Thread: top tail gate catches

Originally Posted by snowbound

Hi Guys,
I'm sure that this must have been raised before. However, I have received a pair of new side catches for my top tailgate (84 RRC) So, as I had half an hour on my hands thought I would just "pop them on" With some brute force & a lot of ignorance I got one screw out, and that was one that had a nut on! My question is how in the name of all that's holy does one shift the bottom ones that appear to screw into the frame of the hatch? I have sprayed WD 40 hammered sprayed some more and even swearing has failed (again). Does anyone have a magic fix?.... please!

Jez

Anyone

I just had a look at the manual to refresh my memory.
AFAIR when I did mine the latest time it was no big deal to undo the screws, but an impact driver is probably the way to go if you are having trouble. Or whack the end of the screwdriver with a hammer a few times to break any rust bond.
Other than that I cannot give you any further ideas other than to keep spraying with WD40 and wait a while.

Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I just had a look at the manual to refresh my memory.
AFAIR when I did mine the latest time it was no big deal to undo the screws, but an impact driver is probably the way to go if you are having trouble. Or whack the end of the screwdriver with a hammer a few times to break any rust bond.
Other than that I cannot give you any further ideas other than to keep spraying with WD40 and wait a while.

Regards Philip A

Thanks philip

I have been doing just that. i don't have an impact driver, but I have certainly been whacking that screwdriver! I will let it soak some more and have another bash at it. Literally!

An impact driver is a handy tool to have to avoid butchering tight screws.

Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

An impact driver is a handy tool to have to avoid butchering tight screws.

Regards Philip A

I have bought said tool but nervous I may damage the frame or crack the glass. Will attempt after a few beers I guess Thanks guys!

Yep get a helper to hold a stout block of wood firmly against the lower part of the tailgate frame on the other side to prevent damage when you wack it. Impact drivers are good as long as you get the slack out by turning it in the undoing direction and holing it that way as if your life depends on it while you hit it.
Having your mouth held just right and believing it will come undone also helps. Have the beer after!

Any results? I didn't get, where's the thread. Are there solid angle bars inside the hollow tubings in the corners?

Originally Posted by russotouristo

Any results? I didn't get, where's the thread. Are there solid angle bars inside the hollow tubings in the corners?

That's a good question. I would guess there are probably just little steel threaded blocks, like elsewhere on the car.

Another thing I do with those big Philips head screws when they're seized is to use a hex bit that's a good tight fit on the screw head, put a socket on the hex end, put a ratchet or T-bar on the socket, and maybe a long pipe onto that, and then use leverage to undo it. This can be gentler than an impact driver.