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How to repair your hood release cable


dozenhundred

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One of the first things I needed to do to my 1200 after I bought it was fix the hood release. The cable had broken right at the release handle, so to open the hood I had to grab the end of the cable with pliers and pull. I couldn't find a new one. I am a cyclist so I figured I could build a new cable with a bike brake cable. The parts cost me about 6 bucks, so it is real cheap and pretty easy too. Follow along to see just how easy. This is for my 1200, but I think most older datsuns used a similar arrangement.

 

First you need to remove the latch under the hood. Then unhook the cable end from the latch. From inside the car remove the bolts that hold the handle on and pull the cable through the firewall and out of the car.

 

Here's where mine was broken:

DSC03835.jpg

 

The latch:

DSC03837.jpg

 

The cable end:

Notice the shape of the end lug is a small cylinder so it will fit through the hole on the latch mechanism.

DSC03834.jpg

 

Here are the parts I used:

DSC03836.jpg

The cable, black cable housing, a ferrule (the loopy thing) and a clamp (the small silver part). I bought the brake cable and housing at a bike shop. If you take in your old cable housing they can cut the housing to the proper length for you. If you don't you will need to use a nail to fix the end of the housing. Cutting it will flatten the spiral shield in the housing. Pushing a nail into the end will reshape the hole so the cable will slide through again.

 

The other parts I bought at the local Ace hardware store. Including the following part. I had to go back and get this after I found out the ferrule loop was too big to fit. I think it is called a screw stud:

DSC03848.jpg

 

 

First I reshaped the end to look more like the original cable. The cylinder is sideways compared to the original. You probably don't need to do this since it would still fit through the hole on the latch:

DSC03842.jpg

DSC03843.jpg

 

Put some lube on the cable and insert the cable into the housing. I used tri-flow silicon, don't use a petroleum based oil like wd40, it will attract dirt. Line up the new cable with the original at both ends to check the length. It should just be close, the amount hanging out at each end is what matters:

DSC03840.jpg

DSC03839.jpg

 

Now the fun part. You need to drill out the big rivet that holds the cable end to the handle. I used a drill bit that was close to the size of the rivet flange. Drill slowly from the side that has the hole and just enough to cut off the flange on that one side and the rivet will come out the other side:

DSC03844.jpg

DSC03845.jpg

 

This is the only part you need to be careful on. Both ends need to hang out of the housing the same amount. So line up the cable housing to the original, line up the ends, and make the finished loop so that the length would match the original if it's loop end was still attached. Here you can see how I was doing this with the ferrule. The loop would have been too long by the time I clamped the end of the wire so I ended up doing a loop with out the ferrule as in the second pic:

DSC03846.jpg

DSC03847.jpg

 

There is a tool availabe to crimnp the clamp on the cable but I just used a big hammer on the anvil portion of my vice to flatten it good.

 

Now put the screw stud into the handle with the loop of the cable going around it:

DSC03849.jpg

 

Reinstal in reverse of removal and you are done. Nice and smooth too! :)

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Nice Write Up! The pictures are excellent. 610s and 710s use an "umbrella handle" style that is screwed on to threads at the end of the cable inside the passenger compartment. But this would allow us to go to the more "simple" lever pull system, should our cable snap or fray. Gotta open the hood to work on the engine...

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Nice Write Up! The picures are excellent.

:thumbup:

 

 

for an even cheaper 'side of the road' repair (ya know, when ya break down and cant get the damn thing open!!!)

 

hammer (or drill ;) ) out the retaining stud, open the cable end w/a tool... or 3, jam the frayed cable end in a crimp (or smash) closed. ive also used a electrical crimp stud there.

its old enough, so it should have streched enougth to compensate for the 2mm loss. :lol:

use a spare bolt thats at the bottom of the tool box to attach.

 

[finally dry out dizzy cap and complete the trip!]

 

still functional after many years!

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You did use a proper JDM Shimano SLR cable, yes? :D

 

I'm a cyclist too, and this is one of those things that I kept thinking would work (as my cable is broken as well) but just never got around to sorting it out. This makes it all clear, thanks for the writeup!

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Ha, I did the same thing, but I didn't have the handle anymore, so I used an old V-brake for the pull end. After racing for 8 years, I have so much old stuff laying around it is nice to use it every once in a while.

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Ha, I did the same thing, but I didn't have the handle anymore, so I used an old V-brake for the pull end. After racing for 8 years, I have so much old stuff laying around it is nice to use it every once in a while.

 

i just hooked a piece of hanger to the latch and stuffed it behind the valance and it pop's out behind the license plate! i am a bit ghetto at times but it work's lol

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  • 1 month later...

This is a cool Idea, although I just slapped the whole assembly off of a B210 on mine. It is a little bit longer but works better than when it was stock, and you get a handle with a litte car picture on it.

 

mine got this far before I noticed

IMG_1701.jpg

 

 

 

IMG_1688.jpg

do the bolt holes for the 210 unit match up to the 510?

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  • 10 months later...
  • 7 months later...
  • 7 months later...

This is kind of a silly question, but where does the hood release lever bolt to? My dime didn't have any cable/handle when I got it, so I made one according to this write up with a spare that I got, but I can't figure out where to mount the handle in the interior. I'm sure it's someplace obvious and staring me in the face...

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