Trunk Lid Height Adjustment

[YellowRose]

Ever since I have owned Rose, when working in the trunk, I usually end up getting hit on the head by the trunk lock. The lid does not seem to open up nearly as much as other Squarebird trunk lids I have seen. Does anyone know of any adjustment on the spring/hinge setup that allows you to make the lid open wider? If so, I would sure like to know before I do myself some serious damage one day! I did a search on this and really did not find anything. Other than try replacing the springs if they are to tight. That, in itself, is quite an experience! It involves using the jack and a heavy wire to latch onto the end of the spring, and actually jacking the spring off the hook that it is on. I found those pictures in a search and probably should grab them for the TRL!

I think I found my answer! The '59 Shop Manual, Chapter 12-6, Doors, Deck Lid And Front Sheet Metal. Section 3 Deck Lid, Fig. 10 shows where front, back, up, down adjustment is made. It pays to read the book! Here is that picture I was talking about above.

[simplyconnected]

Ray, one simple question: When your deck lid opens, does it hit a stop?

You know, WOMEN used to set the spring on both sides, on the assembly line. They did it so fast, looked like child's play. They used their own tool, but the book's jack suggestion is convenient because every Thunderbird has one. - Dave

[YellowRose]

Trunk Lid Height Adjustment

Hi Dave! Yes, it does seem to hit a stop when it opens. I am hoping that the adjustment on the side will allow it to go further up before it hits that stop. I will take a look at that when I go visit Rose on Monday.

I see you edited your comments because you are "old and stupid". Stupid, no, old, no, though I see you have a birthday coming up in 7 days. Half asleep, probably so! You were probably up late "wrenching" again!....

[Dan Leavens]

Ray I too had many a hit in the head until the adjustment was made on the trunk lid.It was a very poor design

[YellowRose]

Trunk Lid Height Adjustment

Aha! Someone who has actually made that adjustment! According to that picture, it is over on the right side of that section. Is that adjustment on both the hinge set ups? Is it a matter of simply loosening up a screw and letting the lid swing up higher before it hits the stop? I hope so! What can you tell me about it? Not having Rose here, I will have to wait until Monday to check that out.

[Dan Leavens]

Ray I may have mislead you on my statement. My adjustment on the trunk lid was on the 60HT, as it wasn't sitting properly and had to be aligned. And yes, this adjustment is as you show on your diagram on the " holding plates " if you will. Dave's comment is true, as typically the trunk lid doesn't open fully due to the steel springs losing their "temper " and not supporting the weight of the trunk lid. This is a common occurence in these older cars due to the weight of the trunk lid versus the temper ( holding ability ) of the spring and the only solution would be to either have these " retempered " at a local place ( not many do it anymore too $$$ ) or perhaps locate a strong set from Mr. Draxler. The actual lock mechanism will always hit us, if we don't bend into the trunk the right way.I am 6'3" so you couldn't make the trunk lid go high enough for me NOT to hit it once in awhile. Still a poor design.

[simplyconnected]

I realize some rear deck lid hinges use a coil spring. My Galaxie rear deck lid has two torsion rods that cross each other in the middle. One end attaches to the body bracket and stretches to the opposite hinge. Both hinge brackets usually have three holes or "J" hooks stamped into the side. Mine has tension-adjustment holes. I have never seen screws used in this setup other than the hinge bracket being bolted to the body. BE CAREFUL. If you unbolt the hinge before relaxing the spring, you could cause great harm to yourself.

Bend over and look underneath your package tray. You should see two long rods crossed. That's them.

If your deck lid already hits the stop, adding more spring tension will not open the lid any farther.

Sorry about the bumps on your head, Ray. Hey, get one of those bicycle helmets; you know, the kind that has real thick pad. Don't keep it in the trunk, or you will hit your head trying to reach for it. - Dave

[Dutchbird]

Sorry about the bumps on your head, Ray. Hey, get one of those bicycle helmets; you know, the kind that has real thick pad. Don't keep it in the trunk, or you will hit your head trying to reach for it. - Dave

Hi Ray,

The start of your trunk work is promising, looking forward to follow the progress on YellowRose..........
As Dave mentioned, maybe here are some suggestions for you:

[simplyconnected]

Hey, Dutchbird... I wonder if Danny could help us out. You know, Ray could don a matching helmet, like this one:



AAaaaaaaaa hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa.
You gotta admit, Ray; I don't care who you are, that's funny! - Dave

[YellowRose]

Trunk Lid Height Adjustment

Now that IS funny! Especially the middle one that Dave modified. Yup, that has to be the one since people are starting to call her Tweety Bird anyway! lol... Dave is pretty good with Photoshop, it looks like. Wish I were!