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Hello everyone,

I have a 71' standard. That I'm doing a pan off custom/resto on. I have it down to a roller. The hood has been lying in place but not latched. Due to lack of garage space. Last night my wife leaned on the hood to talk to me, when I heard a "CLICK" I tried the handle and sure enough it had latched. I removed the cable to pop the latch, so any thoughts on how to get it back open? Thanks!

Well, you have two options, saw the handle into pieces, or try to fish up the latch with a coathanger. Or you could cut out the bottom of the spare tire well.

I was afraid of that! I am more then likely going to buy a new hood so i guess i can saw off the handle and try that route!

My car has been in my garage for two years. Having that happen has been a recurring nightmare for me. Now that the painting is done, I'm doubly worried about it happening. Being German myself, I'm ashamed for my people not coming up with a better way to secure the front hood.

If the hood is worth saving, wouldn't it be simpler to cut a hand-sized hole in the tire well then unscrew the nuts holding the latch closed? If you cut out the handle you've ruined the entire hood. And welding/patching will never be as strong, at least not if I did it. But since the wheel well is hidden a patch job doesn't need to be pretty.

kpo

NONO, you just need to just the actual handle, not the metal it bolt to. There's a thread on this on thesamba as well as one other VW site, I'll try to find it. Usually it's as easy to pull the latch open with a coat hanger, as there's usually a lot of holes in the front apron.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... 12bce9dbb5

The first one is clever but I don't know about some of the others.

Thanks everyone for the replies! My hinges are off the hood, so I can lift the back of the hood. I can see the latch, and tried pulling it with a coat hanger. I still couldn't get it to release. Guess I'll try cutting the handle!