SAVING YOUR TAIL WHEN THE HOOD RELEASE CABLE BREAKS !!

Every once-in-a-while you hear about an unfortunate roadster owner who pulls on the hood release cable and the knob and part or all of the cable itself simply comes out in his hand, leaving the hood firmly closed with no easy to way to release the catch and open the hood.

There have been a couple of good suggestions provided to the roadster list over the last year or two.

1) Fergus O'Ferrell passed on a suggestion to install a short emergency release cable similar to what you might find in larger cars with remote releases for the gas tank access door or trunk lid.  Fergus suggests using a small diameter wire rope similar to that found in a picture hanging kit.  Attach one end of the wire rope to the hood release lever and then route the wire rope through a dash opening somewhere around the master cylinder(s) so that it hangs well out of the way under the dash, but is easily accessible if needed.

2) Another suggestion offered by someone was to tie a small diameter nylon rope the the hood release lever and route it through the inner fender wall so that it hangs down under the left front fender.  Tie a knot in the rope on the outer side of the fender wall to prevent the rope from retreating back under the hood.  You could also route the rope inside of the car as suggested in the first method.

Either of these minor modifications will save your sanity, not to mention your car's body work should you find yourself holding your hood release cable in your hand.

The best suggestion is to inspect your hood release cable at every oil change, or if you happen to think about it whenever you have the hood open between oil changes.  Inspect often.  Repair early.  Sleep well.

SUGGESTIONS FOR OPENING THE HOOD INCLUDED:

Bounce the hood up and down in an attempt to release a poorly aligned hood latch.  I have had my hood open when going over a bump in the road.  This might work with the car sitting still, or you could find a rough road to vibrate and twist the body for you as you drive over the uneven surface faster than you would like to under normal circumstances.

Use a pry bar or hatchet to pry or cut the hood open.  This is definitely the least desirable option.