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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Trunk latch question

Posted by: craig3x Jun 28 2009, 11:37 AM

OK, I know I'm not alone here. My rear trunk won't always stay latched. I'll close it, it feels closed, then I go for a drive and it's open again. Which part is usually the culprit? The cone thing (male piece) on the trunk lid itself.....or is the the receiver end that is attached to the body? Oh yeah, my car is a '74. And does anyone have extra parts to fix this? THANKS!

Posted by: RobW Jun 28 2009, 11:40 AM

Both sides wear... the catch and the receiver... You can try and reposition them and see if you can get a little more life out of them...

Posted by: tod914 Jun 28 2009, 11:42 AM

Craig the top latch can be adjusted. Loosen the two bolts that secure it to the deck lid. push is slighty to the rear of the car and test it. Will probally take a few tries to get it right. When I did it, I pushed the male end foward and left it slightly loose so it would self adjust.

Posted by: craig3x Jun 28 2009, 11:48 AM

Thanks for the advice! I will give it a try

Posted by: craig3x Jun 28 2009, 11:49 AM

....oh yeah, Has anyone had any luck trying to modify it with a grinder to sharpen the edges?

Posted by: zonedoubt Jun 28 2009, 12:46 PM

QUOTE(craig3x @ Jun 28 2009, 09:49 AM)

....oh yeah, Has anyone had any luck trying to modify it with a grinder to sharpen the edges?

Grinding a clean profile on the pin may work for a little while. The problem is that material has been removed over time by wear, so removing more material isn't the fix. What I did was remove the pin from the car, add more material with a welder, then reshape the notch until the fit was good. Seems to be holding up well.

Posted by: CliffBraun Jun 28 2009, 12:51 PM

Yeah, I've seen these welded up a few times on here. Can't recall the thread though. I'd just throw some more material on and grind it down to a shape that worked, of course, I can wander to a couple places and use a welder, so YMMV.

Posted by: stepuptotheMike Jun 28 2009, 12:53 PM

Was having same problem with mine and I replaced the male portion. Actually ordered replacements for both, but the bottom portion was in back-order hell and I just cancelled that part. Ended up just replacing the male end fixed it.

Mike