hood wont open. tried everything and a mechanic. if i remove the grille can i get to the hood latches?

 

Modern cars have a child safety handle. I'd have to look at it tomorrow where it's located bout if you can see it through the trap door you might be able to grab it with a tool and pull on it.

 

Oops I was thinking trunk not hood... hmmm, likely the cable is loose. I would think one might be able to pull the latch from under the car but it's got to be a real pain.
I'll take a look at the hood open tomorrow if I think of it. It might help...

 

It is not the cable, i believe the latches are rusted closed. i am considering cutting out the grille but i wonder if the radiator will still be in the way of reaching the bottom of the latches. if you have a Roadster please open your hood and take a picture so i can see if they can be seen.

 

You're unlikely be able to access it through the grill. There are actually two latches. The cable comes from inside the engine bay over the left suspension struts. It connects to a junction box that splits the cable in two separate cables which independently release the latch on both sides. The one to the left (when facing the engine) might be easier to access from under the car. The one to the right is tricky as it is tucked in behind the coolant reservoir.

Here are couple of pictures for you. Hopefully it will help you. 1st picture cable running behind edge. 2nd picture cable split. 3rd picture latch coolant side. 4th picture latch dipstick side.
Not a fun situation to be in...

 

Here is a picture of the latch itself. I believe the square pin is what releases the rotating latch and the hood loop. It is pulled on both sides from the left to the right by the two cables (when looking at the engine bay).It is not hard to push by hand when the hood is open. Little spring force.
When the hood loop engages it pushes a rotating hook against a spring. The square pin highlighted below is an interference point preventing the rotating hook to move once engaged.

 

And I assumed it's the primary hooks that do not work. But in case it's the secondary safety hook here are some additional images. It will show you where the hooks and hook openings are located in respect to the car body. The primary hook release pins are unfortunately pretty high, behind the upper sheet metal edge. Not exactly being the grill. There is plastic, then metal, and plastic again behind the metal. Good luck and report how you managed to do it. I don't know how I would approach this if any of these cables got loose.

 

Oh and last thought! It could be a failed spring which would prevent the hood to pop open when releasing the latch. If so it might be a simple two man operation. One inside the car pulls on the cable release. The other pop up the hood until it hits the safety hook. Then releases the safety hook.

 

I am going to cut off the grille and see if i ran reach the underside of the latches. If that get me there, I will then replace the grille. Not a sure or cheap cure but I have no other choice. Any better suggestions? I am lost for a fix.

 

Do you know which latch isn't working? Can you hear the mechanism when pulling on the release? Have someone do it for you so you can listen to see if one side releases.
I'd be concerned of going nowhere with cutting the grill... Can you lift the car and access from under it? With the proper lighting, that's what I would try first especially if it's the one by the oil dipstick.

Remember that the grill seats a good 3 to 5" below the latch release mechanism.
If one would go straight to it you'd be about where the hood chrome trim meets with the hood sheet metal if not slightly above

 

So, I'm curious to know what happened?