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Triumph TR6 - Broken hood latch

Has anyone had this hapen to them, Pulled the hood latch and the cable became disconected under the hood, Bright ideas as how to get into the engine bay anyone! without major damage
Clive P

Clive, I can't believe you did that! There are a number of articles on how to solve that little problem without using a can opener.

The only one that makes sense to me, if the cable came completely undone, is to take the glovebox out and go through the firewall. Also, I think you could put it on your lift and get at it from underneath. I can give you a hand, but you know 100 times what I do. I can't really remember where the articles are, but I think TRF has one.

You're probably the best car guy on this board, so its just a question of finding the right info.

John.
JL Bryan

John I do not have a glove box to remove as the space is taken up with the MSD boxes and the headers make it virtually impossible from beneath, Kind of akward to say the least! My lift is occupied for the next 2 weeks, so short of removing the dash and ignition boxes I cant see any other way. Spend time and $$$ on making it perform and a stupid little 10 cent clip gives you such grief. Clive
Clive P

Assuming that you didn't use up all of the bulkhead penetrations on the RH side with solid type harness fittings for the MSD stuff, you can bend a piece of small rod stock (5/16 or so) into a semi-Z shape and go at it where the heater valve cable and choke cable grommet hole.

The tool:

Take an 18" segment of the rod stock at the 6" mark, bend up at 90 degrees. At the next 6 inch mark after the bend, make another 90 degree bend down at 90 degrees. All bends in the same plane, an extended line from the first segment and the last segment would be roughly parallel with each other. Wrap one end of the tool with insulating tape.

The procedure:

Remove glove box (or in your case the MSD boxes) and brace along with ventilation duct hoses from the RH side. Push the grommet through into the engine compartment and slide tool through the hole, insulated end first and position the tool such that the middle leg is horizontal and the two outer legs are near vertical. The upright leg in the engine compartment should be positioned such that it is between the battery and the bonnet latch. Be careful as this is on the positive side of the battery and even with the insulation, it makes me a touch nervous at this point. Once the tool is in position, push the vertical leg in the interior to the left. This in turn will push the bonnet release to the right and release the bonnet latch pin.

How to minimize the chances of this happening again:

Option 1, a common cause of this is the cable slipping in the cable trunnion. Fit a second cable trunnion ans set screw behind the first, that way both have to slip before you have this problem. Check both on a periodic basis to make sure they are tight.

Option B, fit a short second cable that hangs into the interior onto the bonnet latch mechanism. If the primary one fails, the second will still probably work.

Option III, the anal retentive route is to use both options 1 and B.

SteveP

I'll tell you how I solved that problem on my own car, but it's a bit drastic. Drastic, but I'll never, EVER, have that problem again!

I used a three inch hole saw and cut a hole in the metal on the side next to the hood latch. After I got the hood open, I plugged the hole with a TR6 floor pan plug. It looks as if it came from the factory that way, and I can get my whole hand in there to do whatever needs to be done to get the hood open, even using a wrench to completely remove the latch assembly if need be. It takes about 30 seconds or less to get the hood open, and most of that time is spent being down in the floorboard and getting the kinks out of my back when I get back up.

Pictures are available if there's any interest.
Dan Masters

I saw Dan's solution last weekend when I had the priviledge of visiting him in Alcoa TN and although I have a second release cable that I will install on the passenger side, after seeing Dan's modification, I definitely plan to follow his lead.
db
Doug Baker

Check this out Clive -

http://www.tr-register.co.uk/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?s=7ab8a3a2f6d8e8b7ad2205523945a843;act=ST;f=7;t=4403

R
Roger H

Have not heard of this story for a LONG time.

I thought it was common practice now-a-days to install a backup hood latch poper. Clive I am surprised you did not. But I bet you will install one now:)
10 bucks or less fixes this and the factory even put an extra small hole on the passenger side for us to install one 30 years later! Now THAT is what I call foresite.
Rick C
Rick Crawford

I think it was on the Buckeye Triumph page that I once saw a procedure for removing the bonnet by using a long extension socket wrench from underneath the front end. Does anyone else recall the specifics?

Charlie
EC Smith

"I think it was on the Buckeye Triumph page that I once saw a procedure for removing the bonnet by using a long extension socket wrench from underneath the front end. Does anyone else recall the specifics?"

I have also seen that write-up, but I don't remember where - I don't think it was on the Buckeye site, and I'm certain it wasn't written by Nelson Reidel.

