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Hatch Removal help


Go240Zags

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I wouldn't call this an emergency, but I do need to get my car stripped before the welder comes next week to work on it. I can't get my rear hatch to come loose. I removed the four 12mm bolts (broke the last one of course) and it won't come off. The hinges seem to move around in their pockets, but won't seem to come free. I know I have removed at least one hatch prior to this because I remember doing so and it is sitting in my garage. I look at the hinges on it and they don't seem to have had anything but the four bolts holding them on. What am I missing? I have wiggled it, cajoled and cursed, but to no avail. It's starting to make me feel stupid - I finally gave up around 12:30 a.m. yesterday and forced myself to go to bed so I can tackle it fresh today. I can't find my Wick Humble book all of the sudden to look for clues, so I am appealing to you fine folks for help.

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Thanks for your answers. I did not want to try and remove the large-headed philips screws that appear to hold the hinge to the hatch - they look like a stripped head waiting to happen. I will try wiggling the hatch some more. If that doesn't work I'll see if I can't get a friend to help me apply some wiggling from both sides. Back to the garage I go.

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Ian has it right, remove the hatch from the hinges THEN remove the hinges from the body.

Unless you want to try holding the hatch UP and AWAY from the roof as you slowly try to work the hinges out of the pockets.....which I wouldn't recommend as you'd more than likely drop the hatch and mess up your roof AND the hatch (even break the glass), or you will crease your roof with the top edge of the hatch.

If you need to put some penetrating oil on the hatch phillips head screws, then see if you can put it on from the back side of the support bracket. Then, re-mount the hinges in place and tighten them down enough that you can use an impact driver to loosen the screws. Use the right size screwdriver bit...it's not your standard screwdriver bit... and you shouldn't strip the screws.

2¢

E

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Ian has it right, remove the hatch from the hinges THEN remove the hinges from the body.

Unless you want to try holding the hatch UP and AWAY from the roof as you slowly try to work the hinges out of the pockets.....which I wouldn't recommend as you'd more than likely drop the hatch and mess up your roof AND the hatch (even break the glass), or you will crease your roof with the top edge of the hatch.

If you need to put some penetrating oil on the hatch phillips head screws, then see if you can put it on from the back side of the support bracket. Then, re-mount the hinges in place and tighten them down enough that you can use an impact driver to loosen the screws. Use the right size screwdriver bit...it's not your standard screwdriver bit... and you shouldn't strip the screws.

2¢

E

Exactly how I did it earlier this week. Just make sure you have a large enough Philips head. I used a ratchet instead of a screwdriver in order to get ample pressure on the screw and not have the bit slip.

Only other things possibly still holding it on are (these are stupid) hatch struts (duh) and defroster connections (double duh...).

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Well, It took some major wiggling, but I got the passenger side hinge out first, then worked on the driver's side and it finally came loose. I believe it was the hinge boots, or what's left of them, that was holding things up. No broken glass or creased roof. Thanks for all the advise - I'm sure i had no such trouble with the last hatch I took off. Next I have to remove another tar mat from the floorpans and then pull the engine and tranny. I'm running out of weekend though.

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Don't throw out any hinge pocket seals that may be just cracked or missing a small piece....there are NO, REPEAT NONE, ABSOLUTELY ZILCH .... replacements available....

You can do a lot of repairs and still have them function....NOT having them is bunches of problems...

E

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E - Yes, I noticed that they were NLA when I did a search about hatch removal and the subject was in one of the posts. These have big holes in the center of each, but I will reuse them - maybe work on a way to fix them first. Gary D.

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Go to your local hardware or arts/crafts store and find a product called Household Goop. It's by the same people that once produced Shoe Goop.

This is a super thick and super strong silicone/rubber cement/RTV or something like it that when cured forms a very strong and resilient rubber. It's clear as it comes out of the tube and cures to a milky gray/unclear finish.

Scuff up the inside and outside of the seals, apply a layer of duct tape on the OUTSIDE and lay a film of the goop on the INSIDE of the seal. Be sure to not exceed the thickness of the rubber in the seal and only go past the edges of the missing material far enough to grab the scuffed area. You're only looking to replace missing material.

Once this cures, gently remove the duct tape and do the same for the outside, except that now you can extend the dimensions of the repair farther (to strengthen the repair). You could add a thin material such as one of your wife's knee-highs (nylons) to reinforce the goop (as rebar does for concrete or fiberglass mat or cloth to fiberglass resin) but it won't matter much as the piece is not subjected to much pulling and stress. It's main function is to SEAL the inside of the roof plenum from moisture and air being sucked in as the car travels.

I suppose you could also use another type of repair compound, such as Plasti-Dip or plain old silicone, but my experience with Goop is that it will literally bond to any clean surface and stay pliable after it sets better than any other compound.

FWIW

E

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I think what EScanlon has said about the goop is right on and in fact , it is a good thing to coat the hatch seal boots even if they are not torn. Most all of these boots are brittle by now after all these years and coating them before they do crack is a good preventive measure. I was able to find a set of boots on a '75 280 in the boneyard and this is what I did and so far so good. Gary

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