hi i just recived my 67 firebird and i cant fiqure out how to open the hood

There is a pull lever below and behind the front bumper just to the driver's side of the center line.

Reach your hand into the lower grill opening in the valance and pull forward.

i got the hood to pop but it wont go ujp all the way... only popped open about 2 or 3 inches. what do i need to do to get it open all the way?

Push the hood down an inch or two then put your hand under it ready to raise it up, pull and hold out the lever you first pulled and then raise the hood.You were held up on the safety catch. Hopefully you're now looking at an engine!

Good luck with your Bird.
Jerry (UK)

The hood has a safety catch. You need to press down a bit on the nose of the hood while pulling the lever all the way forward to bypass the safety catch.

If you just pull the lever without the other hand on the nose of the hood - it won't open all the way.

GOT IT GUYS!!!!!

see a battery ? pass side , up front?

I saw no battery in the hood but when I get home tom I will look in the trunk a little bbetter. hopefully its there

Comgrats on your purchase!

Got any pics of the car?

well i am having a hard time uploading them but i will get it up eventually.haha

ok well the hood problems are back... there was a oil cap stuck under the hood latch so naturally i pulled it out. Well apparently it was a very important part. The hood will not open for me... i pull the lever once i hit the saftey catch, i push down on the nose and pull the lever and bypass the saftey catch. then it opens up about one more inch or 2 farther then the saftey catch and gets stuck. any help would be greatly appreciated

well i figured it out after a hour. my latch was not opening all the way so i had to take a wrench and stick it between the latch and the part that pushes down on the latch attached to the lever. doing that gave it enough clearence to push open the hood

You might check to see if you have a 67 hood matched with a 67 latch. I've heard that a 67 latch will stick when using a 68 or 69 hood.

It's easy to tell the difference on the hood. Look at the square area where the latch goes in. On a '67 hood this area is flat. On a '68-69 hood this area is angled downward.

However, you said it gets farther from the safety catch. When you look under the hood, or swipe your hand or an object past the latch area, is there anything still making contact? Or are the hinges just sticking? Hinges are a common point of failure. If they are too stiff, forcing your hood closed can buckle the sides of the hood. If they are too loose, the hood won't align properly when closed.

it is indeed angled, so i guess that means i have the wrong hood latch.lol and i belive the hinges are just sticking, b/c it never shuts right and is always off line at the top and sticks up and i have to push down on it. sometimes the hood opens smoothly.... other times i am there for a hour...

Before addressing the latch, solve the hinge issue. There are some great photos of hood latch differences here, so if you search this forum and compare the images once you get your hood open, you can see if your latch has already been swapped. Here's one photo from Tom Brandl's web site, of a '68 latch.


When the hood is closed on this latch, a metal bar rotates out of the latch body. This will cause issues (not able to open hood at all) if you have a '67 style hood, but if you have the angled hood receiver you should be fine.

Lubricate the hood latch thoroughly with PB Blaster or other penetrating lube. The latch is also adjustable, with three bolts on the latch support, if it still makes contact after opening.

If the latch is not touching the hood after you've released it from the safety, then it's not the main problem. I have to open my '69 hood the same way, and it has all the correct parts. Pull, press, pull, lift.

You can try lubricating all the pivot points on your hinges to see if it helps. Use graphite lube, or PB Blaster, or another very slick, non-drying lube. If your hood sticks almost closed, be patient, just try repeatedly lifting with a gentle lift until it eventually opens.

Vikki´s right - again. Or should I say as usual?

Here´s a link concerning the hood latch issue, too:

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3239665#post3239665

Perhaps it´s of some avail...

well thanks guys! my latch was not opening all the way. as i said befor i grinded off a piece of metal and welded it on the part where when you pull the lever and the piece connected to the lever comes in contact with the latch. allowing for more travle for the latch. i know i worded that terriably. sorry.haha