DECKLID & SPOILER

One of the first things I took apart was the old decklid. I was not going to stick with original spoiler, so I swapped out to a spoilerless decklid. All this was in prep for my Fiero spoiler!

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DECKLID REMOVAL

This is not an super easy mod like one would think. After swapping the decklid RAIF, I had a pretty good idea what to expect.

Now I would STRONGLY recommend having someone help you with this, but it can be done alone. Alone you will need a broomstick to prop open the glass.
Use a towel or something to protect your tint from harm...I would pull a deck lid off a yard car before you even touch your car. Get a feel for what you are working with! Now with no tint on this glass I just used a simple broomstick to hold the decklid up while I worked.

First you take off the plastic panel on the bottom of the deck lid...
Then you will see the nuts that hold the deck lid to the glass. Start to loosen the 8 nuts a touch while the hatch struts are still supporting the deck lid.

Now on either side of the deck lid there are screws through the trim piece that runs around the hatch glass. You will need to remove them.

Now I would brace the glass with the broomstick. Or have someone get in the car and hold it. It�s VERY heavy. You will need to detach the struts now. You will have to remove the bolts and then take off the struts. This usually requires you to lift the glass to its highest point and they will then come off. Now the glass is very heavy, don't drop it. Slowly lower it to the broomstick or helper. Make sure it rests securely...

Now finish taking off the nuts... We got the 8 bolts off holding the deck lid to the glass. Chances are the black metal brace on the bottom will come down very easy. Make sure you lower it slowly there are plastic disks that will are stuck b/w it and the glass and you should retain these. There are also rubber strips that fit on the edge of the glass. Save these as well.

The deck lid will still probably be on the glass firm as ever.

The sealer they used is really good. There was a seal and Urethane holding and sealing the glass to the deck lid. You will have to pry

and rock it to get it loose, but it will finally let go and the sealer will act like pizza cheese.

Off came my deck lid after some coaxing. It is sticky and nasty and will ruin your clothes, so be careful. Ok my stock deck lid and spoiler were removed as a unit. Things got quite a bit lighter then.

Make sure you keep up with all the hardware. Now even if this is a yard car I would retain all the hardware, just in case you need it on yours (lose or damage a piece) I also think the deck lid had white disks that are on the stud. They sit b/w it & the glass.

Here is the glass with the deck lid off.

We had to strip off all the old glass sealer.

All cleaned up and ready for the new decklid...

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DECKLID INSTALLATION

The best way to seal the new decklid is with Butyl Tape. It feels like clay and comes in a roll. It will not dry and crack over time like silicone or urethane does. And it is not messy! The actual tape, as they call it, is the diameter of a finger. It�s slightly sticky, but stays pliable, again like clay. This does the trick, it is great. You will place it on the decklid along the line where the factory placed their sealer.

To put the new decklid on...

You will brace your glass up as you did to take off the old deck lid. (friend or broom) You need to have all your hardware handy. I set my glass so it was not over my head. It was about level b/w my shoulders and elbows. It�s a bit easier to handle this way. The deck lid will support some of its own weight and balance on the glass.

Now before you start to put on the deck lid...get those 2 rubber glass edge guards and put them back on... Now get the deck lid and put it up on the glass. The studs are to line up with the holes.

This is the tricky part...you have to balance the deck lid and get the black metal plate up to the glass and line it up with the studs...now don't forget the black round disks. They go b/w the metal plate and the glass. Nub goes up and the stud goes through the hole. I put mine on the metal plate and raised it up as a unit. It�s a pain to get them all in the right spot. But once you get them lined up you can started the nut will hold the deck lid...

Now don't tighten them all the way down. The deck lid still needs to be adjusted. You can raise it up and reattach the struts. Now you can remove the broom & check the deck placement. You may have to adjust it left to right or front to back.

3rd gen f-bodies always have a hatch misalignment and this is the best time to fix it! You may have to raise and lower it a few times to get it just right, but once you are happy, tighten down then nuts snug. We did what we could to fix this common hatch overbite on my car. It took some coaxing.

Now the 2 screws you took out of the side of the deck lid will probably not line up anymore.

You will have to drill new holes. Once we got it lined up like we needed we saw that we would have to redrill some holes for the side molding in the rear on mine. Now you can put the plastic panel back up!

I think I covered it all. But I have not done one since, so just going on memory could have missed something... Let me know if I left something out. Check the tech articles on TGO before doing this.

So all was well and I had a decklid with holes ready for the new spoilers.

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SPOILER

Here are some comparison shots to a stock spoiler like the one the 82 had on it originally!

Had to drill holes in the new decklid. It was a simple matter of putting the spoiler how I wanted it on the decklid front to back. Measuring to be sure it was even side to side. Then one person holds the spoiler in place, while the other traces a circle around the stud. Then you drill in the middle of your circle.

Spoiler & decklid on the car...

I'm happy with teh spoiler itself, but i think it should be taller and pitched a bit different to have the effect i really want! So I guess I will have to build some custom pedestals for it! Fun, Fun!

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Directory:
01 Current Progress
02 Exterior when I got him...
03 Interior when I got him...
04 Engine bay when I got him...
05 The plans and concept drawings
06 Notchback Pics
07 KITT nose
08 Tail light Modification
09 Windshield removal
10 Cleaning
11 Decklid & Spoiler
12 Disassebly
13 Soundproofing
14 Prepping for Paint
15 Primer