm to fit. It looks like I could unlatch via the front through the grille with a screw driver.
That is exactly how I did it, although my splash plate is missing so no need on that. Always tinkering on my engine so I removed the spring locks. They say "your hood will fly open man!" I've never had it fly open; although I never travel 80 mph backwards:)
I'm going to buy a C3 in December of this year, and will watch all of your videos, Ben. This one was perfect,, the length and editing was on point, been a subd since 2017
@@wolvertonlecensura9541 I've been saving up and I'm gonna be getting a good sum of money in August which will be enough for a vette. there is a car I want but there's no guarantee the auction won't start by then. I'll just be looking for a 78+, manual trans that's at least decent and won't need like 5k to get it into daily driving condition.
Thank you!!!!! I just acquired an 81 with a hood that seems jammed shut. I hope this works. The cable isn’t broken just seems seized. I’m excited to try this on my days off.
Bien i needed this video a Month ago, i never got they hood Opened. After all that is wrong with mine i finally took it to a restoration shop. I talked to you before about my car. I still have not got 1 thing acompllished on it. There is so much wrong with it. if i could have got ride of it id liked a 2004 or so convertable. if these guys are way to high ill get it back and donate it to goodwill. i have never seen a car with so much wrong with it and no body wants to work on one. the 2 garages that have worked on it got me for $10,000 each. im way deep and have never got to drive it.
Already knew this one but I did have my door latch malfunction and had to take it in to be replaced. Don’t have a clue how they got the door open though ! That would be a good video if you come across it in your adventures !!! Keep up the good work !!!
Good tip. There are 2 types of C3 owners. Those that have had this cable fail and those that will have it fail. 🤔 I have side pipes. Probably not so easy for me.
My issue solely the passenger side. It will not unlatch.. I have tried every tool I can find to stick thru the plug but still can't get it to open. Pulling on the cable does nothing.. any other recommendations. Thanks
I have a 1878 corvette i got off of craigslist for $9000 in sterling, ma, i live in worcester,. i pulled on the hood release last night and it ripped right off1
Yeeeah…tried this with the side exhausts…no dice. Plus some canister thing was dangling where your arm went smh…this is going to try my patience in the best way possible lol
The 70 71 and 72 egg crate can be removed also. The latch can be released by hand easily. In summertime i always pop the hood. It runs cooler also do it on the 57 T bird.
Prepare for the stuck hood: Tie a cord on the lever you need to pull with your fingers as shown in hte video. Now extend to cord into the windshield compartment and let it stay there. If the hood ever sticks again, just pull the cord from outside the car.
Oh i had this happen. I bought my buddys completely rotted out 78 25 anniversary vetted that was nice looking but shot and I just wanted thd built 400 and I literally dumped the clutch once and ripped the diff right off r g e frame. So I went to pop the hood to rip the motor and got lucky when the cable broke i grabbed the whole cable and ripped it out and had just enough to pop the driver side and reached up thru to the passenger side and ended up cutting the car up because it was completely shot and unsafe
Is going through the bottom like this the best way to swap out the washer fluid pump or go through the top and loosen the master cylinder on a 78? Love the videos Ben. Keep them coming.
I rebuilt my engine and put a different manifold on it. I installed the hood to make sure I had clearance for the manifold, carb and air cleaner. When I went to remove the hood, the driver's side latch would not release. I tried your method with no success, then figured out that since the radiator was not yet installed, I could remove the hood hinges and strut fasteners and maybe that would help. I made a long tool to reach the hood release mechanism on the driver's side and although I can watch the latch moving forward as I pull on it, the hood latch will not release. Any thoughts on a plan B?
Hello ben,,,i have a 1976 c3 corvette,,the steering wheel is way out by my chest,,its tele and tilt,,,but pushed all the way in,,,its still closed to me chest...is that normal?
No! Your video is NOT boring - you're a life-saver!
Thanks so much Ben! I spent my whole afternoon under my C3, trying to figure out a way to open the hood.
And Hallelujah🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏your video saved me! Thanks again!
