• The intent of this Restoration Reference forum is to provide a collection of technical, accurate details to help others in their restorations. These Reference Articles can include photos, descriptions, diagrams, part numbers, concours rules, etc.

    PLEASE ONLY POST VARIFIED INFORMATION. This is a technical forum and the information needs to be as accurate as possible. Please don't post things you've heard second hand or think you remember reading somewhere.

    You may reply to an Article, but only if it serves to give more information or clarify a detail in that Article. These should be a presentation of fact more than a discussion. Off-topic responses will be deleted or moved.

    Thanks!
  • Welcome to the CaliforniaSpecial.com forums! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all our site features, please take a moment to join our community! It's fast, simple and absolutely free.

    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

    Please Note: If you are an existing member and your password no longer works, click here to reset it.

Replacing Deck Lid Torsion Rods

nfrntau

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
1,020
Location
Rosharon, Texas
Replacing deck lid torsion rods
The right and the wrong way.

Wrong first:
When I removed the torsion rods I didn't know any better. I removed the bolts for both hinges and removed them both at the same time with the rods attached. They came out perfectly with the rods still attached. Little did I know what was going to happen next. I placed them on end against the corner and you guessed it TWANG!! I was really lucky I didn't get hurt. I had no idea what I was playing with.
Well since I took them out that way I figured they must go back in the same way. I put one hinge on the ground put the first rod in and then twisted the other hinge around until I got the second rod in place. Then installed the whole thing in the car. It looked right but the deck lid wouldn't stay open no matter which adjustment I used.
What happened was I over torqued the first rod and it lost it's spring never to work correctly again.

So that leads to the right way.
I made a tool as per the attached photos. It is made from 2" aluminum angle and is 9" long. Next I used the information found at the classic cougar network at this link.
http://www.theclassiccougarnetwork.com/tccn2/index.html
Go to "Tech How To" button at the top - then "Restoration & Repair" green arrow - then "Repairing Droopy Trunk Lids" red arrow
I left the hinges installed this time and installed the rods one at a time. I laid inside the trunk, inserted the rod in the tool and soooo easy I was able to twist the rods and install them in their seats on the hinges.

I highly recommend this method.
A special thanks to Neil for his assistance in finding the trunk rods for me.
I installed them in the lowest setting and they work perfectly.
 

Attachments

  • Rod 1.JPG
    Rod 1.JPG
    112 KB · Views: 72
  • Rod 2.JPG
    Rod 2.JPG
    112.6 KB · Views: 74
  • Rod 3.JPG
    Rod 3.JPG
    115.9 KB · Views: 63

Russ

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 25, 2003
Messages
393
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
I just fixed my trunk problem by making a tool like this...it works GREAT! Thanks Russ
 

franklinair

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
4,741
Patrick;
If you're referring to changing the trunklid torsion rods - after 40+ years they sometimes become weak, and do not hold the trunklid up.

Neil
 

PonyGal

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 14, 2006
Messages
555
Location
Loomis, Ca
Patrick;
If you're referring to changing the trunklid torsion rods - after 40+ years they sometimes become weak, and do not hold the trunklid up.

Neil

...and then you need to resort to using a hockey puck :-\
 

Attachments

  • HockeyPuck.gif
    HockeyPuck.gif
    247.4 KB · Views: 69
Top