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- Joined
- Oct 30, 2015
- Messages
- 271
- Reaction score
- 13
- Points
- 18
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
- Vehicle Year
- 1983
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 2.3L
- Transmission
- Manual
- My credo
- Well, that didn't work. Let's try something else!
The driver side of my hatch was hanging up really bad. You had to lift up on the hatch to get it to unlatch or latch. And even then, it was a struggle to get it open or closed. I took a closer look yesterday and the latch was half a striker too low.
I tried adjusting the striker, but it was already as low as it would go. Plus the hatch was nearly touching the tail light. The other side lines up properly and had the expected gap between the hatch and the tail light. So I bought some washers to see how thick it has to be to latch properly. I ended up with 5 of them under the hinge before it lifted the latch up enough to work properly.
The hatch now aligns with the roof properly, too. I wonder if the hinge mount was dented or something, but it looks fine. Maybe the hinge itself is bent? Has anyone one else had to shim their hatch this much? It's at least 1/4 of an inch.
I tried adjusting the striker, but it was already as low as it would go. Plus the hatch was nearly touching the tail light. The other side lines up properly and had the expected gap between the hatch and the tail light. So I bought some washers to see how thick it has to be to latch properly. I ended up with 5 of them under the hinge before it lifted the latch up enough to work properly.
The hatch now aligns with the roof properly, too. I wonder if the hinge mount was dented or something, but it looks fine. Maybe the hinge itself is bent? Has anyone one else had to shim their hatch this much? It's at least 1/4 of an inch.
