Ok, For the last year or so I could tell that the hood was getting harder and harder to open. Well now its stuck shut and no matter how hard I try to pull on the damn cable it wont pop open. How do I open it if the cable isnt working? Im assuming that i will need to buy a new cable, but meanwhile how do I get in?

Also, I searched for about 20 minuets and came up with nothing....

 

First of all are you shure the cabel is broken? My hood use to get stuck too, it just neaded some oil.
2 things helped me:
Put your fingers under the hood and start to lift slightly, now have a friend to pull the leaver from inside the car. (momentum)
Second thing to try is to pull the leaver as normal and now with one hand try to lift the hood while banging slightly on the
hood area where the lock is.

 

Just try pushing down on the hood, should pop up when somebody else is pulling the lever. The lube it up.

 

Mine used to get stuck, and I'd have to pull the cable out, push it back in, and smuck the hood..

I just cleaned it really well, added a bit of oil and haven't had a problem since.

 

i pull the cable handle out and push it back in then go to the front of the hood and just wiggle it slightly till it pops. if you are pulling into your driveway and pull the cable, the hood will pop up on it's own. i clean and lube mine on a regular basis and it still happens so i get used to it

 

I had the same trouble on my 88IROC. I would pull on the handle and nothing would happen. Between pulling on the handle and pulling up on the hood, eventually it would open. I tried lubing everything. I found out that it was none of the above. The pads located on both sides of the radiator that are used to adjust how far the hood closes was adjusted down too much. I raised theses pads and the hood works perfectly every time. If it looks like your hood is just below the fender when closed, this may be the trouble. Have someone work the latch while you are at the front of the car. If you hear clicking, the cable is OK. Possibly, use hooks to pull up on the hood while someone works the latch handle. Don't pry or you can damage the paint. Maybe one person on each side of the hood, pulling up just a little. If it opens, do what everyone says, oil the latch and adjust the pads.

 

Just give it alittle tap with you palm or bottom of you closed fist. Works every time!

 

ahh yes, the infamous beat the hell out of it til it works or breaks.

That a boy!

 

A friend of mine wrecked his 88' in the front. The hood locked shut, and I helped him take the plastic off underneath, and we were finally able to get to the latch from underneath the car and open it. Those latches tend to drop down from being pounded by the slamming hood. The bolts just can't take the abuse unless they are nice andf tight. Just by the way you said that you noticed it getting worse and worse, I am 99% sure that's your problem. Try pushing down on the hood on the left and the right sides with firm pressure, and over the latch area. Sometimes this will spring the hood latch loose on 3rd gens. When you raise your latch up, DO NOT raise it up all the way or much at all. If you do this, you will not be able to get the hood open.

 

RedRagTop (welcome to the board, by the way) has got the right idea for definately getting your hood open. Kinda scary once you do it; makes me want to weld a plate up there to prevent others from doing that to my car...

Another thing that can cause a hood to not open is dead gas lift struts. The only real "springing" action for a hood to bounce open comes from the gas lift struts. They provide an upward "push" towards the latch- and then the latch swings aside, and your hood opens.

So I'd say to: Buy new gas struts, pop the hood from below (you'll be able to feel for the cable), open the hood, replace the gas struts, and grease the half-moon-shaped latch of the hood latch. Try closing the hood and opening it via the cable. If it still won't open, re-adjust the latch as RedRagTop said. If it still won't open, check your latch for damage (worn out latch pivot causing the half-moon-shape to wobble, or latch being otherwise bent) and check your cable sheath for being rotted away.

My cable sheath got eaten by battery acid; I got one from a junkyard car. Fun fact- In junkyard cars, leaves and other crap tends to pile up in the area of the firewall where the hood release cable passes through. Those leaves/crap soak up water, and rust the junkyard car's firewall. To get the cable out of the firewall, just apply a screwdriver and some force to push against the side of the hole in the firewall where the cable passes through. Chances are in your favor that the firewall will punch through and you can easily yank the cable out. You'll probably want to be more careful when you remove the cable from your OWN car

 

Actually I prefer to think of it more as the Fonzie Maneuver (from Happy Days)...

 

Yes its definitely cool, i forgot to mention thought that i have the lightweight composite/fiberglass 82 Z28 hood.

 

Do this:

Have someone hold the hood release all the way open and give the hood a good smack right above the latch and it should pop up (pull the hood up a bit so you don't smack it shut). Always worked for me.