Questions as I'm swapping decklids (photos)

[garment]

Hello Pelicans:

I've got a new-to-me, freshly painted standard decklid for my '83SC Targa which I am swapping out for the current whale-tail.

A couple of questions off the bat:

1. I don't see a mounting point for the "engine compartment light" as is on the current decklid (see photo, it's behind the plunger). Why would this be, and what can I do to create a mount point?
2. When I removed the plunger I found a small brass clip on the left side - what is this for? Perhaps to help route the wiring for the engine compartment light?
3. Best practice seems to be leaving the grill off until one is sure that the decklid will open (until the plunger is properly positioned). However, I have an A/C condenser - won't the the condenser get in the way in case I need to grab the deckled release cable through the decklid?
4. The condenser appears to have some thin "rattle guards" attached with allen bolts which have some type of foam material which contacts the U-bends at either end of the condensor (didn't understand what these were when I received the lid from a nice Pelican, but now I do!). I don't see mounting points for the rattle guards on the new lid. Is there a way to attach these?

[garment]

Bump. Any thoughts, Pelicans?

[garment]

Really? Still no thoughts to help me with my decklid replacement? I would love to hear from you! Thanks!

[lsf911]

Well, I can tell you the brass clip is definitely to hold the wiring.

As far as mounting the deck lid light, you will have to make your own bracket and screw or rivet it onto the support bar. Shouldn't be too difficult.

Leaving the grill off with a condenser mounted underneath will not help you at all. Just start with the adjustment loose and tighten it down with small incremental turns on the latch, trying it after each adjustment until you are satisfied. I have heard of them getting stuck but I have done this several times this way without issue.

Good luck!

[ian c2]

The light screws into the 2 speed-clips in the background .

[lsf911]

I thought that was on the lid he was replacing. Doesn't exist on the new lid. I may have misunderstood.

[ian c2]

Or maybe I Misunderstood .
I didn’t even see the last pic when I replied .
Early lid with 74 type lamp ?

[garment]

I think this lid was from a ‘79.

Originally Posted by ian c2

Or maybe I Misunderstood .
I didn’t even see the last pic when I replied .
Early lid with 74 type lamp ?

[calidude]

the light is on the two speed nuts behind like ian said, interested if you get yours to work as mine doesn't

[ian c2]

All they need to work is 12v .
+ to the bulb , - to chassis .

It gets confusing once you know the electrons flow from negative to positive , but ignore all that bulllchiit

Power and good chassis ground can be checked with a simple dmm on voltsDC then continuity .

[garment]

I’ll see about fashioning a bracket.

Yes, concerned about a mis-aligned plunger and getting the lid jammed. Will try in increments and see how things go. Thank you for your reply.

Originally Posted by lsf911

Well, I can tell you the brass clip is definitely to hold the wiring.

As far as mounting the deck lid light, you will have to make your own bracket and screw or rivet it onto the support bar. Shouldn't be too difficult.

Leaving the grill off with a condenser mounted underneath will not help you at all. Just start with the adjustment loose and tighten it down with small incremental turns on the latch, trying it after each adjustment until you are satisfied. I have heard of them getting stuck but I have done this several times this way without issue.

Good luck!

[garment]

OK! Got it mounted to the struts at least! First observation: That whale tail is HEAVY! Significant effort to push the new decklid down requires shocks much less beefy than the ones for the tail; guess I'll be buying some new shocks to match the much lighter standard decklid.

The PET shows 911 512 331 01 is the item to get (1 for each side) and the Pelican catalog shows https://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2016.cgi?command=DWsearch&description=911+512+331+01 as the correct item (I have an A/C condenser on my car). Can anyone confirm this is the right shock for this application?

Thanks, Pelicans!

[lsf911]

Not sure if that's the correct shock but my car only has one decklid shock on the left side and it's an 83sc with a condenser under the rear deck lid grill.
No issues, holds up the lid just fine.

When I had a whale tail decklid I had double shocks mounted on the left side. Just removed one and was all set.
Check with others but I don't think you need two shocks for a tail less lid.

[cfassett]

I'd recommend staying away from a second shock. I had two on my SC prior to its demise, which caused it to pop open while driving.

[steely]

I went in the other direction and swapped my standard deck lid (w/ condenser) for a carrera tail.

The stock setup only uses one gas strut, but since the tail was heavier I needed 2, so I had to get a passenger side hinge with a gas strut mounting point.

The driver's side hinge is formed to accommodate a strut, but the passenger side is not - so they weld on a small plate. You can still use the passenger side hinge, but you don't need that strut for just a regular lid even w a condenser.

[garment]

Right or wrong, I disconnected the driver side strut, and I have to say the action/lift on the lid with the passenger side shock still attached kinda feels alright!

I definitely have to shim the lid a bit, it’s hitting the panel directly below the rear glass. But good progress!

[garment]

Home Stretch!

So, I'm happy with the decklid fitting, and now I have moved to install the upper lock mechanism. Problem is, some combination of rust, then possibly paint over the rust, on the threads of the captive nuts (un the decklid) for the lock plunger is making it so I can't insert the bolts that hold the plunger to the decklid. I have a thread chaser set; can anyone confirm the size? PET shows M 6 X 16 for the hexagon head bolt 900 075 162 02, and I have an M6 1.0 in my set - I think a very bad outcome would be to strip the captive nuts. Can I just go slow with the thread chaser? What should I use as a lubricant?

Thanks, Pelicans!

[garment]

So, some careful work with a bristle brush, some PB Blaster, and most importantly a thread chaser was the answer, lock plunger is secure on the decklid. One side went fairly quickly, but the other took some gentle persuasion. Should have had more confidence in the thread chaser, they were a lifesaver when I did my suspension refresh 2 winters ago...

Now, off to research how to align the decklid lock plunger to the receiver. I've seen a bunch of tips on the boards here, but I can't really tell if the plunger is aligned properly - and I definitely don't want to catch the spring in the receiver so that I can't open the lid. Suggestions and encouragement are welcome.

Thanks, Pelicans!

Originally Posted by garment

Home Stretch!

So, I'm happy with the decklid fitting, and now I have moved to install the upper lock mechanism. Problem is, some combination of rust, then possibly paint over the rust, on the threads of the captive nuts (un the decklid) for the lock plunger is making it so I can't insert the bolts that hold the plunger to the decklid. I have a thread chaser set; can anyone confirm the size? PET shows M 6 X 16 for the hexagon head bolt 900 075 162 02, and I have an M6 1.0 in my set - I think a very bad outcome would be to strip the captive nuts. Can I just go slow with the thread chaser? What should I use as a lubricant?

Thanks, Pelicans!