ragingchikn

I just purchased an 89 Iroc-z. The hatch pull-down had stopped working on the previous owner and they attempted to repair it themselves. unfortunately they never actually fixed it and i purchased the car in a state of disassemble.

Now i've already ordered a new hatch-pull down for the car, my concern is that it looks as though someone has attempted their own modifications to the car. All of the metal pieces attached to the back panel of the trunk appear as though they've been brazed on, and crudely so.

Can someone help me confirm whether modifications have been attempted, and if so whats been added or removed?

camaronewbie

I'm not 100% - but it looks likes it's all good. The 1st pic - the 3 large bolts - that holds the trunk motor in place. The left side - I beliebe that is stock as well - a small shelf built in to catch the solid well cover available (the solid locking cover). Is there a slot in the top of the small 'shelf'?

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

There isn't as much to the hatch as you think. The 3 bolts to hold the hatch mechanism on. There will be a small screw on the driver side that holds two grounding wires to the body.

From the hatch there will be two connectors that plug into the wiring for hatch light and hatch power.

ragingchikn

No, i don't believe there is a slot in the top of that shelf. my car does have the solid well cover though.

my major concern here is that it looks as though someone has removed and then brazed back on all of the different pieces. I've only been able to find one image of the inside of a trunk and that was for an 87. The picture is actually from another thread on this forum.



In this picture the different pieces are nice and square and spot welded in place. On my car the pieces are all jagged and brazed in place. Not sure for what purpose someone would remove and then replace everything, but i find it very difficult to believe that the car would have come from the factory in this condition.

I think at this point i've decided that im just going to remove the two anchor points, and then remove the remaining pieces and properly weld them on instead of leaving the brazing in place.

If anyone could provide better pictures of the way this part of the trunk is supposed to look it would be greatly appreciated.

ragingchikn

Here's a better illustration of what i'm seeing as a problem with the way my trunk looks.

camaronewbie

The part "moved an inch to the left" - that's the loop for the T-Top bag hold-down strap - no concern there as far as hatch motor goes - might have to remove the loop if it's in the way.

The "brazing" part in upper left side - not any interference with hatch motor either, so that's won't be an issue.

The "not a clean edge" - ehhhh - maybe an issue, just have to wait and see. Not sure mine is all that pretty either - "factory" doesn't always mean pretty

You'll know for sure when the new mechanism arrives.

ragingchikn

I'm not too concerned with the hatch pull-down functioning properly. I'm pretty certain it will be fine. I'm more interested in cleaning things up. If i have to work my own sheetmetal thats fine, i'd just like to restore things to the way they were before someone decided to hack it apart.

ragingchikn

btw, thanks for letting me know what those anchor points are for. looks like more missing stuff that i can add to my shopping list

camaronewbie

Like I said - the stuff on the left of your pics (pass side) - looks to me like maybe the part that supports the hard locking well cover - but I'm not 100% on that. Maybe this car didn't have a hard cover, and they stole the support from another car and welded it in.

The anchors - yes they are for the T-top bag - the bag has straps that hold it down, 2 straps attach there, 2 more attach to similar looking anchors on the top of the 'hump' close to the back of the rear seat. If you don't see the 'hump' anchors, might be just under the carpet. Anyway - good luck with it!

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Here are some shots of my 89 (just took them in the garage ).

The only mod that has been done is removal of two metal brackets that stick out. This was done as my new hatch cover does not have the locking rear cover option. The brackets support the locking hatch.

ragingchikn

Awesome! thanks for taking those pictures. that's exactly what i was looking for. looks like someone has really done a number on mine. based on this i feel comfortable trying to manufacture new brackets where needed. I'll probably strip the whole thing down, sandblast it, weld on the new pieces, and then give everything a nice new layer a paint.

camaronewbie, you may be right about them adding the hard cover. i do have the anchor points on the hump. At this point its hard to tell what was original and what may have been added because they seem to have mangled everything equally.

On the downside, it looks as though someone has used some sort of epoxy to secure the retaining screws that i'm assuming holds on the tail lights. I'm hoping i can get them off without destroying them.

Thanks for everyones help.