I have been doing body work on my '67 Fairlane, and after sanding the hood, it now won't open. There is no inside release, just one handle under the front edge of the hood. There are two catches - the first one that lets it pop up a little and then the second catch that serves as a backup. If you pull the lever, the secondary hook moves just fine, but the primary hook doesn't move at all. I have poked and prodded at the hook but cannot make it move.

There is a small spring with one end connected to the hook I need to move but the other end is disconnected and I don't know where it goes.



Does anyone know how to get the hood open in this circumstance?
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1967 Ford Fairlane 500 4-Door

AZDutch,
Yep, happened to me a few years back. First, you have to remove the latch by unbolting it from the hood. How, you say? I laid on my back and reached up from under the car (hope you have skinny arms) and undid the bolts. There is a tang that the spring connects to that has broken off (hope it is still around). You will see where it broke off when you remove the latch assembly, when you turn it upside down, the part that the tang broke from will flip to where the break is visible. Then you will need someone who can micro weld to fix it or get another latch assembly. Just be patient and good luck.
Dave S.

I will try that. There's not much about me that's skinny, and I have a giant aftermarket radiator and aluminum fan shroud in the way, so I don't know if that's going to be possible, but I'll give it a shot.

If I try forcing the latch open is that possible?

The other thing I considered is hacksawing the catch off.

I am currently soaking the bolts to the stone shield with WD40 with hopes of removing that to improve access.
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1967 Ford Fairlane 500 4-Door

Actually, I was able to reach mine in front of the radiator. Don't know about the hacksaw job. Difficult job but can be done with patience.

AZDutch,
After more thought, another way to broach this problem (but more lengthy) is to remove the headlight doors and grill and this will make access to the latch easier.