53 Coupe Trunk alignment

Pat, the trunk hinges on the C-K's seems to have come from the factory worn out. Then after a few years they are completely worn out. In order for your thunk lid to close properly you are going to have to get new hinges or rebuild the ones you have. Beware of buying 'NOS' hinges. I have done that before only to find they had so much clearance the lid wouldn't seal across the front edge,(that is why I said they come from the factory worn out). To check for worn hinges, raise the lid to the point just where you can feel the springs going over center, then try to move the lid forward and backward on a plane parallel to the ground. Any motion here is the slack in the hinge pins. It doesn't do any good to simply replace the pins, most of the wear is in the metal where the pins go through. I keep the correct size pins in stock but you have to weld up the holes and then drill and ream the holes out to the correct size.

Rebuilding the hinges is best but you can also enlarge adjustment holes by filing and, if necessary welding extra metal on the side you are expanding the hole too.

What he said. If it is the front that is giving you problems, and you can't adjust it out, replace or rebuild the hinges. You can tell worn hinges because when you close the trunk you will hear a snap or pop and the front of the trunk will move a little as the hinges go "over center."

I got my NOS hinges from Stelford's and they were fine, I hope that he still has some. Otherwise rebuilding as Jerry describes is in order.

Lubing the trunk hinges at every oil change is probably not a bad idea.

good luck

nate

Thanks guys. After Nate's post I went out and lubed the hinges with some white lithium. They definitely work smoother, but I can now hear the "pop". So that is probably the problem.

I found Stelfords on line and they still have both sides listed for $55 each without springs. I also found StudebakerParts.com and they offer rebuilt hinges with with new rivets and springs for $125, but will refund a $50 core charge when they receive my rebuildable hinges. Any experiences with Studebakers.com? Are new springs worth $20 per side? This is a car I will keep for a long time, I don't mind spending the extra $ if it is worth it.

thanks for your advice

Pat

I wouldn't bother with buying new springs, your old ones should be fine if they are holding the lid open. There's a couple different ways to remove and install the springs. Move the lid to the point the springs are stretched the most, then put pennies into the springs and move the lid to relieve the pressure on the springs. To install them with the penny method, put one end of the spring in a vise , bend the spring over and insert the pennies in between the coils. The other way to remove the springs is to use a wire tied around a handle of somekind with the other end looped through the end of the spring and pull.

Thanks for the tips. The trunk stays open just fine. I will call Stelfords in the morning.

Pat

StudebakerParts.com is Chuck Collins and he's a good guy to deal with. Give him a call (I got a set of Delrins from him and he was very helpful).

Brooksie

Well, turns out Stelfords only had one side. So since I want a set that "matches" I went with the rebuilt ones from StudebakerParts.com. Hopefully that will solve the problem

thanks again for all the help and advice.

Pat

Bummer. One side is hard to find, Stelford's was the only place I knew that still had that one (forget which.) Guess they must have finally sold out. The good news is that Chuck stepped up and started rebuilding them before the NOS ran out, so nobody ever has to be without a dry trunk :)

nate

Pat Dill> Well, turns out Stelfords only had one side. So since I want a set that