Trunk Lid Adjustment

[Joe Flanagan]

I installed the rubber seal on my trunk today and it fits nicely. My only problem is a couple of areas where the trunk lid doesn't sit quite right. The first is along the upper edge just below the rear window. The lid is a little high there and needs to come down about an eighth of an inch (I'd even be happy with a 16th). 

My manual says what to do if the lid is too low in that area: Loosen the hinge-to-bracket bolts and move the lid up. I assume you can just do the opposite as well. But I just looked at those bolts and it doesn't look like there's any room to make adjustments. The car is a 1949 Plymouth. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

Joe..depends on the source of the rubber used and the actual durometer of the rubber..if too hard...it may never relax enough to sit flush...if trunk fits flush before the seal and proud after the fact..the rubber is to thick or too hard and not compressing....there are sites online that say that vasoline coated on the rubber will actually relax it enough to cause for good compression..I have never used this tactic..only passing the info along so you can do an internet search and make/reach a good decision.....Steele rubber is the worse for hardness, followed second by Resto. Spec. and the better more pliable has been Clester's in my personal experience...at the time Metro soft seal was not supporting Mopar cars so I have no information other than them telling me they do not mold rubber for junk cars...(this is a real experience)..they will smoke a turd in hades before I drop a dime to that outfit..

[DJ194950]

Just for a clarification-?

Are you talking the gap horizonally or vertically?

 

Doug

[Grdpa's 50 Dodge]

I am far from an expert,,,havent looked at that part but will tommorrow or tuesday.

 

But would it work to put washers or similiar between hinge and mount moving lid down,,,shim it down so to speak?

 

Is your hinge bent or tweaked?

[DJ194950]

Saw an ongoing arcticle on a 50 Ply. bus, cpe early drag type straight axle hemi. build  where the trunk lid fit was bad and showed that the lid pivot points are steel pins on steel mounting points and worn oblong stopping the lid from closing in the correct area.

 

That could be a real problem to center the trunk lid.

 

Just thought that I'd throw that out there.

Never thought that the average owner would ever open an close a lid enough to cause that much wear.

A traveling salesman.?

Bad rubber seal for years?

 

Doug

[Joe Flanagan]

Haven't checked for worn parts but the rubber I got is from Steele. It's very soft. It's not the rubber that's making the lid sit up too high. The lid sat like that before I put the rubber in. And for clarification, it's the upper (horizontal) edge of the trunk lid, beneath the rear window. I'll have to take a real close look at it tomorrow and see if I can do anything with it. I'll take pictures and post them. Thanks for the suggestion about the washers. I'll see if that could work.

[JerseyHarold]

This training booklet may have some useful info:

 

http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Lit/Master/025/cover.htm

[Joe Flanagan]

Ah, the good old "Tech says" series. I completely forgot about those. That's a great resource. Thanks.

[desoto1939]

I would say shim the hinge on the inside of the trunk.  They do make shims in various thinkness's. I would think to  shim the hinge near the opening of the turnk lid to get it to drop down. but you might have th shim even the top of the hinge this is just trial and error fitting.

 

I had to do this with my 39 Desoto.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[Joe Flanagan]

Thanks, Rich.

[Joe Flanagan]

It looks like the technical booklet JerseyHarold linked to has a solution. You place a block of wood between the hinge bracket and the rubber bumper and OPEN the trunk against that. If you spring it just a little bit, it will bring the upper edge of the trunk lid down. Haven't tried it yet but will report back.

Edited September 24, 2013 by Joe Flanagan

[Grdpa's 50 Dodge]

Back in the day when driving to high school a door would get tweaked and we did the 2 x 4 adjustment method as you described,,,worked every time.  this also took the sag out and made door catches fit better.  Lifting the door with 2 x 4 or flat bar worked like a charm.

 

Would work as well for trunk lids but careful,little bit goes a long way.  Thinking of this I would prefer to use shims near edge side of lossened bolts of inside hinge,,,at least that method is reversible.  Would think 1/16 or 1/8 would be as thick as you need,,,maybe less and can hide it under the hinge

Edited September 25, 2013 by Grdpa's 50 Dodge

[Joe Flanagan]

I tried to post pictures the other day but I'm having trouble with my camera. Anyway, the way my hinges are configured, I don't think shims are an option to bring the lid down. I've yet to try the block method. I definitely will be going easy with it, just a tiny bit at a time until it's right. You really can't see the lid sticking up so much. The thing that concerns me is water getting into the trunk. About another 1/16th downward against the rubber and it should be OK. 

[Joe Flanagan]

Here are some pictures of my trunk hinges. The way it looks to me, there is not any adjustment (aside from the block of wood against the hinge bracket mentioned earlier) that will bring the rear edge of the trunk lid down if it is standing up too high.

 

 

[Joe Flanagan]

I also thought I'd throw in a picture of the front end all finished. More pictures to come.