Well...it finally happened.
My Passenger windshield hinge bent straight. The little "L" curve that has the oil hole in it, that is forged into the top piece, (
visualize it, boys and girls
) bent completley straight. At this point, I am absolutely stumped as to how this would happen, and pretty fumed too. :evil: So, I unbolt the winshield wiper motor from its brackets and unscrew the wire holder, and disassemble the windshield wiper system to get the entire windshield off, including frame, the Torx heads didn't strip, thank god, and I laid that away off to the side. Now, I have big big hands for someone whose 18 ( palm a skull or a basketball no problem) (must be genetics, or I was born in a toxic waste dump) anyways, the Torx which were attached to the windshield frame were tapped. The ones attached to the tub, holding the bottom part of the hinge on are bolted. Crap. So I figure out that they're bolted after struggling with one for an hour, trying to draw it out with a flathead, and generally making a mess of the threads. Finally it comes out and there's a bolt laying in the floorpan. DUH :roll:. So, I reach my monster hands up there with a 1/2 inch boxend and back the remaining 3 out. got the passenger side (buggered one) off. I need a template to bend to. Gotta take the driver's side off too. Start with the mirror. Move on to the 4 on the tub. Reach up there to take the nuts off... Damn! There's a plate that holds the e-brake pedal on, and I almost committed suicide (slit my arms and wrists) trying to get the nuts at the top. Ok, got it all off, the nuts piled in a nice group on the hood. Now for the fun part. My vice has a peening spot on it for hitting things straight, so I vice-gripped it to the flat spot and heated the back of the hinge barrel. Once I was done (1/2 an hour with the junk propane torch) I tapped it gently with a 12 pound sledge (the banging could be heard for miles
) and bent it back into its "L" shape over the edge of the peening spot. Soaking the Hinge, I now realized that I loosened it up considerably (prolly banged the rust out of it :roll: ) and bolted it all back together. Sliding on the windshield frame was ok, as I bolted it all up, I realized that the amount of times I've had the windshield down defiantely put some stress on the hinge, and now it was like it was brand new. I can raise and lower my windshield with one finger.
In short... anyone need a guy with knowhow of the windshield hinges? PM me!
I craked open my only beer just at 8:00 after cleaning up. Jeez, the only way I'd want to do that again would be if I was paid... A case of beer or a bottle of whiskey will do! :twisted:
Peace
Topic: Crappy way to spend my Monday night! Windshield Hinge Tale (Read 1206 times)