Hood latch came loose on 1971 1110

[Qasimkhan]

The hood latch came loose on my dad's 1971 1110 pickup. Any ideas how to open the hood (hopefully without disassembling the entire vehicle)? Thanks!

 

[Scoutboy74]

You can take the plastic center honey comb out of his grille. Perhaps that might afford you additional visibility and access.

 

[Qasimkhan]

You can take the plastic center honey comb out of his grille. Perhaps that might afford you additional visibility and access.

Thanks - this was very helpful advice.

The underlying problem was that the hood latch mechanism was greasy and gunked up, so it didn't operate easily. So I had to pull hard on the release rod to get the hood open. That eventually bent the catch that the release rod fit into, so then the release rod came loose. Now it operates like a charm. "For the want of nail, a kingdom was lost."