Here is an interesting side thought (and a neat idea below when your hood
gets stuck). There is this little bend in the release rod about 2 inches
back from the handle itself. Esthetically, it's kind of screwy that it is
there. If it was not there, the rod would slide back farther. This would
give the rod MORE travel and would probably match perfectly with the travel
on the release mechanism. However, if the bend was not there, the handle
would go straight into the back of the dash. I'm willing to bet that the
original design would have worked just fine, but then they found the error
on the handle position. To solve it, they added a bend, rather than make a
whole new lower bracket, and probably different rod. However, in fixing
that problem, they reduced the travel. I suspect that all of the Tigers
and Alpines out there with the rod have the same less than full travel and
that the extra travel is not needed - except during those times when the
hood is stuck!!!
I am going to leave the rod but take out the spring - which will give me
the full travel "just in case."
Actually, now that I think about it, this could be an alternative way to
open a stuck hood! If you ever experience this problem - before trying to
squeeze your hands up through the grill to un-bolt the front of the hood,
unbolt the bracket in the car that holds the release rod to the arm holding
up the dash. This will eliminate the stop and allow you to get full travel
when pulling the handle.
Jay
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