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Triumph TR6 - Hood Releas

I have a 1971 TR6 and I am unable to get the hood release to work. I get no movement when I pull the hood release. Does anyone have any ideas how to get at this?

I would appreciate any ideas

Don
Don Boito

That's how my 13 year Odyssey started on mine.
My cable broke and I just kept it unlatched. Came back from being inside a Home Depot and some KIND Samaritan closed it for me.
Different ways to get it open. None easy.
First thing first is to have someone pushin down on it while you pull the cable
DON KELLY

Don B-Check out this article for dealing with the dreaded hood release problem.
http://www.buckeyetriumphs.org/technical/Bonnet/Bonnet.htm
Berry
BTP Price

Don
Once you get it open, immediately install a "back up" hood release cable.

Rick
Rick Crawford

Home today Rick?
DON KELLY

I drilled a hole from directly underneath the latch in the passenger footwell.(look for pictures of the latch on google images and particularly how the emergency release works).

Then I inserted a long flathead screwdriver and maneuvered along the latch until I could feel the
U shaped bar that sticks out. At the base of the bar is a little nib that can be "pushed" towards the passenger compartment, releasing the catch.

It took some fiddling but within a couple of minutes I had it open without removing glovebox etc.
I have pictures I can send you. Of course now you
have a hole to be plugged. I used a grommet.

I can send some pictures if you want them. need to send from home though. let me know if you still need them. tomrbooth@yahoo.ca
Tom Booth

Good Show, At the time of my happening I wouldn't have dreamed of doing it that way, drilling a hole in the car. Now,IN A HEARTBEAT!!
DON KELLY

I shared Don's philosophy when my cable came loose. No way was I going to drill a hole anywhere. I jacked the car up. Took a broom stick and maneuvered it through the underside of the engine compartment and managed to contact the latch while my son pressed down on the hood to allow it to release. And Voila-open.

And being stubborn (stupid?), I still refuse to drill a hole to install the emergency release. However, it is a habit for me to press down the hood while I pull the release to reduce the tension needed to release the hood.

Michael Petryschuk

Dan Masters went one better. Rather than just a hole, Dan drilled a 2.5"-3" diameter hole that permitted him to insert his hand through the firewall and manipulate the mechanism. Then, Dan, being Dan, fashioned an electrical servo drive that acts as a backup release for the latch. If anyone would like, I think I have the details of Dan's design or contact Dan directly. His 3" hole takes the plug from the hole in the passenger footwell. Same size hole. Makes good sense to me, but my choice is to install a secondary latch release mechanism just like the first, but on the passenger side. Hopefully it'll never become necessary to use it.
db
Doug Baker

Looks there are a lot of creative solutions to the stuck hood release. I have seen a TR4 with a 3" hole in the hood near the latch and was covered with a jack plug. It kind of gave the "serious race car" look.
Berry
BTP Price

Thanks to everyone for their input. We were uanble to
to make any of them work since the safety hook and jammed we could not work the release. What we wound up doing was drilling two holes in the fender well and looking through one and working a 3 foot rod to finally break it free. I have to plug the holes and get a new cable but at least it is open. I did order a back up relase kit as well

Thanks again
Don Boito
Don Boito

Now it's like a Jaguar (they have "wheel well" access in case the release breaks)
JT White

Cut a hole in the fender well. That's the least likely thing to do.
DON KELLY

Doug, that's what Williams suggested in one of his books, can't remember which one now. I did that as a result of reading it a few years ago. The hardest part was riveting the bracket to the inside of the car. I used I think 3/16 rivets, really hard to squeeze the handles on the rivet gun. The one on the passenger side actually works easier and smoother than the original, it's a lot shorter and has less bends.

Rob
rw loftus

This thread was discussed between 31/05/2010 and 05/07/2010

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