Fix for rear hatch ball joint mounting plates?
04-19-2010, 02:19 PM
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Fix for rear hatch ball joint mounting plates? Anyone find a solution for this besides an epoxy or JBweld? Previous owner(s) have already put some black epoxy or JBweld on there. Passenger side is holding, but driver side is fubar. I attempted to put some special fiberglass epoxy back on it with no luck.
It is impossible to try and apply that crap without removing the top side of the hatch. I removed the strut, upper and lower trim, let it sit for 3 hours, re-installed everything, and slammed the hatch shut. I heard it pop as the hatch shut.
I may have an idea though. A square plate made from 1/8" thick carbon steel with a threaded connection for the ball joint. Epoxied on the back side, and riveted in from the bottom with the threaded location offset to keep the geometry the same. Thoughts on this idea?
On this diagram, the ball joint is #37, but which one do we need? I may order both, or find a different ball joint that may be shorter, so I do not need to offset it. Thoughts on these ideas?
http://compnine.com/index.php?u=1&ye...12&grouptype=B
It is impossible to try and apply that crap without removing the top side of the hatch. I removed the strut, upper and lower trim, let it sit for 3 hours, re-installed everything, and slammed the hatch shut. I heard it pop as the hatch shut.
I may have an idea though. A square plate made from 1/8" thick carbon steel with a threaded connection for the ball joint. Epoxied on the back side, and riveted in from the bottom with the threaded location offset to keep the geometry the same. Thoughts on this idea?
On this diagram, the ball joint is #37, but which one do we need? I may order both, or find a different ball joint that may be shorter, so I do not need to offset it. Thoughts on these ideas?
http://compnine.com/index.php?u=1&ye...12&grouptype=B
05-04-2010, 10:20 AM
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Well I made some 2 1/8" OD 1/4" thick carbon steel A-36 plates. I had ordered some ball shorter threaded ball studs. I had planned on epoxying and riveting the steel plate to the exposed side of the hatch, and with the shorter ball stud, keep the same geometry.
I started with 1 3/4" OD and drilled and tapped the center for the threaded ball stud. I drilled (4) 1/8" holes for steel rivets, and got them within a 1/16" from the edge of the steel plate, but it did not fit. The holes fit into the piece of fiberglass that the stock ball stud mounts to, which is already broken.
So yesterday I made some 2", 2 1/8", and 2 1/4" OD plates and the 2 1/8" OD plates fit best. So I drilled and tapped it. Marked 4 holes that would supply maximum fiberglass engagement and went to rivet it in. Well, the ball stud was a little too big, it was as close as I could find where everything was good. So I figured I could grind it down, but first, just wanted to see if it would work. So I slam the ball stud in there, release the old prop rod that was supporting the hatch during all of this, and it holds......for a second. Then I can hear the rivets ripping through the fiberglass. I quickly support the hatch again with the old prop rod and drill everything out. The fiberglass could not hold the rivets and the force from the moment of the prop rod on the ball stud was too large.
So I am scrapping that idea. Ideally I wanted to epoxy the backside of the plate and provide additional support with the rivets, but the rivets failed too early.
I guess about all I can do is now replace the hatch, unless anyone knows if the two fiberglass halves of the hatch are separable, without removing glue or cutting? I noticed that the wing securing all the way around the hatch.
Does anyone know if that is purely holding the two halves together? I would imagine there would be glue holding them too, but I am dreaming, and hoping that they are held together with the hardware from the spoiler. Anyone know?
I started with 1 3/4" OD and drilled and tapped the center for the threaded ball stud. I drilled (4) 1/8" holes for steel rivets, and got them within a 1/16" from the edge of the steel plate, but it did not fit. The holes fit into the piece of fiberglass that the stock ball stud mounts to, which is already broken.
So yesterday I made some 2", 2 1/8", and 2 1/4" OD plates and the 2 1/8" OD plates fit best. So I drilled and tapped it. Marked 4 holes that would supply maximum fiberglass engagement and went to rivet it in. Well, the ball stud was a little too big, it was as close as I could find where everything was good. So I figured I could grind it down, but first, just wanted to see if it would work. So I slam the ball stud in there, release the old prop rod that was supporting the hatch during all of this, and it holds......for a second. Then I can hear the rivets ripping through the fiberglass. I quickly support the hatch again with the old prop rod and drill everything out. The fiberglass could not hold the rivets and the force from the moment of the prop rod on the ball stud was too large.
So I am scrapping that idea. Ideally I wanted to epoxy the backside of the plate and provide additional support with the rivets, but the rivets failed too early.
I guess about all I can do is now replace the hatch, unless anyone knows if the two fiberglass halves of the hatch are separable, without removing glue or cutting? I noticed that the wing securing all the way around the hatch.
Does anyone know if that is purely holding the two halves together? I would imagine there would be glue holding them too, but I am dreaming, and hoping that they are held together with the hardware from the spoiler. Anyone know?
