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Section : Bodywork and Interior
Chassis, bodywork, interior, instrumentation.
Posted By : Bill Goodwin, 06-Mar-2005, 03:39pm
What have some of you come up with to stop the support rod from pulling the screws through the outside of the lid? If car is on display or if its open for
a while seems to put too much pressure on the lid. Bill
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Posted By : Chris Taylor, 06-Mar-2005,
05:20pm
Will be interesting to see the answers to this one as you seem to be asking for the Holy Grail!
I think it is important to weld up any cracks as soon as they appear, to make sure the screws are the correct one, and always kept tight, and to be
very gentle in handling the boot lid, especially when lifting the lid to disengage the stay.
A permanent improvement would be to fit two stays, one to each side of the boot, but the bracket on the other side might be a little difficult as it
seems to me that most of the strength to suuport the lid comes from being connect to the fuel tank.
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Posted By : David Rumens,
06-Mar-2005, 08:27pm
Chris, I agree with all your feedback.
What you say about ensuring the two screws are kept tight is a big way to preventing the problem.
The other is to ensure the plate at the back has not broken or cracked. Yes I have had one broken in two and as a result the boot screw had started
to pull through. Though looking at the plate I would not have thought it to be that common a problem. But who knowns.
The boot screw problem is not just related age as it was present on 5 year old cars.
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Posted By : William Davies,
06-Mar-2005, 11:07pm
Hi Dave,
The cracked bracket/support is in fact very common, in fact it's rare to find one that hasn't cracked.
I once had a Courier van which had been fitted with twin locking stays, it was an absolute pain. Invariably only one stay would lock, then when
the tailgate was lifted to release the catch, the one on the other side locked....grrrrr!
I don't have any proven advice for fixing the problem. Most welded repairs here are short lived - the weld is harder than the original steel
and a new flex point is started just outboard of the weld. Gas welding would give a less brittle joint, but there is the serious issue of
distortion to consider. How do the professional restorers deal with this?
Cheers,
Bill.
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Posted By : David Rumens,
07-Mar-2005, 06:25pm
Bill, Many thanks for your feedback on the back plates. I would say once the plate cracks then all the weight is carried by the two screws
hence maybe the problems. If yes then ensuring the plate is in good condition would be the first cure.
Dave
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Posted By : Chris Taylor,
07-Mar-2005, 10:47pm
Comments about brittle welding reminds me that my original repair was by brazing up the crack around the screws. Not done with any
science in mind, just the equipemnt and skills I had at the time. Does seem to have stood the test of time so maybe worth trying.
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Posted By : David
Rumens, 08-Mar-2005, 06:19pm
Chris, If your repair has cured the fault then it sounds like some of the problem is do to the stresses set-up in the metal when
the holes were countersunk. Not good!