Broken hinge, hatch won't close, how to keep the weather out?

The hatch on my Ralliart wagon won't close. The weld on one of the hinges just let go as my wife was putting something in the back, shifting the hatch out of alignment. Wouldn't close, and the spoiler would bind with the roof, so it wouldn't open either.

I ran it over to a bodyshop that was open on a Saturday, and we were able to get the hatch open. I pointed out the crack in the paint on the hinge, and we decided that had to be it.

I'm going to have to find hinges for this thing, but in the meantime, I'll have to tarp it. How do I keep the  tarp on? Painter's tape? Gorilla tape (which I expect will peel the paint off when I remove it)? 

WRX is still in the shop down in Orlando. Suddenly down two cars.

Broken weld.

Got any old speaker magnets? Wrap 'em in a shop rag and use them to hold it down on the top.  On the sides and bottom I'd use bungie cords.

Duct tape.  Penetrating oil will remove the duct tape residue after you remove it.

Gorilla tape is duct tape with a marketing department.  Painters' tape seems to unstick if it gets wet, and if you can avoid it getting wet then you won't need to tarp it...

Flex seal tape around the top and side seams? 

Can you remove the hatch struts and just place it where it needs to go and then tape the top of the hatch to the body?

You can't free up that hinge and lay a weld on it?

While that definitely looks cracked and should be replaced or fixed, it doesn't seem like enough to cause that much of a misalignment??

jfryjfry (Forum Supporter) said:

While that definitely looks cracked and should be replaced or fixed, it doesn't seem like enough to cause that much of a misalignment??

It's the only thing we could find wrong. It's more deformed than it looks. I didn't get a picture of the other hinge.

Bungee seems solid. Duct tape doesn't hold up like it seems it should. Maybe I shouldn't expect it to hold a window up that has no regulator underneath to keep it in place. *shrug*

Also this seems like a good time to do a radical conversion and make that liftgate into a tailgate, with lots of sawzall action and some really cheap hinges from the hardware store. 

I think if i could get away with it i'd loosen all 4 bolts from hinges to hatch if that would allow me to latch it closed, and then just tape the gap around roughly the top half of the hatch. Depending on how long it needed to stay this way I'd probably just use painters tape.

How about the self-adhesive plastic film you get at the hardware store designed to cover carpet/flooring during moving and construction? There must be something similar specifically for automotive applications (you see tow companies and insurance auction yards use sticky clear plastic to cover window openings) but the flooring protector would be easiest to find.

This stuff.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Protecto-Wrap-BT25XL-6-in-x-50-ft-Window-and-Door-Sealing-Tape-D897206/100396171

tuna55 said:

This stuff.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Protecto-Wrap-BT25XL-6-in-x-50-ft-Window-and-Door-Sealing-Tape-D897206/100396171

Perhaps if you never ever want to remove the tape again, and you basically want to tape the hatch permanently closed. That butyl Protecto tape is aggressive stuff, I'm not sure you could even peel it back off of a painted automotive panel. Far more permanent and worse adhesive damage than duct tape.

I'd stretch wrap the whole back half

Vinyl... Get a bunch of stickers or some vinyl at the auto parts store and seal the gap.  Peel off when done.

Body shops have self adhesive clear  wrap that is meant for broken windows and such....probably a 3m product.   Find a way to keep it "closed" and wrap the gaps.  Since you've already gotten it wrapped pretty well with a tarp and apparently aren't driving it like that, I'd suggest putting the rear on Jack stands to encourage any water to run forward.....or at least park on a slope nose down. 

I'd take the gas charged support struts off, which are likely providing the force which is causing the weird angle.  Sans the struts, it should close into the correct position. close, latch and keep closed till ready to fix. 

What you're looking for is called "Crash Wrap." I used it every day during the high school body shop summers, and it's pretty magical.

Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/Collision-Crash-Wrap-Self-adhering-Inhibitor/dp/B010RBM6CG

In reply to Tom Suddard :

You're right, that would have done it. It's been raining most of the day, and the carpet in the back was still dry when I checked it, so I think I'm good. The hinges will be in next week. Hopefully, it's the correct part, the illustration didn't look anything like the actual part.

Oh, and I'll be getting the WRX wagon back on Wednesday, so this car won't be my daily any longer.

It's like it knows...

WonkoTheSane (Forum Supporter) said:

Vinyl... Get a bunch of GRM stickers and seal the gap.  

No help, but I fixed that for you.

noddaz said:

WonkoTheSane (Forum Supporter) said:

Vinyl... Get a bunch of GRM stickers and seal the gap.  

No help, but I fixed that for you.

 

Oh, I have a bunch of GRM stickers, but not enough for that.