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Lancer Wagon 1978 Rear Door Modification Help


GAPAUTO

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Hi Guys,

I have a 1978 lancer wagon, When i open the rear door it doesn't stay still, the reason is that one of a rods in side the assembly which should keep the weight of the door while its open is broken. I was hoping modify it with small shocks similar to what nowadays cars come with. Has any body in this forum has done such modification to a wagon rear door ? If so can you share the details such as how the new brakets and shocks are fitted and what type of shocks that you used.

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Hi Guys,

I have a 1978 lancer wagon, When i open the rear door it doesn't stay still, the reason is that one of a rods in side the assembly which should keep the weight of the door while its open is broken. I was hoping modify it with small shocks similar to what nowadays cars come with. Has any body in this forum has done such modification to a wagon rear door ? If so can you share the details such as how the new brakets and shocks are fitted and what type of shocks that you used.

This is a common issue with the wagon. Either one or both steel rod springs tend to wear out and break with time. (Can't complain, they've been holding up for over 30 years now!) Had to replace one of the two rod springs on my former wagon as well. As a matter of fact, I had the other rod with me and it was given away to the new owner when the car was sold.

You have three options:

1. Look for a used steel rod at Panchikawatte (I found mine from there)

The "watte" near the BMC building has a whole bunch of Lancer wagons scrapped off and the trunk lid mechanisms are still as good as new on most of them. This is my recommendation for you because you can avoid messing up your car's body trying to install struts. If you decide to go for this option, make sure you buy both the rods and keep the spare one for the future (trust me, you'll need it).

2. Fabricate one out of steel

For this you will need to purchase a steel rod with the same gauge and have it bent to the dimensions of the original rod. Tricky, but possible.

3. Go for a modification with struts (shocks)

My least favourite option because you'll have to mess up your car's body to make this happen. Although it may sound like the struts can just be bolted on, you might have to in fact cut out the trunk lid opening to facilitate space for the shocks. Plus you will be narrowing the opening of the tailgate during the process because the struts will occupy space on either side which will prevent you from loading something wide.

After you've done the repair, make sure that the mechanism is greased up well so that there is no friction between the two rods. Plus, you might want to operate the tail gate a bit smoothly to prevent heat from building up causing the spring to snap. This goes for all tailgates with rod springs.

Hope this helps, Good luck!

I'd advise you to go for the first option to avoid messing with the body of the car

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So the Lancer wagon's system is different to the KE72s? What my friend replaced was something like this-

Yes, it's different. What the lancer wagon has is two torsion springs mounted between the hinges (across the roof). Something like the one in the image below:

44890B_std.jpg

Highlighted in red are the torsion springs. They twist along their axis forming a very strong spring. This mechanism is used on modern day cars as well. In OP's Lancer wagon, one of these rods is broken, causing the lift to be too weak to lift the tailgate.

Edited by Davy
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This is a common issue with the wagon. Either one or both steel rod springs tend to wear out and break with time. (Can't complain, they've been holding up for over 30 years now!) Had to replace one of the two rod springs on my former wagon as well. As a matter of fact, I had the other rod with me and it was given away to the new owner when the car was sold.

You have three options:

1. Look for a used steel rod at Panchikawatte (I found mine from there)

The "watte" near the BMC building has a whole bunch of Lancer wagons scrapped off and the trunk lid mechanisms are still as good as new on most of them. This is my recommendation for you because you can avoid messing up your car's body trying to install struts. If you decide to go for this option, make sure you buy both the rods and keep the spare one for the future (trust me, you'll need it).

2. Fabricate one out of steel

For this you will need to purchase a steel rod with the same gauge and have it bent to the dimensions of the original rod. Tricky, but possible.

3. Go for a modification with struts (shocks)

My least favourite option because you'll have to mess up your car's body to make this happen. Although it may sound like the struts can just be bolted on, you might have to in fact cut out the trunk lid opening to facilitate space for the shocks. Plus you will be narrowing the opening of the tailgate during the process because the struts will occupy space on either side which will prevent you from loading something wide.

After you've done the repair, make sure that the mechanism is greased up well so that there is no friction between the two rods. Plus, you might want to operate the tail gate a bit smoothly to prevent heat from building up causing the spring to snap. This goes for all tailgates with rod springs.

Hope this helps, Good luck!

I'd advise you to go for the first option to avoid messing with the body of the car

Thanks Davy, Great answer, You answer helped me a lot and showed me a side which i didn't though of about the 3rd option, now i see it not a really good option. I will try the panchikawaththa place first before moving to option 2.

GAP.

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