need detail pictures or info about 330GTC hood latch cable

[LinuxLotusJagNut]

I am trying to fix a broken hood latch cable on a friend's 330GTC and I am puzzled by something I found when I unbolted the latch from under the cowl. The main hood release cable seems to run from the center of the cowl over to the driver's side of the engine bay and then through the firewall to end just behind a horizontal lever that I believe the cable was attached to before it broke. However the actual means of how it was attached to that lever is not clear. Plus when I unbolted the latch from under the center of the cowl I discovered a second cable running directly back from the latch assembly through the center of the firewall and presumably ending somewhere under the dash. I have not been able to locate the other end of that second cable as of yet. I am not sure anything other than the actual latch assembly is original. Even the bracket the horizontal lever is attached to under the left hand edge of the dash looks like it might be something someone crudely welded on there. I am posting a photo of the latch with a rough drawing of the cables as I found them.

Does anyone have either a photo showing any of these latch and release cable details? Is there supposed to be a secondary safety cable run directly back through the firewall from the latch? If so where does it end?

[DWR46]

Everything in your photo and drawing is very original. The "safety" cable to the center of the dash usually ends with the cable just stuffed up under the center of the dash, in no particular location. The pull handle bracket for the main cable is crudely welded to the underside of the dash as you described. You should find a hole through the Pull Handle. The cable goes through this hole and is then secured by a typical Italian cable clamp. You could post a photo of the Pull Handle and we can verify this.

[LinuxLotusJagNut]

OK, I have a photo of the pull handle and the crudely welded bracket that it is attached to.

What I guess I am not understanding is how the cable is supposed to attached to the pull handle, The hole in the handle is perpendicular to the plane of the cable so I would think it would cause a hell of a stress point in the cable thus causing it to break fairly regularly if the cable is actually supposed to get threaded through this hole.

[tyang]

The first time I worked on one of these, I was amazed at how crude the parts looked, almost like they forgot about the hood release and added it after the car was built. The emergency pull ends up near the opening at the center console below the dash at the passenger side of the car. If you stick you fingers in this gap, you should be able to fish it out.

I seem to recall a 90 degree bend in the cable into the release lever. Kind of dumb because once you make the bend, you can only adjust the tension at the latch. I'll see if I can photograph one at the shop next week if you have not resolved this by then.

Getting this release to work right can be tricky, and if you get it wrong, a stuck hood could be your result. We had a car come into the shop with a stuck hood, and found just short of cutting the hood open with a saw, you can reach the nuts securing the latch from under the car. A long ratchet extension will reach. I would suggest making sure you can do this or find the emergency cable before dropping that hood in place!

Good luck!

Tom

[LinuxLotusJagNut]

Yes, the hood is NOT getting closed until I fix all of these cables so they work properly.
Thanks for the confirmation that there is indeed a 90deg bend in the cable. What a bad design.

[LinuxLotusJagNut]

ARGH! I have looked and looked but I cannot locate the other end of the emergency pull cable. I have the end that extends into the engine compartment just behind the center latch assembly but so far no luck on the other end. I do not want to reassemble the latch and primary cable without being able to make sure this emergency cable operates as well. just in case I have a problem with my primary cable arrangement.

I have tried wiggling the emergency cable from the engine compartment side but it does not seem to move at all. Could it be stuck or caught on something? I seem to have a lot of it extending into the engine compartment. I will post a photo in a little while showing what I have now.

[LinuxLotusJagNut]

Here are some photos of the emergency release cable that is sticking out of the firewall prior to me re-installing the latch assembly. The heavy black thing sticking out from the firewall under the center of the cowl where the latch would normally be attached is the part of the emergency release cable I have sticking into the engine compartment. It is approximately 12 - 15 inches long which is way too long to reach to the latch which is only about 4 - 5 inches ahead of the hole in the firewall where this cable is protruding through the firewall.

Is there a loop or handle on the interior end of this cable that I should be looking for?

[tyang]

Sorry to hear about your frustration! I believe that braided cable is formed into a loop on the other end of that cable. The sheathing is pulled so far out of the firewall in your picture that it may be way up under the dash. If you look carefully through the windshield, I think you'll be able to see tube for the sheathing down through the gap where the defroster vent is. This may give you a clue where to look for where the cable comes out under the dash. Your other option is to remove the glove box, and you should be able to find the cable. You might be able to just unscrew the glove box enough to drop it down and see up behind it.

Good luck.

Tom

[LinuxLotusJagNut]

I ended up pulling the glove box out from under the dash and then I was able to see and reach the cable loop. You are correct that it was pulled way up inside the dash. It turned out to be too screwed up to reuse so I made a new one with the parts from the old one. Thanks for all of the suggestions.