Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
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Car: 86 Trans am, 91 Camaro RS
Engine: 355 Sbc, nothin yet
Transmission: 700r4- both
Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
I had my Wheaties, put on some good shoes that grip well, but for some strange reason I cant determine why my hatch is so heavy. Wasnt like this a couple years back. Anyone else ever have this problem? Im blowing through struts right now.......
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Car: 91 R/S , 89 dodge p/u
Engine: L31 GM crate re-cammed , 318
Transmission: T-5 , 4 speed auto
Axle/Gears: 3.42 , ?
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
it's heavy because it is . get your next struts from a local parts store like NAPA etc. that gives a lifetime warrenty . good luck .
#3
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
The rear hatch is actually ALOT heavier than most think it is. The struts give the illusion that it is fairly lightweight when we lift it up or push it down. One time I unscrewed one of the struts from my hatch while it was in the full open position. I didn't realize the weight so I didn't see it coming when the strut let go of the hatch and it came slamming down on my head like a ten ton hammer. Lucky my hard head didn't shatter the glass
Even lifting it up with the other one strut still attached it made a HUGE difference. Felt like it weighed almost 3x as much.
Even lifting it up with the other one strut still attached it made a HUGE difference. Felt like it weighed almost 3x as much.
#4
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Car: 89' IROC-Z
Engine: LO3
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 10-Bolt/2.73
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Our hatches without spoiler weigh in around 91lbs. Heavy, you bet your ***. I have 2 blown struts and hate needing to go into the hatch. Picking some new ones up soon.
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Car: 1989 Firebird
Engine: 5.7 LS1
Transmission: T56
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
if you have the orginal aero spoiler wraparound style that thing is redicuously heavy by its self, atleast 50lbs. Get a fiberglass spoiler and new structs. Mine are almost 8 years old and still hold fine. Infact GM used a different part number for the Aerowing for the stucts that was stronger. I have the stronger ones. When I put on the fiberglass wing I could hit the release button and it would open all the way up on its own. The structs I have are from autozone or advance (I think advance) at the time their computer listed two part numbers still for aerowing or not.
#7
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
We carry the hood and hatch ones too. Here's a link to them if you want to check it out. Camaro Hatch Struts
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Car: 89' IROC-Z
Engine: LO3
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 10-Bolt/2.73
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
We carry the hood and hatch ones too. Here's a link to them if you want to check it out. Camaro Hatch Struts
These for fiberglass hoods? 1ALSP00083
And hatch 1ALSP00085
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Car: 1991 Camaro RS
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Glass is friggin heavy man. If you have t-tops you know those things are pretty heavy and way smaller than that rear hatch. I've seen plexiglass T-tops before and they are really light. I wonder if they'd make a plexiglass hatch so I could lighten the curb weight of my car.
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Car: 89' IROC-Z
Engine: LO3
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 10-Bolt/2.73
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Try again
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...on-thread.html
Number 4 is the hatch and glass without spoiler. Maybe with spoiler like the 50lb wrap around would be in the range of 140lbs.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...on-thread.html
Number 4 is the hatch and glass without spoiler. Maybe with spoiler like the 50lb wrap around would be in the range of 140lbs.
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
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Car: 1984 LG4 Camaro
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Try again
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...on-thread.html
Number 4 is the hatch and glass without spoiler. Maybe with spoiler like the 50lb wrap around would be in the range of 140lbs.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...on-thread.html
Number 4 is the hatch and glass without spoiler. Maybe with spoiler like the 50lb wrap around would be in the range of 140lbs.
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Car: '88 GTA, 90 Formula
Engine: 5.7 TPI, fed growth hormones
Transmission: 700r4 4u2?
Axle/Gears: 9bolt
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Glass is friggin heavy man. If you have t-tops you know those things are pretty heavy and way smaller than that rear hatch. I've seen plexiglass T-tops before and they are really light. I wonder if they'd make a plexiglass hatch so I could lighten the curb weight of my car.
