Hypothetical: Breaking Into the Trunk (Engine Bay)

If it was me, I’d break them all out. Sorry, couldn’t resist
I was able to get the emergency release cable to open the decklid on my old GTB QV after the regular cable snapped but to do so I had to get a pair of vise grips‘s on the cable and Pull like a beast which finally pulled both latches open.

 

Pressuring DOWN on the lid also sometimes lessons the release effort..

Man I would hate to smash a good light as they are expensive.

Muffler removal likely, to hole saw into the trunk floor, but a more hidden repair......

 

Pfft hold my beer, put a hole behind the license plate, cheaper to weld it back up then pay for 1-2 lights

 

I recall there's a thread on this and someone already did this. Broke a light to get into the trunk, and it was successful.

 

REALLY? Surely there's a better way other than destroying parts to get in there!!!! OK, I admit I don't know but I'm not sure I could bring myself to break a tail light on my 328 to get the hood open...

 

I’d get a pair of vise grip‘s on that emergency cable and have someone push down on the rear deck lid like big Tex suggested then pull like hell on that cable. Nothing to lose. That’s what it’s there for and worked for me. I’m with Mike on this. Not a fan of drilling, cutting or smashing holes in the car.

 

Hey Mark
You can look up my old post. It happened to me exactly about two years ago. After replacing a new cable, I failed to tighten the nuts to secure the cable and shut the lid. That was a dead sentence. I waited at least 3 days to think about it and finally decided to bust the passenger brake light. I used a Dremel cutter with a disc to cut the lens off, remove the bulb & housing assembly, accessing the cable, pulling it with my bare hand or pused it with a screw driver I don't remember. Looking back, I think it was the least damage you can do to the car and the cheapest. Luckily I found another used brake light assembly on Ebay for $100.

 

On another note, the reason I decided to cut the passenger lens was that the emergency cable ends at the first latch while the main cable runs all the way to the passenger latch. So pull on the passenger latch cable where the cable ends will open both latches.

Good luck! May the force be with you...

 

If you remove the rear left wheel and the fiberglass fender lining and look up under the fender, you can see the tubes where the trunk release cables goes through. Carefully, you can use a dremel to cut a small piece of the tube to expose the cable, you can then grab the cable with a hook and pull it with a pliers or a vise grip. I guess this only works if the cable breaks at the release lever or somewhere pass that.

 

or put a rubber grommet in the hole for when it happens again. LoL

S

 

I think the rear panel is fiberglass?? That doesn't weld well. Maybe its metal, I can't recall.

I would take the inner rear fender out and locate the cable, and maybe cut into that first, as the failure may be forward towards front of car.

Doug

 

Both the main cable and emergency cable run through a tube/pipe from the latch, makes a 90 degree turn then exit before the left latch. The emergency cable ends there, and the main cable continues to the right latch.

The cable rarely fails; it is most likely the lock nut on it has slipped, and you can't pull enough. The lock nut triggers the latch to release when pulled. If you remove the latch screws and pull the whole latch and cable, you may release it by gaining more distance of pull.

Looks like this. The lock nuts are barrel tubes that slide onto the cable and have a allen screw go into the side to press the cable.

 

Here’s your target, wide open and hidden behind the plate
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