Hood Safety Latch Striker Removal?

[tee byrd]

Anyone know the best way to remove the Hood Safety Latch Striker?
There are conventional "looking" bolts from frontal view, but very odd
"nuts" behind that don't seem to want to come off. I'm obviously missing some
info on this procedure. Manual does not cover this specifically. The "nuts"
are oval-ish in shape (with a flat edge side) and seem to just spin (even when grabbed by very large
channel lock type pliers).
I'm sure there is a trick to this and I'm surely not the first guy to run into this problem.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

[Jim Wulf]

Those are clinch nuts that are supposed to be secured to the radiator support. If yours have broken loose you have no choice but to try and hold them with channel locks or vise grips while you attempt to turn the bolt.Use lots of penetrating oil. Not gonna be easy.

[tee byrd]

Thanks Jim,
as far as I can tell, there is no interface between them (nor the plate they secure) and the radiator support.
Sure looks like there maybe was some sort of bracket there at one time based on what looks like a rusty outline
of something?
Here is a pic of frontal view and then from underneath the back side of the striker.

[Jim Wulf]

I’ll post a couple pictures of the original setup when i get home in a couple of hours. Looks like a P.O. has “altered” something there.

[Jim Wulf]

Here's the original configuration. Not sure what's been done to yours, but it's far from original. I suspect a P.O. broke the clinch nuts free from the rad support and then jury rigged something. These pictures are from a '62 Sports Roadster I'm building.

If you can get the bolts out, it would be a simple matter to install 5/16-24 flange nuts behind the panel while installing the bolts. The trick is going to be removing the corroded bolts.

[tee byrd]

Wow, that is different.
Thanks for all that info (and pic) Jim, I really appreciate it.

Sure sounds like I'm just gonna have to muscle em out of there.
I'll probably wait until I get the bumper off (for separate reasons)
because they are pretty tricky to get to with anything big enough and strong enough
to hold in place while I crank on the bolt heads.

Unfortunately this isnt the first janky thing I have found that the PO did (like drywall screws though the floor pan to
stick carpet in place) and I'm sure not the last....

[Jim Wulf]

Wow, that is different.
Thanks for all that info (and pic) Jim, I really appreciate it.

Sure sounds like I'm just gonna have to muscle em out of there.
I'll probably wait until I get the bumper off (for separate reasons)
because they are pretty tricky to get to with anything big enough and strong enough
to hold in place while I crank on the bolt heads.

Unfortunately this isnt the first janky thing I have found that the PO did (like drywall screws though the floor pan to
stick carpet in place) and I'm sure not the last....

That's a good plan to remove the bumper first and get some maneuvering room. To loosen those nuts, first heat the bolts and nuts with a propane torch - doesn't have to be real hot. Then melt candle wax into the threads, clamp a big pair of vise grips onto the nut and hopefully turn the bolt out. The candle wax trick hasn't failed me yet. Beats any penetrating oil hands down.