Hood latch retrofit.

[1974ChevyC30]

Alright well I picked up a 1984 hood latch assembly from a junkyard for my 1974. I have the original grille and hood latch assembly however I have heard that the center support may need to be changed out to accommodate an internal latch. Being that it's my daily driver I'd like the extra security of an internal latching mechanism and was wondering if anyone here has done what I'm looking to do and any specifics that may help.

Thank you!

[motornut]

Originally Posted by 1974ChevyC30

Alright well I picked up a 1984 hood latch assembly from a junkyard for my 1974. I have the original grille and hood latch assembly however I have heard that the center support may need to be changed out to accommodate an internal latch. Being that it's my daily driver I'd like the extra security of an internal latching mechanism and was wondering if anyone here has done what I'm looking to do and any specifics that may help.

Thank you!

I'm planning to do my k78 outside to inside.
( had my batt stolen a couple of years back,cut the cables and gone).
Thought I'd read it was the whole different support ?

[KrazyRay]

You can change to an inside hood release by finding a 78-80 donor truck that has that option. You need the top piece of the radiator support, the different hood latch that has the loop instead of the cone, and the cable and hardware going to the cab. I have a few parts trucks with this option, but I don't bother removing it because of the shipping aspect of a 6' long box.

[1974ChevyC30]

Originally Posted by KrazyRay

You can change to an inside hood release by finding a 78-80 donor truck that has that option. You need the top piece of the radiator support, the different hood latch that has the loop instead of the cone, and the cable and hardware going to the cab. I have a few parts trucks with this option, but I don't bother removing it because of the shipping aspect of a 6' long box.

Gotcha, does this mean that the one I got from an 84' C10 won't work? Or possibly with some fabrication? I have the 2 pieces of the latch(hood portion and latching portion) as well as the full cable assembly. The only piece I'm missing then is the top piece of the rad support. Is it possible to fabricate this piece? What does it look like so I can have a template?

[KrazyRay]

I suppose you could cut the top center section of an 81-87 radiator support and weld it to your 73-80. You might also have to fabricate something for the latch to go on the 73-80 hood. It would be much easier to get the 78-80 parts and bolt them on.

[1974ChevyC30]

Originally Posted by KrazyRay

I suppose you could cut the top center section of an 81-87 radiator support and weld it to your 73-80. You might also have to fabricate something for the latch to go on the 73-80 hood. It would be much easier to get the 78-80 parts and bolt them on.

I see. The hood is not original it is a GM performance parts steel cowl hood(see my profile for pic) so that may or may not be an issue. Are the center supports that different between the 73-80 and 81-87? Sounds like it may be in my best interest to cut my losses(30 bucks) with the 84' latch assembly rather than spending time messing with it and get the right one. Thanks for the info! Guess I shoulda asked before hitting the junkyard.

[El Dorado Jim]

http://http://www.autotoys.com/x/home.phphttp://www.autotoys.com/pics/thumbs/t_HOODLOCK7ft.jpg check these hoodlatch cables out...I am thinking about buying a few for my rigs.....they come in 3', 5' and 7' lengths