[DeTomaso] Front hood latch hard to close

[Christopher Kimball]

I had the same problem on my '72--so  much so I thought I'd dent the hood trying to close it (in fact I think there is a slight depression due to the difficulty of getting it to latch over all the years the previous owner had it).
 
I looked at the situation and did what I usually do when such a situation presents itself--I found a huge pair of pliers!  I grabbed the little rod on the hood that interfaces with the latch and bent it slightly downward.  This make it latch much easier and the hood sits only slightly higher than it did before.  By adjusting the little rubber-covered bolts on each side of the hood I was able to keep it level and consistent on each side.
 
I'd be careful doing this "primitive Pete" kind of approach, however, since 1) if your hood already sits high it will sit even higher and might look dorky, and 2) you might have the misfortune of snapping off the rod, leading to expensive and hassle-filled repairs.
 
Sincerely,
 
Chris "get a bigger hammer" Kimball
#3846> From: matt at nwpantera.com> To: detomaso at realbig.com> Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 18:50:15 -0700> Subject: [DeTomaso] Front hood latch hard to close> > Hey all,> Can anybody tell me how to reduce the force required to latch the front hood? I always have to give it a hefty two handed push down to get it to engage. Looking at the mechanism I see two return springs,neither of which seemingly have little to do with it. I tried lube but no help and the hood side prong seems to be adjusted down to the max.> It latches and opens ok but I feel like I'm giving CPR to an elephant. Must be some internal spring in there?> Suggestions?> Thanks folks,> Matt Wells> 3584> _______________________________________________> > Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA> > Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/> > DeTomaso mailing list> DeTomaso at list.realbig.com> http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso