Uhh....I'm an idiot.

Miller220 · Sep 12, 2009

OK, so I'm damned excited because I got my first Mustang today; a 2002 GT with a 5-Speed....and, since the car was delivered to me from South Carolina I was doing a walk-around on it. I popped the hood...snuck a peek...and then when I went to close it...I dropped it, expecting it to close similarly to my 2007 cobalt...cept for the part of the latch got stuck on the hood..and instead of locking...got pushed down and bent out of place. Now the latch takes LOTS of fiddling with, and after about 20 minutes today, it locked back in place, and was safe to drive. I tried taking the grille off to NOT crack it, but without any luck.

Cliffnotes: Anyone bent their latch, and then successfully fixed it? If so, How?

P.S. The grille is held in by plastic screws...and 3 of them wont come out...they spin, but nothing happens.

Thanks anyone who reads contributes

BK_CAULEY · Sep 12, 2009

how did it bend it so far out you cant just bend it back. either way there are two 10mm adjustment nuts on both sides of the catch. undo them and line it back up.

VEE EIGHT · Sep 13, 2009

Miller220 said:
P.S. The grille is held in by plastic screws...and 3 of them wont come out...they spin, but nothing happens.

Thanks anyone who reads contributes

Because they aren't screws, they're "push pins". You just have to yank them out as hard as you can.

View attachment 245934

seths99cobra · Sep 13, 2009

look to take the grill out it has those push pins with a phillips head screw in it hold the flat part and unscrew it or get a flat head and pry out the pin. then get a junkyard latch that simple easy and cheap youll just have to adjust it and ease it shut till its alined right

Miller220 · Sep 13, 2009

Thanks fer all the replies, and I think I'll try adjusting it before I do anything else, and the screws IN the push pins wont come out...so I cant do any yanking, unless I wanna have a loosey goosey grill

flstang65 · Sep 13, 2009

Other than you little mishap, how do you like the new ride?

trombonedemon · Sep 13, 2009

Hey don't feel bad, when I first got my stang, I put steering fluid in the master brake cylinder, Dooooogh! Cost me about 5 hundred to have all of the rubber parts replaced. I'm still pissed, cause I could have done myself, if I knew then what I knew now, my best wishes. stangnet

VEE EIGHT · Sep 13, 2009

Miller220 said:
Thanks fer all the replies, and I think I'll try adjusting it before I do anything else, and the screws IN the push pins wont come out...so I cant do any yanking, unless I wanna have a loosey goosey grill

Mine do that too, they just keep turning instead of coming out. Yanking the pins out won't deform them much if you do it carefully. I've yanked mine out and reinserted without any issue.

If you DO deform them, Im sure you can buy a pack of plastc push pins @ Walmart for a few dollars

Shiroelex · Sep 14, 2009

If you apply JUST enough pressure to keep the screwdriver in the head of the plastic screw as you turn it, it should slowly come up. If you can get it up high enough to get a flathead under it, then pry the center pin out. I usually slip a knife under the edge of the center pin and pry it out. Do you have any pictures of the damage? I'm a little puzzled as to what got bent...

Drew0318 · Sep 15, 2009

I've always used needle-nose plyers to get those types of pins out.

Miller220 · Sep 16, 2009

Look at that, I go away for a day or two, and REPLIES everywhere. And I LOVE the car, my dad had a 95 GT when I was but a wee lad, and I fell in love with the car, and I gotta say....I like the extra giddyup of the 2002 >,> It has an exhaust on it...although I'm not sure what...I think its a flowmaster, but since I haven't had a chance to get under it, I dont have a clue. I Also dont have insurance or plates as of yet...about the only thing that I've done with it is take it out and drive around my subdivision a few times. As for the Pliers...when I can actually DRIVE the car to Point B from point A, I'll attempt to pull everything out and fix the damned hood. Thanks all for the help and responses

the98stang · Sep 17, 2009

Miller220 said:
Look at that, I go away for a day or two, and REPLIES everywhere. And I LOVE the car, my dad had a 95 GT when I was but a wee lad, and I fell in love with the car, and I gotta say....I like the extra giddyup of the 2002 >,> It has an exhaust on it...although I'm not sure what...I think its a flowmaster, but since I haven't had a chance to get under it, I dont have a clue. I Also dont have insurance or plates as of yet...about the only thing that I've done with it is take it out and drive around my subdivision a few times. As for the Pliers...when I can actually DRIVE the car to Point B from point A, I'll attempt to pull everything out and fix the damned hood. Thanks all for the help and responses

i had to buy a new latch assembly for the hood....that was the only thing that fixed the problem

Miller220 · Sep 17, 2009

I fixed it...Pulled it off, whipped out a couple wrenches, and bent it back into place...I figure if my hood flys off one day, I'll just have a good excuse to get a fiberglass hood

Uhh....I'm an idiot.

Miller220

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it's built for speed not longevity, woman

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