hello. i am posting for a neighbor who doesn't have internet or a computer for that matter. but he recently purchased a Ford Five Hundred '06 from someone in the neighborhood for $500. i guess the big issue is/was the person had hit a deer and the front end and hood has damage...which was rejected at a WV Inspection Station for the reason of "the hood won't latch". I'm trying to figure the best way possible to bend out the top radiator support which appears to be hindering the latching of the hood completely. We can't tell if the support is a whole piece that goes down where we can't see and be a *!*%$ to get off and back on. We also need to get a suction cup to pull out the top hood dents. But his main concern is getting it to pass inspection. I called around to all the local salvage yards that don't have any to pull parts from...the did mention like a 2005 Montego, i think, was interchangable but didn't have them either. I will post a few pics hopefully to show the damage. Other than that, the car rides fine...no warning lights, rides smooth, etc.. If I can provide any other info just let me know. Thanks for your help in advance. ***APOLOGIES FOR THE DUPLICATE PHOTOS UPLOADED***

**red arrows focusing on damaged area

front pass. angle view






front driver angle view

front view

front pass. angle view

**red arrows focusing on damaged area

front view

front driver angle view

 

Don't know how you feel about this, but If you want to do it you can buy some time.

I would bolt a piece of dog chain to the underside of the hood and also to the underside of the front bumper.
Place most of it inside a piece of garden hose so it doesn't do anymore damage to the paint and secure the 2 pieces with a small lock. It is just as safe as a hidden latch and may allow it to get an inspection sticker. It won't look beautiful, but should suffice to get the sticker. Then you can have some time to find what you need.
Pretty sure the main concern is the hood flying open when driving and that will no longer be a problem. It is a little far out but could work..

 

An out of the box thought to help the guy; I wouldn't have thought of it. The old English sports car - Morgan - had a leather strap over the hood to hold it down!

To the OP; solid car. Good on you to help the fellow.
My 2006 has 261,000 miles and is going strong - even after hitting a deer 2 yrs ago (the damage was fixed by body shop / insurance, fortunately).