Zip Corvette sells wires for both sides to install as an emergency hood opener. That is the 25.00 option! Thank you for the great video's!!!
Yes, this was useful as a lot of older C3 vettes have worn cables that eventually break to open the hood. Thanks again Ben!
My driver side of the hood is unlatched - cable is broken so I reached my arm in to pull cable but as hard as I pull it is not releasing the passenger side- any tips?
SerpentZA got me here, thanks for helping out a fellow South African BOET!
Great video. Took a whole 5 minutes
no no not boring; this is interesting stuff which can apply to many mechanical tasks
Oh My God....... What a Life saving video ... Mine is Currently Broken and I'm going to try your method ... I'll be coming back shortly to report how this helped me !!!!!
Thank you for posting! My grandpa needed this!
As a new C3 owner love short and helpful video's like this one and learned what that round thing is next to my windshield washer tank is that's disconnected. Don't have time to listen to someone who want's to tell me their life history or what the weather is while having to listen to their favorite tunes. Thanks.
And I'm ordering a new cable now. Never even thought about dealing with it if the cable breaks. Nice to know how, but I think I'll just replace my cable now as a precaution
That's what I'm thinking, too!
Just got a C3 with stuck hood. Thanks for the help!
Hey Ben, I was working on my C3 today and looking at that cable thinking, what if this stupid cable don't work one day, I am screwed. No you have unscrewed my potential future situation. Great video man
good tip, a good reminder to keep all of the linkage lubed up and cable greased
Brilliant! I am replacing my fifty year old hood handle tomorrow.
If I had a Vette I would make up a secondary pull cable at the latch and have it hang down enough so you can reach it and pull.
Exactly what I did with my 79
Yes, or just keep up the maintenance of lubing up cables and other moving parts
I'm not sorry it was short!!!! to the point and explained perfectly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you! I'm looking into a 75 vett and the release won't pull so,, I'm gonna do it your way!! I don't want to pull too hard and break the release/handle/ cable. again, thank you, sir!
Thanks Ben, this worked for me. The only thing I did different was detach the charcoal cannister by removing the 3 screws that hold it against the wheel well. This gave my arm more room to reach the latch. .
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This just happened to my mom's 78. Grateful for you putting this video together as I'm sure it saved hours of frustration.
Good idea showing people how to get into the bonnet. Some can get very difficult.
Thank you, thank you the struggle is over my hood opens now on my 77 C3
Serpentza sent me. I subscribed because I love vets and you seem like a good dude.
on my 71, I went through the side vent (gills), the whole mechanism is right there and you can access easily.
Thank you, was so much easier that to reach up from the bottom.
I cannot thank you enough!! This worked to get my 80 corvette hood open. You are awesome!
NO, it was not boring, good information.
On my 68 I found it easy enough to go through one of the vents on the fender
Definitely helps out, i wouldn't have known without watching or reading how to open it.
Thanks now i can work on my Friends corvette. 👍👍
My old 81’ . I added a secondary pull cable for emergency with a bike brake cable. Not fancy, but effective.
You're a life saver. Thanks.
Out standing.
Thank you so much!!! Just got mine open thanks to you.🙂🙂🙂
This was very helpful. I follow it and was able to open hood..THANK YOU!!!!
Not boring. Good info for all C3s.
As seen in the video, when you're using your fingers to do something and you can't see your fingers, it helps a little to close your eyes. It helps your brain "see" what your fingers are "seeing." Keeping your eyes open just distracts from mental imaging. I first realized this when I observed my dentist had closed his eyes during parts of the procedure for a toot canal. I've used the procedure of closing my eyes to (1) release the hood as seen here, and (2) install the spring on the back side of the accelerator pedal. t
The 81 is a little different (TG). There is a rubber grommet on each side in the wiper tray. Pop it out . The drivers side can be opened with an up and down motion of a screwdriver and the pass Side with a side to side motion if you can’t hook the cross over cable. Even if you don’t need it I would practice like a life boat drill.
Thanks Ben I love your tips and help,
Thanks, I'm about to try this
Thanks Ben!!! You and the Mrs. have inspired me to the DIY mechanics again... need to bring you my Silver Anny for the vacuum restore...