TA
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Car: 86 T/A
Engine: 5.0 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
To add my I just used my trusty digital bathroom scale and weighed a hatch with an aerowing ... Hatch, heated glass, aerowing, provisions for a 86 style high mount brake light, but no light attached and it was dry... let see what other things can I say to make this a credible scientific experiment... well anyway it was 109.4 pounds.
I'm sure I should add some fine print here somwhere that says " while I believe this scale is accurate, it's not legal for trade" ... or something.
I'm sure I should add some fine print here somwhere that says " while I believe this scale is accurate, it's not legal for trade" ... or something.
#17
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Car: 89' IROC-Z
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Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 10-Bolt/2.73
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Take care
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
#18
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
I dunno about you guys but my struts on my hatch don't work right now, but I consistently lift it without the struts to get my stuff out of the back, so with one hand, but I'm sure it's a lot heavier than a notch or something.
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Car: 1989 Firebird
Engine: 5.7 LS1
Transmission: T56
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Unless you just want to save weight for drag racing or the like I wouldn't switch out just for that reason, especially since the weight bias is front heavy already. Lexan also doesn't work well for a daily driver it gets scratched up to easily.
The right struts should last years, just make sure you get the right one if you have the aero spoiler.
The vice grip method works to for extended access to the hatch area if you don't want to buy the struts.
The right struts should last years, just make sure you get the right one if you have the aero spoiler.
The vice grip method works to for extended access to the hatch area if you don't want to buy the struts.
#20
Former Sponsor
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
I had the site broken out and listed better for you guys.See I listen to yah.
#21
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Car: '91 Camaro Z28, '85 Camaro Z28
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Axle/Gears: Eaton 3.73 Posi, 3.23 Posi
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Try again
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...on-thread.html
Number 4 is the hatch and glass without spoiler. Maybe with spoiler like the 50lb wrap around would be in the range of 140lbs.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...on-thread.html
Number 4 is the hatch and glass without spoiler. Maybe with spoiler like the 50lb wrap around would be in the range of 140lbs.
#22
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Car: 86 Trans am, 91 Camaro RS
Engine: 355 Sbc, nothin yet
Transmission: 700r4- both
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Hy 1A Tony.. Lets talk struts both front and rear.. Please pm me a price for hood struts and your heavy dutys for the rear..thanx.. THis must get resolved.. I feel like Im goin to blow my back out everytime I walk behind the car.
#24
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
As I lugged the damnd thing into the garage the struts snapped the hatch open and threw the wing at me!
It actualy landed on the hood I'd have been pissed but honestly the car was a mass of dings when I bought it so no loss there lol.
#25
Former Sponsor
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Lol, when I replaced the rubber wrap around on my car with a fiberglass wing I had the wing sitting on the glass when I removed the spoiler.
As I lugged the damnd thing into the garage the struts snapped the hatch open and threw the wing at me!
It actualy landed on the hood I'd have been pissed but honestly the car was a mass of dings when I bought it so no loss there lol.
As I lugged the damnd thing into the garage the struts snapped the hatch open and threw the wing at me!
It actualy landed on the hood I'd have been pissed but honestly the car was a mass of dings when I bought it so no loss there lol.
We just itemized all of these on our site for you guys with the correct strut tensions vrs options.
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Car: 1986 trans am
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
ha ha mine is heavy too but my fin is roted out so i took it off and the first time i opened it up without it on there the hatchback nearly racked me in the chin it came up so fast haha
#27
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
Lol get a glass wing on there. Mine was weak enough I had to use the key and heft it up by hand and with out the spoiler it would snap open hard enough to make the back of the car hop. With the wing on it's perfect Cheapest way to fix worn struts is the $14 junk yard wing mod I even got it in the same color!
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Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
The rubber wing also gets water in the cracks and make it weigh even more than normal. I find it kindof cool to hit the release button and it open all the way up, most people think its some type of automated gizmo.
#30
Re: Why is my rear hatch so damn heavy?
The rear on my friends Porsche is a bit biger, but it's all glass so there is no metal portion like ours.
It even has a huge solid rubber spoiler lol.
It even has a huge solid rubber spoiler lol.
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