After last nights test drive I was checking underneath for leaks and found a spring not seen before. Small about 1 1/4 inches long. Looked important so I saved it.

Tonight I was going to curse the neighborhood again.
Dropped the hood down and it bounced back up. No latching.
Investigation revealed the location of the mystery spring.

Before removing the latch to clean, bending the ends & replace the spring, and greasing, I carefully marked around the latch body so that I could remount it in exactly the same position.
Once I removed the latch it became clear that this was the first time the latch had ever been removed and it was self-marking.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, all the pieces are in, its road worthy and ready to go.

 

Wow, that's a lot of work Tim. And expertly done!

 

Thanks Ray.
Took longer than planned but then again I had almost no clue when I started. The extreme cold last winter limited some time, then we got a new puppy and that took out 6 weeks of evening work time.

If some 64 year old fart can do this, its not beyond reach for others.

 

great job Tim it looks great

 

Thank you.
Not quite there yet.
Every time I think its solid another gremlin pops up.
I need to track down a small oil leak on the left to the rear. Primary suspect: oil pan.