Short and sweet. I dont have this issue but just watched it to know incase I ever see it lol
thank you so much i think you just made my day a little easier
I'm no genius but here's what I did. My garage is full of stuff from a lifetime of tinkering. I had some stainless steel cable on a spool that was about the same diameter as the stiff wire on the OEM hood release pull lever. With a piece of that cable I fastened one end to the hood release lever inside the engine compartment. A simple, strong knot did the job. I then found a small piece of very light redwood about 1.5" x 6" x 3/8" and tied the other end of the stainless steel wire to the center of it. There is enough room to let this piece of wood hang down and dangle freely and out of sight. It wound up right around the shark fin louvers on my 1969 L-71. Once you do that, it's simply a matter of pulling down on the redwood and testing it to make sure the hood release lever works properly. I did that several times with the hood open and then several times with the hood closed. It worked just fine but if it doesn't, play with it until it does and make sure if you ever need to use it, it will work. This may not be the NCRS method of insuring your Corvette is up to "factory standards" but if you're out and about somewhere and need to open your hood in an emergency, you've got that situation covered.
It has never happened to me on my ‘78 but I had two tools made to trip the small tongue behind the latch via the access hole. One for the driver’s side and one for the passenger side. Those tools plus an inexpensive inspection camera will work for me if I have a problem.
Super value video! I went to check on my more current mustang and naturally no luck trying to get an arm to fit. It looks like I could unlatch via the front through the grille with a screw driver.
You are a good sport Ben! Thanks for the Tips.
Keep giving us c3 videos!
That is exactly how I did it, although my splash plate is missing so no need on that. Always tinkering on my engine so I removed the spring locks. They say "your hood will fly open man!" I've never had it fly open; although I never travel 80 mph backwards:)
Great information, as always thanks Ben from Ontario 🇨🇦
I had no clue about this until this very moment. Lol I would say it was relevant!
I'm going to buy a C3 in December of this year, and will watch all of your videos, Ben. This one was perfect,, the length and editing was on point, been a subd since 2017
I'm getting mine in August. so excited to finally getting my dream car.
@@TheWeirdDareDevil Do you know the car your getting, or will just be in the market for one by Aug ?
@@wolvertonlecensura9541 I've been saving up and I'm gonna be getting a good sum of money in August which will be enough for a vette. there is a car I want but there's no guarantee the auction won't start by then. I'll just be looking for a 78+, manual trans that's at least decent and won't need like 5k to get it into daily driving condition.
Thank you!!!!! I just acquired an 81 with a hood that seems jammed shut. I hope this works. The cable isn’t broken just seems seized. I’m excited to try this on my days off.
Wow thx! Truly useful tip for when it inevitably happens.
Great help Ben
Bien i needed this video a Month ago, i never got they hood Opened. After all that is wrong with mine i finally took it to a restoration shop. I talked to you before about my car. I still have not got 1 thing acompllished on it. There is so much wrong with it. if i could have got ride of it id liked a 2004 or so convertable. if these guys are way to high ill get it back and donate it to goodwill. i have never seen a car with so much wrong with it and no body wants to work on one. the 2 garages that have worked on it got me for $10,000 each. im way deep and have never got to drive it.
Heck might as well donate it to the channel if your gonna donate it to goodwill
Already knew this one but I did have my door latch malfunction and had to take it in to be replaced. Don’t have a clue how they got the door open though ! That would be a good video if you come across it in your adventures !!! Keep up the good work !!!
Thank you so much. Mine hasn't broken yet, but I have wondered what I would do. It is a 68.
Ben, can you do a tutorial on how to install a new hood release lever and cable?
Definitely helpful,broken cables are a pain!
THANKS FOR THE VIDEO BRO!!
That's GREAT information bro 👍🏾
Short and very useful!
Very good Ben. 🏋🏽♂️😊
thank you thank you thank you
Great video, Ben!
