Hood release and Parking brake release - reversed?

Rubatoguy

Rubatoguy

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In my '71 Chrysler 300, the hood release is the furthist to the left and sticks out the farthest. This makes it so easy to open the hood when you are trying to release the parking brake.
I find it hard to believe that this is the way it came from the factory. Is it possible that my controls were reversed at some time? Or is this just a Chrysler oddity?

If this is the correct factory setup, has anyone found a way to reverse them so that the parking brake release is the one closest to the driver?


thank you,
Todd

hood release.jpg
 
Your releases are in their correct locations.

Pictured are Hursts, where the "hood" release is actually the trunk release. Otherwise, all the same setup.


1764612625965.jpeg


1764612788143.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Look under the dash, you are not going to move that brake release very easily.

The hood release is the one to move if you must move something.
 
Thanks. It just seems odd that the hood release sticks out farther. Maybe I can lengthen the parking brake rod so that one sticks out more than the hood release!
 
Rubatoguy said:
In my '71 Chrysler 300, the hood release is the furthist to the left and sticks out the farthest. This makes it so easy to open the hood when you are trying to release the parking brake.
I find it hard to believe that this is the way it came from the factory. Is it possible that my controls were reversed at some time? Or is this just a Chrysler oddity?

If this is the correct factory setup, has anyone found a way to reverse them so that the parking brake release is the one closest to the driver?


thank you,
Todd

View attachment 744939
Click to expand...


From the factory, 71 Dodge
20190904_180723.jpg
 
Rubatoguy said:
Thanks. It just seems odd that the hood release sticks out farther. Maybe I can lengthen the parking brake rod so that one sticks out more than the hood release!
Click to expand...
It's not odd, considering the era. Ergonomics, ease of use, ease of assembly and repair wasn't a big consideration back then, other than the obvious AC and radio controls that they bragged about in brochure marketing-talk. Most other items that drivers and mechanics had to deal with went wherever there was convenient and/or inexpensive place to put it. Consider the vacuum trunk release button on various Chryslers, located inside the glove box. They made a big deal over the "luxury" of remote release. The only thing remote about that was the damn button!

1764773268626.png
 
Another question. My car has a black Parking Brake release, but I recall my Dad's '71 had a chrome Brake Release handle. Was this a factory change? Did they go from black to chrome or chrome to black?

Brake release 2.jpg


Brake release.jpg
 
Trace 300 Hurst said:
It's not odd, considering the era. Ergonomics, ease of use, ease of assembly and repair wasn't a big consideration back then, other than the obvious AC and radio controls that they bragged about in brochure marketing-talk. Most other items that drivers and mechanics had to deal with went wherever there was convenient and/or inexpensive place to put it. Consider the vacuum trunk release button on various Chryslers, located inside the glove box. They made a big deal over the "luxury" of remote release. The only thing remote about that was the damn button!

View attachment 745253
Click to expand...
I thought the trunk release was in the glovebox because they were thinking you cold lock the glovebox and that would keep people from being able to open the trunk. (Ignoring that it would not take much to break open the glovebox door.)
 
How about putting something tactile on the hood release lever so that you feel the difference when you put your fingers on it? Like maybe a thumbtack :D

haha just kidding on the thumbtack, but not about the concept. I needed to tell the difference between two identical door keys when in pitch darkness so I drilled some holes in one of them so I could identify it by feel.
 
Rubatoguy said:
I thought the trunk release was in the glovebox because they were thinking you cold lock the glovebox and that would keep people from being able to open the trunk. (Ignoring that it would not take much to break open the glovebox door.)
Click to expand...

Probably not so much to thwart thieves as to make it harder to accidentally push it while driving. Makes sense.
 
WissaMan said:
Probably not so much to thwart thieves as to make it harder to accidentally push it while driving. Makes sense.
Click to expand...
They put it there because all they had to do was drill a hole in an unused bit of plastic inside the glovebox, instead of integrating it into the existing dashboard layout. And I'm guessing that it was also "groovy" and exotic to have that hidden button that your GF could push for you once you got where you were going.

As for opening the trunk by thieves, the system held vacuum for only a short time before the AC bleed orifice would go to "atmospheric". It was easier for them to pop the lock cylinder in two seconds, which happened to several Mopars in my family back then.
 
Trace 300 Hurst said:
They put it there because all they had to do was drill a hole in an unused bit of plastic inside the glovebox, instead of integrating it into the existing dashboard layout. And I'm guessing that it was also "groovy" and exotic to have that hidden button that your GF could push for you once you got where you were going.

As for opening the trunk by thieves, the system held vacuum for only a short time before the AC bleed orifice would go to "atmospheric". It was easier for them to pop the lock cylinder in two seconds, which happened to several Mopars in my family back then.
Click to expand...

I can tell you from experience Trace that my non AC car would hold pressure indefinitely. Even after 6 months of non starting it would have pressure.
 
Rubatoguy said:
I thought the trunk release was in the glovebox because they were thinking you cold lock the glovebox and that would keep people from being able to open the trunk. (Ignoring that it would not take much to break open the glovebox door.)
Click to expand...
I think it's there for that very reason... Kinda.... It wasn't unusual for someone to leave the car with a valet or garage. I always remember my Dad handing over just the ignition key so they couldn't get into the trunk (didn't have the power trunk releases ) where he always had his tools, so that was a factor. Later cars had "valet" keys that only started the car and opened the doors. He also made sure the house keys weren't there either. To this day, I always just hand over the keys to my daily drivers without the house keys, but I've seen a lot of people hand over their wad of keys to anybody.

But yea, you can easily pry open a glove box door, but it's very apparent that you have. It's a given that there are valets that will search for change in the ashtray, but they aren't going to pry anything open.

Since I have a convertible, I like to lock the glovebox anyway since it will get parked with the top down. Mostly because of the car's paperwork but the trunk release is in there. It keeps the casual "opportunity" type thief from opening the trunk, but it won't stop a serious thief.
 
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