Other: Hood latch pull

[lark-o-rama]

Hi Everyone,

I see from under my dash that the bracket which holds the hood latch pull is cracked.. I am guessing I can re-weld this back to health but do you all replace these cables as a unit or take apart and lubricate? My operates fine, does not seem to pull that hard, but again, have no idea of the history or how old it is..

Thanks

[jackb]

almost all of mine have required a good amount of pressure to pull open. The cable doesn't move more than an inch or so to pop the dovetail......usually adjusting the length of this dovetail works...

[Deaf Mute]

I have used motorcycle cable lubricant on such cables. It is a slow messy job that would be made easier by removing the entire cable... but that ain't a fun job. Anyway this stuff with a drop on each end of the cable every day for several days will seep itself down the cable... speedometer cable lube might work if that is available any more. Yes to welding the cracked bracket... but don't try it under the dash. If you can easily remove the cable (like on my lawn mower or tiller) I put one end in a clamp, attach my power drill and slowly spin the wire inside the cable while dripping the lube on the slowly spinning wire. In a few minutes, it starts seeping out the bottom & is good for several more years.

[RadioRoy]

When I am oiling around under the hood, I always lay a bead of oil along the length of the cable jacket. It seeps in and does the job.

[Warren Webb]

One nice thing about the hood latch "cable" that Studebaker used was it wasn't a cable with stranded wires but a solid wire. Cars built today use a stranded wire which stretches until it becomes useless & then you have a problem opening the hood. Lube it every couple years & your good to go.

[Scott]

I'm trying to get my hood release handle to stay horizontal. It really wants to be vertical and it drives me nuts. I've loosened the hold downs and can kind of get it where I want, but it won't stay there, probably because of a bit of a kink or something that kicks it into this off kilter position. I turn it and it get to a point where the cable "snaps" into the position it wants to stay at. I noticed a groove on the underside of the bit attached to the handle and it seems to me like it's meant to slide along a "key" in the housing so this can't happen. Is that true? If it is, then I've lost that little piece somehow. If that's not true, I'd also like to know that! Someone here has the answer.

[TWChamp]

I'm trying to get my hood release handle to stay horizontal. It really wants to be vertical and it drives me nuts. I've loosened the hold downs and can kind of get it where I want, but it won't stay there, probably because of a bit of a kink or something that kicks it into this off kilter position. I turn it and it get to a point where the cable "snaps" into the position it wants to stay at. I noticed a groove on the underside of the bit attached to the handle and it seems to me like it's meant to slide along a "key" in the housing so this can't happen. Is that true? If it is, then I've lost that little piece somehow. If that's not true, I'd also like to know that! Someone here has the answer.

The key is most likely worn out from not being oiled and also pressure from a kink in the cable making the handle want to turn sideways. Removing the cable and housing, then removing the kink may help, but I'd try to find a better cable, or at least the housing with a good key for the notch.

BTW, I do the same as RadioRoy. I also do the same for the overdrive cable.

[Scott]

Thanks, TWChamp. That all makes sense. This cable has always been tough to pull, too, so maybe that's partly due to a kink. I'll start looking for a replacement for part or all of it.
It's interesting that Roy and I are from Minnesota and you live in Minnesota.

[RadioRoy]

And I just got back from Minnesota, too. Found some good stuff at French Lake. They rearranged everything and sorted it out. It's not as much fun as it used to be, but they let me into the trailers full of radios, plus I got some wheels for my 50 Commander that I've been looking for for some time.