Thank you so much.
useful, a bit like being a gynecologist for cars. 👍👍👍
@MJW 🤣👍
Thank you so much
Awesome vid! Thanks!👍
6” extension slide in add another and so on till you get to it. Still appreciate this video having options is nice
Good tip. There are 2 types of C3 owners. Those that have had this cable fail and those that will have it fail. 🤔 I have side pipes. Probably not so easy for me.
Ben your vids rock!!!!!!!!!!!
My issue solely the passenger side. It will not unlatch.. I have tried every tool I can find to stick thru the plug but still can't get it to open. Pulling on the cable does nothing.. any other recommendations. Thanks
Sooner or later every C3 owner will face this dilemma, thanks! 😀
Alright Ben! Thanks! 👍
If this is a common problem, can the piece that fails be replaced with a new piece which is of better quality before the failure occurs?
Good stuff. Thank you
U are awesome Ben.
So helpful thank you
I have a 1878 corvette i got off of craigslist for $9000 in sterling, ma, i live in worcester,. i pulled on the hood release last night and it ripped right off1
Thanks man
very useful......good job...
Yeeeah…tried this with the side exhausts…no dice. Plus some canister thing was dangling where your arm went smh…this is going to try my patience in the best way possible lol
FYI , there's a 1956 Cadillac De Ville for sale in Fort Lauderdale Fl. Looks complete ! $3,500
Good and useful vid . Tks
Gr8 video...
Thanks for the info...🇺🇸👌✌
Thank you useful
The 70 71 and 72 egg crate can be removed also. The latch can be released by hand easily. In summertime i always pop the hood. It runs cooler also do it on the 57 T bird.
This was a great idea! NOow if I could only get the hood latch to pop free...
Whaaa CLEVER, Thanks!
oh those clever GM engineers....smh..can you imagine on a busy interstate..hot engine..no tools...murderous thoughts will come to mind...
Popping the hood always is accompanied with stress on my 76. Haven't broke the cable yet
Prepare for the stuck hood: Tie a cord on the lever you need to pull with your fingers as shown in hte video. Now extend to cord into the windshield compartment and let it stay there. If the hood ever sticks again, just pull the cord from outside the car.
Hey Ben, have you done a video of how to repair the inside door handle pull on a 81? The narrow end has "pulled" away from the door panel. Thanks!
Oh i had this happen. I bought my buddys completely rotted out 78 25 anniversary vetted that was nice looking but shot and I just wanted thd built 400 and I literally dumped the clutch once and ripped the diff right off r g e frame. So I went to pop the hood to rip the motor and got lucky when the cable broke i grabbed the whole cable and ripped it out and had just enough to pop the driver side and reached up thru to the passenger side and ended up cutting the car up because it was completely shot and unsafe
Is going through the bottom like this the best way to swap out the washer fluid pump or go through the top and loosen the master cylinder on a 78? Love the videos Ben. Keep them coming.
Wow no time lapse on opening with hand nice
Nope all in real time. That is why it’s the best way
Big problem Im a short guy with stubby arms.. lol :)P
Mr Ben do they make a tool you can use to stick through the hole and press down on the tab? Thank you so much for any help. Brian
There’s also a backup cable that can be installed 😉
What is some preventative maintenance to avoid this? Thanks corvette bro
I rebuilt my engine and put a different manifold on it. I installed the hood to make sure I had clearance for the manifold, carb and air cleaner. When I went to remove the hood, the driver's side latch would not release. I tried your method with no success, then figured out that since the radiator was not yet installed, I could remove the hood hinges and strut fasteners and maybe that would help. I made a long tool to reach the hood release mechanism on the driver's side and although I can watch the latch moving forward as I pull on it, the hood latch will not release. Any thoughts on a plan B?
Hello ben,,,i have a 1976 c3 corvette,,the steering wheel is way out by my chest,,its tele and tilt,,,but pushed all the way in,,,its still closed to me chest...is that normal?
I wish you would show us the new car you bought for your wife it looks good, what about the old chevy from the 1940s
Best way to close a C3 hood is, hold it about 6 to 8 inches above full close and drop it, worked on my 1977, then you do not have to touch the hood.
Only if the latches are aligned properly. I’ve seen some so bad they would never close like that