Trunk Lid Hinge Brackets! How do you align them?

[drmeade]

I just got my TR-6 body back on the frame and I am putting parts back together now. While the trunk lid was being prepped and painted it was moved around so the floating brackets that the hinges screw into moved around. I can align the three holes in position but the internal bracket will not seat flush with the sheet metal on the lid. There are three screws that mount each hinge to the bracket. The inside of the trunk lid has a track but I can not get the bracket to lay flat against the sheet metal. Any ideas from anyone who has done this before? Thanks, David

 

[DougF]

First of all, welcome to the forum.

What all have you done to try to correct the problem? Did you do anything thing that could have allowed debri to get wedges in there like sand blasting, etc?
I would shake it around to dislodge anything that might be trapped. Maybe put a screw driver, or small drift pin against the plate, not the threads, at all bolt locations and tap lightly with a hammer.
Does the plate still move freely, or is it binding? If binding, run a bolt into the plate and try to work it free by hand.

 

[drmeade]

Hi Doug,
Thanks very much for your reply. Both of the brackets move freely. I have been using dental picks to try to move the brackets into position so they will seat. I have placed the trunk lid face and worked on it and face down over the edge so I can lay on the ground and have gravity work with me but no luck. I have also tried positioning it with one of the bolts connected but that won't allow me enough movement to position it. I can get two of the bolt holes close to the sheet metal but never all three. The bracket needs to lay flat against the sheet metal but it wont. There appears to be a clip on the back edge that hold the bracket close to the sheet metal and an 1/8" high rail on the each side. Like the line drawing below.

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| | V |
| | 0 |
| | 0 |
| | 0 |
|_____|_______|__________________

The above is the left hand corner looking face up. The V is the clip in the back and the two dotted lines are the rails the bracket has to set in between. Unfortunately the bracket is not a true rectangle that just drops in between the rails. The back edge toward the clip is curved. I guess the clip in the back held the bracket in place when the sheet metal was pressed into a trunk lid.

I am going to try setting the lid against a wall standing up tomorrow to see if I can position it that way. It is funny that something so simple has turned into a major time consuming issue. Part of the problem is I can not see inside the frame of the lid to see how things are layed out. If you have a mental picture it is much easier to get things into position. It may be that the bracket has to turn while it is dropping in between the lines. I just don't have a way of know. If I have any luck tomorrow I will follow up. Thanks again.
David

 

[drmeade]

Hey Doug, The line drawing lost the spaces. Sorry. It doesn't look like it did when I typed it. David

 

[DougF]

Try running two bolts into the plate and see if you can maybe work and pull it into position. I know you said a bolt restricts movement too much, but if two are lined up, the plate should be in a good position and can maybe be drawn in.
I've never had this problem, but cars can throw some baffling things at you. Who knows, everything may just fall into place tomorrow.

 

[drmeade]

I finally figured out how to get the hinge brackets to align. I discovered there are two tabs that hold the bracket in place. One on the top and one on the bottom. As a result you have to slide the braket in sideways. I tied a piece of string to one of the holes on the bracket and pushed the bracket into the two tabs. You have to start from the outside edge of the trunk lid and push the bracket into the center. I laid the trunk lid on the edge of my bed and let it hang over with the hinge holes facing the floor. This allowed me a little more control over the bracket. I never imagined it would take so long but you have to know about the two tabs in order to understand how to get the brackets back in place. Thanks for you help Doug!

 

[Brosky]

Well don't leave the forum with showing us a picture of all that hard work.

It will save someone else some headaches down the road.

And welcome!!