Gas Pedal & Hood Latch problems - help!

#1 - how do I remove the gas pedal from the pedal assembly? I have a new pedal I want to put on in place of the stocker, and ca't get the rivet out. I tried prying with a screwdriver but it just bends the screwdriver. Can't get my head close enough down there to see if there's a trick to it. (see pic, the little bolt end sticking out of the middle of the pedal is my problem).



#2 - I took my hood latch assembly apart to hide my release cable into the fenderwell. I put it back, BUT when I put the locking mechanism back in place, it no longer flips to catch the hood when I shut it. The problem is I can't find the right alignment to allow it to catch the hood. It is not that the lock is already locked, etc., I've already checked and reassured those "duh" problems.

I watch the hood come down on it, and it pushes the lock about halfway before the hood bottoms out on the rest/height pads, but the lock does NOT flip over and catch the hood like it should. I've attached two pics to show two different positions I've tried. One, the Lock mechanism's height is set evenly with the piece of metal that it attaches to. The 2nd pic shows the lock set a little higher. I've also tried one side high and one side low (and opposite side high/low), as well as moving it to the left and to the right. NOTHING WORKS. I have been messing with these for an entire week and i can't take it anymore. Something so simple is killing me!






Thanks for any help on either problem! :joy:

No wreck. I just took the latch assembly off to reroute the release cable into my fenderwell area along with the rest of my wires. It wasn't even off 10 minutes. I can snap it with my fingers and release it with the pull cord in the interior, so it's still working. I watch the hood close down on the lock, but the hood itself reaches its "resting spot" on the car before the lock is able to turn. Common sense tells me to RAISE the lock so the hood can still push it down,but I get the same exact problem no matter how high I lift it. And I can't lift it any higher. What sucks is it was JUST WORKING before I took it off and I didn't expect the nut hole mounts to be adjustable.

Thanks.

They're threaded. I will mess with them.

I don't think I'll be driving to IA with a hood that doesn't lock