The reason I'm certain Nelson didn't write it? Bucause Nelson knows his stuff, and doesn't write junk. That article is junk. Whoever wrote it obviously dreamed it up and never actually tried it, even though he said he did and reported that it worked well.

What he missed was the two side bolts on the bonnet that are absolutely inaccessible without raising the hood. And, of course, if you can raise the hood to get to them - well, you don't have a problem.
Dan Masters

Guys:

I saw an article from Buckeye and I do believe that Nelson Reidel wrote it. It was a good one with pics. The one I read indicated he fabricated a tool like Steve describes above, inserted thru a grommet hole on the firewall. I had the article saved in favorites but lost all in the "crash".I don't recall him saying to remove the glove box. Will do some surfing and see if I can find it.

Cheers,
Bob
Bob Evans

I pulled the grill off,removed the front bonnet bolts and used a long stick to grt to it. That,as a mwtter of fact,is what helped start me on the never ending rebuild.
Don
Rick- What extra hole?
Dan, Send me pics!
DON KELLY

Clive:

Found the Nelson Reidel article on the Buckeye site thru the TR Register. If this link doesn't work, send me your e-mail address and I'll post the link.
http://web.archive.org/web/20031212081401/www.buckeyetriumphs.org/technical/Bonnet/Bonnet.htm

It's all there Clive but it's a LONG link.
Cheers,
Bob E
76-6
Bob Evans

Bob the link worked and I think I will go that route, Many thanks to everyone for the response to my problem, The air in my garage was a little Blue yesterday to say the least
Clive P

Don,

http://members.aol.com/danmas/bonnet.htm
Dan Masters

Dan Thanks for thatI will try that if Bobs sugestion does not work. I do not have the problem of battery shorts as I have a isolator switch in the dash on the Ground side
Clive P

Clive, I have a can opener if all else fails.

John
JL Bryan

I like the simplicity of this one (linked in the page I suggested above).

http://www.davidsims.ukgateway.net/hood_release.htm

There are also suggestions of getting at it through the front grill and a bent rod from under the car.
Roger H

Dan- I love it. As suggested, can I just use a P wire with your panel?
Don
DON KELLY

Clive,
one TR6 I saw the owner got so fed up with the hood poping open all the time he removed the catch entirely so that the hood just rested on the rubber stops. He said the hood only rode up a couple of inches while going over a 100mph and the rest of the time sat where it should. Due to the large panel gaps
that Triumphs have he had no problem opening the hood.
I'm considering it myself if I can't get the hood to stay closed, good luck getting it open.
Chris
Christopher Trace

HAD THE PROBLEM AND NEVER THINKING ABOUT ASKING ANYONE JUST CLIMBED UNDER THE CAR AND USED ALL MY UNIVERSALS AND DEXTERITY TO TAKE OUT THE TWO BOLTS HOLDING THE HOOD HINGE AND LIFTED IT UP HIGH ENOUGH TO PUSH THE RELEASE WITH A POLE. tHE MOST TIME CONSUMING PART WAS PUTTING THE LID BACK ON AND ALIGNING IT PROPERLY.
Brian Lucas

Brian. Thanks for the advise but I cannot see how you managed to get to the side bolts! With all the universals and indeed dexterity you claim to have, can I borrow your socket set! 2 Bolts ? am I missing something!
Clive P

Brian I owe you an apology, I got the bonnet open today by going in where the glove box used to be and saw the 2 bolts you were refering to on the bottom part of the hinge It was impossible for me to even see them as I have made a aluminium rad cowl bolted from the inside. A good method if you have the cardboard cowl that can be bent out of the way Thanks
Clive P

I made the latch suggested by Roger H. and it works quite well. I tend to pull the handle to open rather than the cable on the drivers side.
Dick Porter

Jeez - you guys are lucky!! - going in through the glove box is simply not an option for us with RHD models..............and here was me thinking... "crazy *#$%s - there is NO WAY you can get at the thing through the glove box!!"

My apologies - may the fleas of a thousand camels infect my armpits.

R
Roger H

Since the bonnet is now open, here's a quick insurance tip. Use zip ties. If you have one long enough, you might only need one. Zip it around the lever on the latch. If it doesn't make it through the firewall holes somewhere, add another one or 2. Test it before your cable breaks. If this was in one of the links that I didn't check out, forgive me.
Tom

This thread was discussed between 04/04/2005 and 07/04/2005

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