S1 tailgate latch

[Paul Coleman]

Okay, I give up, how the hell am I supposed to get the tailgate to stay shut and pop up again when the cable is pulled?

 

I have the centre latch with the spring on it. I can get it to latch and be flush with the body if I remove that entire plate with the spring on it OR I can fit that plate and have it pop up but then I can't compress it enough to get it to latch shut. Poxy thing!

 

I've tried adjusting the bolt through the spring to try and compress it and I've tried shimming the latch on the tailgate to bring it down a bit. Either way it won't shut properly and look reasonable

 

Cheers, Paul.

[v39]

I had same problem on my s1, I just cut 5mm off the spring!

[GavinT]

My hatch has never popped up, so to speak. On pulling the cable it kind of lifts a little. Then i have to raise it by grabbing the lower RH corner with my finger tips. Sometimes I can't get a good grip on it and have to use a putty knife with the blade wrapped in a leather chamois to left the corner clear of the body. I always figured it was one of those goofy s1 things.

Paul, where you able to source a new rear window?

[Paul Coleman]

Hi Gavin

 

I've managed to get it to shut and latch after a fashion by shimming the tailgate latch by 4mm. It's difficult to shut and I need to put all my weight on the letter 'T' to get it to latch.

 

Yes I did manage to get a new glass from Wyn Edwards (the guy who had the orange S1 restored by SJ Sportscars a few years back). He fitted a new glass as part of his restoration and fortunately for me, still had his old one, even though he had sold his car. I'm now on the look out for another one... just in case I break this one by slamming it too hard trying to get the damn thing to stay shut hahaha

 

Cheers, Paul.

[GavinT]

Glad to hear you got it sorted. I think it has now become the case that if any of the glass pops up at a reasonable cost then it would be wise to acquire it as ' murphy ' repellant. Windscreens aside as it would appear they are currently quite plentiful.

I recall when searching for an S1/S2 that all the rear hatches seemed to lift a little on the RH lower corner, some more than others. I think Tony K mentioned that it was very common as the panel would flex once it was released from the mold. So don't drive yourself nuts trying to get a perfect shut line as i think it's a tall order to achieve.

[Paul Coleman]

It's not possible to get perfect shut lines on the tailgate as the body is flat (down by the LOTUS letters) but the tailgate has a radius on it. Therefore it always looks raised in the middle. You can see the raised part here around the OTU letters...

 

So I'm not going to stress too much

 

Cheers, Paul.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Paul Coleman

[GavinT]

Looks just like mine . Is that another one in the background?

I had to get a new world champion decal cos someone tried to remove the original with a screwdriver and f***ked it up. I could only get one with the laurels which is incorrect for the S1. SJs advertised that they had them but when it came it had the laurels. I was a touch disappointed.

Edited June 4, 2014 by GavinT