Quick question for you guys,

I need to remove the hatch to glue some outer weatherstripping.  I remember reading that if you take the wrong screws/bolts off the hatch, it's a pain to get the hatch to close again properly.

Which should I take off in the below picture to not disturb the closing alignment of the hatch, the screws boxed in red or the bolts boxed in blue?

 

Any ideas?

 

-chase

Red.

Thanks

Yes it's red.. but for anyone..  next time,  take a good look at these 2 possebility's, the bolts in blue can take more than one position, the 2 bolts/screws in red always will go to the central position, so those are safe to take off.  

With doors it's also the bolt in the door you can safely take off..

For whatever reason, if you felt you had to remove the hinge to body bolts (blue), you could always draw around the hinge with a Sharpy pen to show you where to put the hinge back. I do this with the hood hinges all the time before I take the hood off. 

Clearly the red flat head red bolts are your best bet. Don’t try to take them out with a screw driver, get a Philips bit in a ratchet and socket to give you good leverage. They are tight. Make sure the bit you choose fits the Philips head tightly. Might have to use an impact type bolt remover to get them started. Even though the possible problems may be swaying you toward removing the body bolts, don’t...

 

Just to add general info on impact screwdrivers.  The one shown above is a great tool and I have one.  To add to the toolbox I discovered these earlier this year from a Honda forum and have been satisfied with their performance and, in particular, fitment for JDM screw/bolts as a general screwdriver and impact tool.  They're Japanese made and don't wallow out the Phillips head screws and are always ready to pound on.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BI8HHQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm sure this an obvious observation to you guys BUT I'm bored so wouldn't taking the weight off the opened hatch somehow from above, straps from the ceiling maybe, make removing those Phillips head bolts much easier. I know when I've removed the hoods on my cars I used the latch for the hooking point and a ratchet strap around a beam in my garage ceiling to take that weight off. 

Okay, back to the "Boobs" thread. 

 

2 hours ago, siteunseen said:

I'm sure this an obvious observation to you guys BUT I'm bored so wouldn't taking the weight off the opened hatch somehow from above, straps from the ceiling maybe, make removing those Phillips head bolts much easier. I know when I've removed the hoods on my cars I used the latch for the hooking point and a ratchet strap around a beam in my garage ceiling to take that weight off. 

Okay, back to the "Boobs" thread. 

 

See photo.  Engine hoist.  Cargo straps.  Bath towels wrapped around engine hoist boom arm and hatch to protect hatch paint and glass.  With one set of cargo straps centred vertically and another centred horizontally, and using the cross-over point as the lift location, the hatch was pretty well balanced for a flat lift.  I trimmed it out by adding small weights (socket wrench sockets) as required on the hatch surface.  This wasn't so important during removal, but it was very important during re-installation in order to get the hinge bolt holes to line up.

Great reference thread!  Thanks.

 

19 hours ago, zKars said:

Make sure the bit you choose fits the Philips head tightly.

I often take a Philips and a Pozidriv bit, when they stick and stay in it in the horizontal position, thats the one i use..

Yours is philips..

 

this is pozidriv.  An extra star in the cross and these are deeper, 

 

    This problem is less common with the improved version of the Philips: the Pozidriv, which was introduced in the 1960s. In addition to a deeper center, this screw head has four additional star-shaped slots, which improve grip. In Europe, the Pozidriv is the most common screw head today!

Edited October 1, 20204 yr by dutchzcarguy