Greetings! (& Engine Cover Release)

[daKlone]

Greetings All! :)

I've just become the proud owner of a 1977 S1 Monte Carlo coupe, in a fetching shade of yellow. It needs plenty of work doing to it, but I'm pretty keen so here goes...

Unfortunately, I've fallen at the first - I bought the car with the engine cover open, but when washing it accidentally shut it properly and now can't open it again!

The little handle inside the car doesn't do it and none of the keys I have fit the little lock on the back of the car (which just seems to spin anyway). Is there a trick to getting it open without causing TOO much damage?

[Paul Dempsey]

Hi and welcome to the club!. Can't help you with getting it open, but if you find the mechanism has broken i have a spare if you need it and many other parts aswell.I have just had my engine rebuilt and have put twin carbs on it , but need a longer throttle cable, has anyone got a spare. Chad is away on holiday ( montehospital ) and i'm desperate to get it going, cheers for now, Paul. :roll:

[Ken H]

If the inside handle moves easily with no resistance, then the release wire is probably broken. If it broke at the handle and a bit of unbroken wire is protruding through the firewall, you might be able to pull the end of the wire with pliers and open the cover.

Inside the engine compartment, the cover latch has a lever protruding down below it that is pulled forward by the release wire to actuate the latch. With a bit of care, you can use a metal rod or maybe a wood slat that's thin enough to fit through the rear grille, and push the lever far enough to release the latch. Shining a light in there will help you locate where to push.

Good luck!

- Ken

[daKlone]

Firstly, thanks Paul - I may well be calling on your parts bin in the not-too-distant future!

Ken - supurb suggestion!

Poked a cane rod through the rear slats and managed to push the lever across to get it open. On doing so, I noticed that there is an additional piece of wire attached to the bottom of the lever, running down just inside the OSR wheel well - someone must have had the same problem before and added it as a safety measure!

The handle inside the car feels kind of stiff and springy (if that makes any sense!) but I'm not sure if it's locked or not. Does it move at all if it's locked? Mine moves about an inch at the moment.

Anyway, thanks again chaps!

[Ken H]

dK,

Glad it worked out! None of the Scorpions I've owned have had a locking engine compartment handle. However, as you will find with these cars, anything is possible. If the handle were locked you wouldn't be able to move it a full inch. I'm guessing you have a bind in the cable assembly. If you remove it starting from the latch end until the whole cable is straight but still connected to the handle, you may be able to find the problem and/or coax it into working. To completely remove the assembly, you'll need to remove the handle, which means you have to be able to move the handle far enough to access the phillips screw in the recess. If you can't get the cable moving, you'll have to cut the wire.

- Ken