Rear Hatch Interchangable 82 on 79?

[rjm65]

Hello, new guy here. I have a 79 that I just purchased with some damage to the rear hatch. There is an 82 being parted out that is about a 2 hour drive from me. The hatch is being advertised as "S" type.

Will this hatch bolt on to my 79? Are the 80's "S" models the one with spoilers? If so, it would be easier for me to fill a couple mounting holes on the 82 hatch then try to repair the existing hatch.

Thanks in advance!
Raymond

[Danglerb]

S has the rubber spoiler, which your car lacks the rest of on each side.

Where are you located, maybe somebody else has a hatch.

Whats the damage to your 79 hatch?

[rjm65]

Just purchased the 79. It has some severe rust just to the right of the lock on the hatch, i.e. a hole about 1" wide, right where the window seal is, plus the paint is blistering in the area near the rear wiper.

Here's a pic of the 82 rear hatch, didn't see the spoiler on it but then it might've already of been parted out. Lower half shows damage on my car. I'm not trying to make my 79 look like an 82, just thought if the 82 hatch fits it offers a quick fix for me.



I'm in San Diego CA area. My 79 looks like it had received a quickie paint job in the past, and my feeling is they didn't remove the trim prior to painting and probably cut through the original paint with a razor (and hit metal) when they were trimming the masking tape around the window and wiper arm. Paint is also bubbling at the bottom right rear quarter window.

Raymond

[Danglerb]

Hi Raymond,

Lot of 928 owners in SoCal, I live up in Orange, so I would suggest patience for now and see what some locals say after looking at it. Generally its a good idea to get a picture of the overall condition before jumping in on fixing too much.

Rust at the quarter window base is normal spot, a bit odd where you have it near the lock. Rust usually only happens if water doesn't drain off for some reason, parked on a slope, something blocks the drain path. Porsche anti rust stuff was pretty good by the late 70's, so I kind of doubt its from a scratch, more like a tarp was on the car and a rope tied it down below the wipers and trapped water above it.

What are your plans for the car?

What is the rest of it like?

[rjm65]

Cosmetically the car is showing it's age, mechanically it's been slowly revitalized over the past 2 owners. My plan is simply clean up the interior, exterior and get on a maintenance program to bring the car up to a reliable Sunday driver and occassional road trip type car.

The car had spent some time in Monterrey CA three owners back, salt air?

Mechanically, the issues I need to address right away are to change the timing belt and fix a small oil leak in the right cam tower.

The rear hatch I'm looking at buying is for sale at a very low price. Low enough that it's doesn't make sense me investing my time and energy in making a repair IF the part is a direct drop in, AND it doesn't make my car look like I put an 82 hatch on a 79! If the only difference between the two hatches is that the 82 has holes drilled where the spoiler was mounted, then I'd rather fill in those holes than repair rust holes on my hatch. I'd also have to remove the rear glass out of the hatch to properly perform the repair on my rusted part if I went that route.

Seems I can avoid a lot of work with a simple parts swap.

[Danglerb]

I've seen the same ad in craigslist,

8.rear hatch w/glass no lock s type $40

Price is cheap, but the drive to Van Nuys, ... give it a week or so and see if anybody in SD has a hatch.

79 motor is non interference, if the timing belt breaks, the motor stops without internal damage (belt flopping around who knows, but its still not a must do like later years). You sound like a keep it kind of guy, so again I would suggest wait a bit until you have the whole scope of work required to put the car into the condition you want, or you can end up like the previous owners fixing things and making no real progress.

Two kinds of leaks around the cam cover, bolt got loose, which you can tighten a "little" and maybe fix, and somebody tightened a bolt too much and the gasket is ruined. The latter you might as well fix during the TB and WP service, and with other related parts like cam gears and front engine seals.

[MPDano]

Hi Raymond,

Congrats on the 928 purchase. I also purchased a fixer <--huge fixer 928. I also live in SD. MrGST and evozine also are San Diegans.

[rjm65]

Thanks for the welcome MPDANO. I'll probably be posting a lot of questions as time goes by, and hopefully be able to eventually share some "wisdom" with others as I go through this process.

[MPDano]

You'll have a lot of fun as I am with mine. Mine needs loads of work and I am learning a lot from other owners. The forums are great and helpful. Mine has engine issues I first need to fix, then I can move on to other stuff. Did you tow yours or was it drivable? How much did you pay?

[rjm65]

It's drivable, paid $3300. Everything works, it just needs some serious TLC, and gone through with an attention to detail.

The previous owner bought it as a father/son project, but the son lost interest. I think the father really would've liked to have completed the goals he had set for the car. I was specifically looking for a driver fixer upper. The car won't be used on a daily basis, so if I start a project Saturday morning and I haven't put it all back together by Sunday night, no worries.

[Danglerb]

I didn't look at it in person, but I know that car.

BTW did you know TLC stands for Truck Load of Cash.

You've got half the battle won by not planning on making it a daily driver, or at least depending on it being ready Monday morning. 928's do not like schedules, taking your time and waiting for the best deals on parts etc can save you many $$$.

[rjm65]

I've TLC'ed a car before, I used to be into Corvettes 10-15 years ago. I had a '70 and then a 73 big block. I put a lotta love into that 70 as you say. While I took a hit when I sold the 70, it allowed me the $$ to buy the 73 that someone had done all the resto work on already (totally stock).

So far, the 928 people I've come across seem to be pretty friendly. The Vette crowd has gotten kind of stuffy over the years, and the prices have really gotten out of hand.

Just having something to tweak on has value to me in and of itself. I plan to do as much as possible of the work required myself. My exception to the rule is if the special tool required costs more than the repair itself at a shop, then let them do it.

[rhjames]

rjm----

the "S" spoiler equipped hatch does NOT hatch holes drilled in it to attach the spoiler, EXCEPT for the holes under the trim/spoiler on either side of the glass. the "S" spoiler hatch only uses trim on the top section of the hatch.

in other words, if you have a non-spoiler hatch, it is the same as a spoiler hatch. the spoiler is attached where the window trim would be on the non spoiler hatch.

all hatches are interchangeable, regardless of year.

S4, GT, and GTS have wing mounting holes drilled on the exterior sides of the glass/trim.

if you buy a spoiler equipped hatch and wish to remove the spoiler to retain your original NON spoiler look, just remove the spoiler and use the trim from your original hatch. it will work, but you will use different trim attaching clip positions(look at the cutouts underneath your trim, and you will see the places you need to have these clips on your hatch.


My Euro had the same rust issues as yours, so a hatch change was necessary.

As you can see below, this is the replacement hatch. it was a "S" spoiler hatch, but has gone onto the car with no spoiler. you may also note that there is a blackout section under the lower portion of the glass. you can (I will) tint the glass to limit seeing the blacked out section (it does not limit rear visibility).


Should you want to put an "S" spoiler on the car, I have two complete sets (main spoiler plus side pcs).


--Russ