Deck lid rattles bigtime

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'74 Sport

'74 Sport

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It sounds like a tin can being kicked down a cobble stone road. The problem is the globs of body filler the factory sandwiched between the inner and outer skins has all fallen out over the years.

What have you done to fix yours?

I'm thinking about using a long skinny tube (like the clear plastic one on the refrigerator ice machine) and squirt some Great Stuff expanding foam up in there. The tube fits nicely onto the nozzle provided with the can of foam. I could guide it into place through the hinge mounting hole by taping it to a stiff wire. I also have the holes that were cut for the go-wing mounting brackets.

Anybody see potential problems with using that foam? Is it susceptible to retaining moisture and causing rust from within? Something has to be done, I can't tell you how annoying it is.

Jerry
 
I don't know about moisture problems, but that foam expands like crazy. I was helping my brother-in-law install new windows and he shot some great stuff into all of the little crevices around the windows. When the foam expanded it warped the window jambs so much that we couldn't open the windows. We had to pull out the windows and scrape off all of the great stuff.

Beware of expansion problems.
 
I buddy of mine and I used expanding foam in alot of car panels to quiet the rattles from within The biggest thing is getting it in to where you need it. several small holes were drilled "carefully" and we installed the foam. Worked great and no rattles. littl black plastic fill plugs patched the holes. I never considered the "moisture" factor.... but I do know it stops the rattle. As stated above though... a little shot goes a long ways !!

-RPM
 
Go to your local auto body supply place and get some of the panel bonding adhesive and pick spots 2-3 inches apart along the inner structure where it meets the outer trunk skin and put a 1/2 inch bead of the adhesive there. Do it on all the inner structure area and it will cure the rattle.

Larry
 
If it's like my Duster trunk lid, the inner skin is all one piece with no holes.

Set the trunk lid on some saw horses (so gravity is working in your favor). Put a stop collar on a drill bit and drill holes in the inner panel - on the ribs of course.

Get some urethane body sealer in a caulk tube from the auto body store and use a caulk gun to squirt a mess of it into the gap. It will take a long time to dry, but it will. In fact, any leftover stuff in the tube will be junk in a month or two.

Great stuff will expand and really mess up the outer sheetmetal. It doesn't take much force to move that sheetmetal skin.

Larry's idea sounds great too.
 
'74 Sport said:
It sounds like a tin can being kicked down a cobble stone road. The problem is the globs of body filler the factory sandwiched between the inner and outer skins has all fallen out over the years.

What have you done to fix yours?

I'm thinking about using a long skinny tube (like the clear plastic one on the refrigerator ice machine) and squirt some Great Stuff expanding foam up in there. The tube fits nicely onto the nozzle provided with the can of foam. I could guide it into place through the hinge mounting hole by taping it to a stiff wire. I also have the holes that were cut for the go-wing mounting brackets.

Anybody see potential problems with using that foam? Is it susceptible to retaining moisture and causing rust from within? Something has to be done, I can't tell you how annoying it is.

Jerry
Click to expand...

I've used it in whole custom van interiors before with a twin tank kit, instead of fiberglass. We had done alot of vans in the 70's with fiberglass insulation, but quit and went to foam in the early 80's due to the foam not holding moisture. If the skin is broken on the expanded dry foam then that part of the foam will hold moisture but won't go through the foam past the other side skin of the foam.
I did a mini van of mine one time, used to haul frozen horseraddish sauce in 5 gallon buckets. Thank goodness for the foam and AC! The other guys wouldn't haul due to defrosting and fumes then.
It also will make body panels super strong.
You might want to use the low expansion version for windows and doors in the blue can, NOT THE RED CAN!
 
fourspeed said:
If it's like my Duster trunk lid, the inner skin is all one piece with no holes.

Set the trunk lid on some saw horses (so gravity is working in your favor). Put a stop collar on a drill bit and drill holes in the inner panel - on the ribs of course.

Get some urethane body sealer in a caulk tube from the auto body store and use a caulk gun to squirt a mess of it into the gap. It will take a long time to dry, but it will. In fact, any leftover stuff in the tube will be junk in a month or two.

Great stuff will expand and really mess up the outer sheetmetal. It doesn't take much force to move that sheetmetal skin.

Larry's idea sounds great too.
Click to expand...


This sounds like the way to go!!!!:cheers:
 
Before you go too crazy. Lube the heck out of the latch and U shaped catch.

Also check of the U shaped catch is broken loose. The one with two bolts behind the body trunk lip. They are just swaged on and they can get loose and wiggle.

Is your rear trunk seal new(er) or old?
 
Yep, I thought about the expansion issue, but I figured that I could go easy on the foam and it shouldn't be a problem. It's not what I would consider a confined space - the foam can expand horizontally. I wasn't aware of the "low expansion" version, I'll have to check on that.

The deck lid is painted and is on Aaron's daily driver, so the removal, drilling, waiting for cure time, and all that is not really an option. The fix needs to be done with the lid in place and ready to go in a day's time. I certainly don't want to do any drilling and plugging.

The latch is not the problem. We have already adjusted it as much as we can, and the seal is in good shape - it's only four years old. The rattling is clearly caused by the flimsy outer skin contacting the inner skin and its stamped subframe ribbing. You can tap on the deck lid's surface with your finger and reproduce the rattle.

The panel adhesive is a potential option, but it would have to be thick enough not to run, and it should be able to fill a slight gap between the two skins, similar to how it was originally done with the body filler putty. Also, bear in mind that there will be little control over where the product is applied, since I will be blindly putting it into place between the two skins.

Good ideas, though. Keep 'em comin'.
 
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