broke one of the top latches
I was heading to VA beach last friday and I was going to start the cruise with the top up...when I tried to latch the drivers side the lock just gave out. By inspecting a bit I saw that a rivet that holds the actual handle to the 'hook' part is missing.
Can this be fixed or would I need to replace the whole latch? Has this happened to anyone?
Locally, i will probably do my top this weekend so Im goign to tackle that job too...but I want to know if I should hurry and buy a latch just in case the other cant be fixed. Thanks!
Can this be fixed or would I need to replace the whole latch? Has this happened to anyone?
Locally, i will probably do my top this weekend so Im goign to tackle that job too...but I want to know if I should hurry and buy a latch just in case the other cant be fixed. Thanks!
Comments
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983-199 ... enameZWDVW
I ordered a set of used latches from ebay a while back. I did see the ones posted above but for over a hundred bux each...i thought they were a bit pricey. I'm actually looking at teh sapare set I bought (which is in ROUGH condition) and just looking at the rivets holding the pieces together I can see they are prone to failure. I ran across this same problem in several threads in the corral...but no one posted an answer. I plan on taking my current latches out and doing some sort of fix on the rivets. I'll probably try to use some sort of bolt or thick nail with a groove to accept some heavy duty C or E clip. I'll hit the hardware store this week as I'm also gathering the last few tid-bits needed for my top change.
Ryan
Rare 92...my problem wasnt the J hook, in my case one of the rivets that holds the lever mechanism to the J hook part came out...so you could actually move the lever and the J hook would not move...I'll post pix of the stuff I used. I'm thinking of doing a write up with pix to show what I did. Like i said, i browsed the corral with this problem, found SEVERAL posts of people asking for help...but none of them had a solution. I think that $2 bux beats paying over $100 per side any day. Besides, i was able to do this repair without messing with the top. To change the actual latch, i think you have to take at least part of the top out to get to teh bolts.
I think what you are talking about is that the J hook has to kind of spring forward to hook properly to the windshield part...as far as I can tell its because the little thin spring that generates that movement simply breaks with time. Like you said, it doenst affect the closing part of the top...its just a little tedious having to push the J hook forward so that it catches with the windshield part. Maybe that will be my next thing to attack
Mine too......my passenger latch works fine, it is just the little spring behind the J hook is gone so I have to guide it in with my other hand to get it to latch. It's works but is a pain to reach both hands up to that pass corner!!