Rear Hatch Interior Support

msinabottle · Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject: Rear Hatch Interior Support

All right... I'm just going to start a new thread. If anyone says I should have searched first, I am going to run over them with Winston. Or try to. At the least, I will think bad thoughts.

I'm actually about DONE with my weird hatch latch mod, and it's gone far better than I have any right to expect. I can pop the latch through a turn in a pull-handle that I can prevent by removing a key.

I have a locking boat hatch lifting ring attached to Winston's rear hatch through a 2 1/2 U-bolt through the central girder that runs through the interior of the rear hatch. This thing:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

One end of the bolt runs through the hole you can see under that fellow's thumb, I just drilled another one.

Closing the hatch will put a bit of strain on that central girder. I noticed when I pulled the rear panel chunks of what looked like roofing tar falling out of the opened area, and more at the bottom of Winston's hatch. I can see that the roofing tar was in between the girder and the outer skin of the hatch. It's fallen out and the girder flexes a bit.

My thought was to run four steel pop rivets through where the flange touches the outer skin of the hatch and use them and J.B. Weld to bond the girder to the outer skin. I am told by someone I respect that that is a bad idea. The outer skin panel will expand when hot and possibly buckle around the rivets, road noise will increase, and that if VW had thought attaching the girder to the outer skin of the hatch was a good idea, they wouldn't have used that 'roofing tar' as a sound-deadener, they'd have spot-welded it.

He suggested using 3M Super Weatherstripping Adhesive in between the girder and the skin. Something that could flex.

Thoughts?
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

Vanagonner · Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 5:02 am Post subject:

I like the idea of a safe inside latch- watching with interest. I don't know why the panel enters into it at all though, I'd just have one hole thru the panel and into the girder, and have a nice big washer for the bolt inside the girder.
Would enjoy seeing pics of what you come up with.
_________________
Sage
'82 Westy 1.6 D
the mighty n/a

scott eickstaedt · Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 5:38 am Post subject:

I found the same situation in my rear hatch and I believe somewhere under a side panel when I was redoing the insulation fighting rust etc.I used good old clear silicon to rebond the girders to the panels, flexible sticks rear good ,and cheep. Laughing

POS · Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 6:30 am Post subject:

I used construction adhesive (liquid nails).
It bonded very well.

David

msinabottle

I went with the 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive. which was $10.50 for a BIG tube at Napa. Thick black stuff that immediately got all over my hand, and stayed there. Didn't seem to dry incredibly fast, but I squirted it into all the places I could get it, pushed the girder into the skin several times to let both sides get covered, and then used every powerful magnet I had to clamp the girder to the skin.

It seems to be setting, and to have a good grip, but still appears to be flexible. A full post will come, I took pictures. I should complete the project tomorrow.

Thank you for the input!

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

ragnarhairybreeks · Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 8:44 pm Post subject:

If the 3M doesn't work, maybe give a polyurethane caulk a try. I used PL premium flexible caulk (not the polyU PL premium construction adhesive, I think that's to rigid) on the same thing in my slider door.

PL is the poor man's Sikaflex.

alistair
_________________
'86 7 passenger syncro, converted to westy pop top, project still in progress
'82 westy, diesel converted to gas in '94, now gone...
https://shufti.blog/
Old address still works...
http://shufti.wordpress.com

msinabottle · Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 7:26 pm Post subject: It Worked!

Actually, the 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive worked splendidly! By today it had a flexible grip like iron. Expensive, but good stuff. Nice to have something that can pick up where the original VW stuff failed.

All done--complete success. VERBOSE post in preparation.

Shocked

Best!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."


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