Trunk-hinge weld issues

[phenom_1819]

Ironic that Derek started talking about bad welds on our boats just as I decided to finally post this and ask if anybody has any ideas.

The weld on one of my trunk hinges went bad and the entire bracket needs to be replaced.  The trunk hinges are probably similar for any of the hulls -- they are the fish-hook shaped black brackets that allow the trunk lid to lift up and down.  I have the new bracket sitting in front of me right now -- very inexpensive part, fortunately (like $30 or so).

The problem: The pivoting point of the bracket, which I need to detach, is mounted from the top of the fiberglass.  To get to the top of the fiberglass section, the backrest of the back seat needs to be removed. 

So my question is: Does anybody know how the backrest of the back seat comes out??  I think this may be a job for the shop, but I doubt they will know how either, because I can't imagine too many others have had this problem.

If somebody wouldn't mind taking 5 minutes to look at their boat and see if you have any ideas, you would be my hero.

Thanks everybody.

[cyclone]

uhhhh. heh heh . uhhh. uhhhhh huhhhhh. HEH HEH HEH EEEEHHEEEH.

Sorry, I found my Beavis and Butthead masks that I bought in Hong Kong for 2$ ea.

Cal, it's not difficult to get to, its just time consuming. Or cash consuming if you pay some chromosome deficient boat mechanic to do it @ 80$ per hour. (Not YOU Tony, you have all your chromosomes!)

Run the tank dry or as close as you can. Remove the gas lines from the filter and drain them into a gas can. Remove the screws securing the tank and pull it out. Reach up and remove the 7/16 stainless nuts holding the back seat back to the hull liner. Don't lose the nuts or lock washers or big 2" dia fender washers. Fix the other problem. Put all the shit back together. Voila!

[phenom_1819]

Never a good sign when responses to my post start with Beavis and Butthead laughs...

But anyway, that doesn't sound too tough at all.  Maybe I'll just finish out the season with the broken hinge and add it to the list of winter projects.  And I'd imagine a shop would charge me at least 2-3 hours to do that.  Might be a SWEET time to replace the the underside of the trunk lid with a ridiculous amount of DIAMOND PLATE.  If you remember back to my first post, I really want some diamond-plate on my boat.  Highflyin and I were talking a couple weeks ago and he has some issues with the mounts for his hydraulic engine compartment lifts and wants to re-do the entire surface in diamond plate.  HOW SWEET WOULD THAT LOOK...!!

Thanks a bunch Pete, I really appreciate it.

[re-pete]

Cal-

The diamond plate sounds cool, but HEAVY--don't forget you will be needing beefier gas struts to hold up that weight, and you will be puttng a much bigger stress on those bracket welds that just broke. 

Maybe you should go with the magnesium diamond-plate....

Good luck, whatever you do.

[highflyn]

It seems all to common that DD owners start alot of your repairs by "Running the tank out of gas and then.....". I'm sure I speak for all VD when I say "I love my SX".
re-pete- I thought about the weight issue with the dimond plate also, but weight IS the issue. Or I should I say not enough weight is the issue. When both gas struts are attached to the engine cover (right now there is only one because the other one keeps ripping out) teh cover comes up so fast that it pulls the screws right out of the fiberglass. I know this will happen so I keep my hand on the cover untill the struts are topped out. It's all thoes pesky friends I take out with me who don't know to do this. Any way I figure the extra weight (which should not be to much) of the dimond plate will slow the TLLV (trunk lid lifting volocity) to a more reasonable speed. Not to mention the added holding strength the dimond plate will have on the strut screws.
With that said I probubly won't get i done till next year.

Cal- I got High Desert Audio to cover the return shipping. Tried to get them to reimburst me for my wasted time but that just pissed them off so I settled for the free shipping. Im sending it off today.

Terry

[toyotafreak]

Our VD boats (no rash intended) use a stainless hinge mechanisma deal to hold the pivots for the trunk and the engine hatch. It's mucho mondo.

[cyclone]

You all need to step up and do the Shawn mod with the linear actuators instead of silly trunk hinges. Giant subwoofer box in the trunk. I think I'd put the actuators on the box itself and have the whole thing cruise up out of the trunk and blast out the sound.

I need the space for ballast, I overfilled my skylon locker sack today, it was so big it was almost hitting the underside of the lid. I had to let water out to get the jackets out! I filled it back up, of course.

[ScarabEpic22]

The struts on my trucnk have never opened right, and they have been replaced like 3 times.  My question is, what is the current length, and what is the longest strut I can put in there to get my trunk to open farther?  As of now, it only opens about 45degrees, which makes putting a board back there a little challenging.

Erik
99 E22