Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 18:03:04 -0500
From: Anne O <advection@domain.elided>
Subject: [alfa] Re: Spider hood woes
This doesn't sound like fun,but I'll paste in an old Digest clipping I had
saved, don't remember who originally posted it:
You may recall my posting about the hood release cable on my Spider
breaking, thus forever locking the hood shut. I've been fishing for the
latch release with various wire implements since last Friday morning, and
today at 2:30pm, the hood finally popped open. The final iteration of the
tool was fabricated from a piece of wire like that used in coathangers, and
the fishing was done from the rear hood opening. Taped loosely to the wire
was a length of heavy monofilament fishing line, terminating in a slip-knot
noose, which would ultimately fit over the bolt and pivot assembly that
formerly held the end of the release cable. Success with this tool came
after at least 100 attempts, but countless hundreds of other attempts were
made with similar tools that terminated in a rigid hook, which always
slipped off its target before the pivot could be turned enough to pop the
hood.
The moral of the story is that each and every one of you with a 105 Spider
or GTV needs to have some sort of auxiliary release on your car. The best
and most simple is probably a length of monofilament fishing line (Fred
recommmends 50 pound test), snaked out from the latch through a hole in the
left inner fender. Do it now. You never want to have to spend 5 days
trying to get your hood open after the cable broke.
Thanks to the Tampa area Spider owners who invited me to look at their cars,
with the hood open, so I could fabricate an intermediate iteration of the
tool. These were people I had never before spoken to or corresponded with,
so their gestures were quite generous.
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