ok guys this one is a tuff one for me, because i really have no idea what to do? The hood latch on my 86 fiero se is stuck closed and i have no idea of how to get it open? and yes i have tried using the hood release cables and it seems as if the hood latch is not disengaging? please if any has had to deal with this problem i would really appreciate your advice!

If it hasn't been opened in a very long time, it's probably stuck.
Does the release handle work, and spring back when you let go, or does it hang limp from a broken cable?
If the cable's still good, have someone press down Hard on the hood directly over the latch while you pull the release. The latch is very close to the edge of the hood by the windshield, in the middle. A few attempts might just break it free. You might even have a smallish person or kid get up on the hood to put more weight in that spot.

Another possability is that a front end accident has jammed it. Any signs of a collision?

it has not been open in about 6 years. the guy i got the car from had it sitting in his driveway rotting. but the front end of the car does shows signs of a tiny fender bender. because the front bumper license plate and bracket was hanging down broken. there is a little bit of slack in the cable and the latch isn't coming free but it does sound as if it's making a small clicking noise.

My 84 did the same thing. Have someone pull the cable and whack the center of the hood over the latch with the heel of your fist. It will be like Fonzie opening a hood. (sorry, showed my age...)

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carpe diem

This should help.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20010924-2-008917.html

I'm not sure that will help, since his latch is already opening.

If the front end had been damaged, the hood may have gotten pushed back a little and engaged the restraint bolts that keep it from going through the windshield. Check the back corners of the hood and see if they are lined up with the edges of the fenders. If they are back too far, try opening the headlight doors and loosening the hood hinge bolts. You may be able to wiggle it around and get it to release.

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Rod Schneider, Woodstock, Ga.
"You can't have too many toys!"
1988 Fiero GT
1966 Porsche 911
Van's RV-6 airplane-under construction

If it's been in a fender bender, the safety latches intended to keep the hood from going through the windshield are probably engaged. The Fiero that I made into a trike had been banged in the front end and the hood wouldn't open. After taking some measurements on my GT, I cut holes in the stuck hood and pried the spring clips loose so I could get it open. I've thought of modifying my GT's latches to avoid having the same thing happen to it. Once they're engaged, there's no other way but to cut it open.

ooh, I had to do that on my gt after I rearended a guy. that was no good and rendered my otherwise ok hood completely useless. it was not easy to make those cuts!

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1987 Pontiac Fiero GT, 148,000 miles! decklid window, silver guages. rear ended someone, and now the rebuilding starts! More pics of my 87 GT can be found here
1985 Pontiac Fiero 2m4 auto, 222K miles and counting <-my first car, and i still cant get rid of her!
2002 Toyota Celica GT, 5-speed, 47K miles <-FOR SALE!
A 4 year olds knowledge of science: No matter how much jello you put into a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

Dodgerunner has it correct in that link above, even if there is slack in the cable, it doesn`t matter --as this little tool is doing the operation manually--overiding any cables or safety hold downs, before making one of these tools, I would suggest some of the above ideas first, as they are time-savers, other than that, if you can take off the black surrounds around the head lights, and get enough access threw them, you could pop off the 4x12mm bolts holding the hood to the hinges, then lift it off the front. If that works, don`t forget to take off the bottom hood strut 10mm bolts at the base.