Rear-hatch Assist-rod Replacement

Our assist rods had all the... 

   

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Our assist rods had all the telltale signs of failure, including severeleakage as shown here.

If your Corvette coupe still has the original rear-hatch assist rods inplace, chances are they aren't up to par after almost 20 years ofservice. In the case of our '86, both assist rods needed to be replaced (Zip Products PN l-1113Rear-hatch assist rod with rear defroster),not only because they didn't keep the hatch open, but there was asignificant amount of fluid leaking from the rods. Time for a change.

Replacing the rods takes about five minutes and a few simple handtools.The best tool for the job is a prying screwdriver like the one shownhere. It has a large split made to reach around the rod end. For thosenot blessed with a large tool chest of specialty tools, a regularflat-blade screwdriver will work. One trick is to remove the rod endclose to the hatch glass, then rotate the rod to the center of the carto get it to release from the body-mounted rod end. Be careful with thehatch glass. If you break it, you bought it, and hatch glass isn't cheapto replace.

Follow along with our assist-rod removal process illustratedhere. Inspect the wiring for the rear hatch to ensure that no electricalcomponents can inadvertently ground out. In other words, raw wiring isbad and requires insulation. Make sure the wiring and connection coversare in good condition. If not, replace or repair them.

The electrical connections...        read full caption The electrical connections on our rear-defroster-equipped Corvette hadseen better days. We carefully disassembled the parts and repaired thewiring and boot connectors.	The mounting point for the...        read full caption The mounting point for the assist rods looked like this. Remove theelectrical boot and carefully pry the end off the ball joint...	...Rememberto carefully prop...        read full caption ...Rememberto carefully prop up the rear hatch so it doesn't come crashing down onyour head.
The new Zip Products assist...        read full caption The new Zip Products assist rod ends simply snap into place. Remember toreplace them in sets of two.	The job is now finished with...        read full caption The job is now finished with both new struts reinstalled on the hatch.