Rear hatch (upper) interior trim panel removal (1 Viewer)

[TheRealPoser]

Hey folks, long time listener, first time caller here! Sorry, couldn't help it....

It's time for me to do some rust mitigation on the infamous rust spot at the bottom of the upper rear hatch on my '03. So far I don't see any rust coming through on the pinch weld, but I see some surface rust around the weep holes and latch handle. Since this appears most commonly due to a leaky upper tail light I am assuming there is more rust inside than what I see outside. My plan (after sealing the light) is to grind it all down to metal, treat with rust converter, then probably a low-budget DIY paint job. And possibly a healthy dose of fluid film on the inside afterwards. That is unless I grind away to nothing left It's a NW car and the rust doesn't look too heavy so far, so I'm hoping that by dealing with it now I can nurse the hatch along for a while longer.

Which leads me to the actual question. I'm guessing (hoping?) that if I remove the interior panels I will be able to reach down inside to sand from above and also treat/etc. Does anyone have tips on removing the panel(s)? I've done enough of this kind of stuff in the past that I'm terrified of the brittle, hard to replace plastic clips that you don't know are there until they're already broken. Any tips on where to start the removal or what tricky clips to look out for would be *much* appreciated. I don't have the FSM, but it sounds like the FSM has instructions for some panel removals. If this is covered in the FSM could I trouble anyone to post a screen shot of the instructions?

I searched the forum as well as youtube, but didn't find anything that exactly answered my question. If this is already documented somewhere (I'm sure it is), please just point me to it.

Thanks!

 

[js47]

I haven’t removed the full rear hatch trim, but I have removed the lower panel. It’s just held in with 10 clips and the two screws on the interior handle. Will attach a photo.

 

[TheRealPoser]

I haven’t removed the full rear hatch trim, but I have removed the lower panel. It’s just held in with 10 clips and the two screws on the interior handle. Will attach a photo.

Awesome, thanks for the quick reply. With that lower panel removed can you reach down inside the bottom of the hatch? The picture with the clip locations is a great help. Did you pop those with a trim removal pry bar or just pop them by hand?

 

[js47]

I just popped them by hand.

Not quite sure what you mean by “reach down inside the bottom of the hatch”? You cannot reach the part behind taillight without popping out the other 3 trim pieces if that is what you mean.

 

[TheRealPoser]

I just popped them by hand.

Not quite sure what you mean by “reach down inside the bottom of the hatch”? You cannot reach the part behind taillight without popping out the other 3 trim pieces if that is what you mean.

Yeah, sorry, my description was pretty poor. If go back to what I'm trying to do here, the rust is forming in the typical location on the very bottom of the hatch, where the latch handle is and the license plate lights. I want to be able to grind/sand the metal on the inside behind those areas as well as the outside, since in all likelihood there is more rust inside. So my main goal by removing trim is to access all across the very bottom of the upper hatch, only inside.

That said, I should have thought more before I posted my last question. Given the placement of the plastic clips in your picture it appears that plastic panel has metal all behind it, unless there are some large holes between the clip insertion points to lower the weight of the hatch. This suggests to me that more panels need to be removed as well, but I'm speculating. I'll start with that panel and see what I see, then expand from there as necessary.

 

[js47]

Yeah, sorry, my description was pretty poor. If go back to what I'm trying to do here, the rust is forming in the typical location on the very bottom of the hatch, where the latch handle is and the license plate lights. I want to be able to grind/sand the metal on the inside behind those areas as well as the outside, since in all likelihood there is more rust inside. So my main goal by removing trim is to access all across the very bottom of the upper hatch, only inside.

That said, I should have thought more before I posted my last question. Given the placement of the plastic clips in your picture it appears that plastic panel has metal all behind it, unless there are some large holes between the clip insertion points to lower the weight of the hatch. This suggests to me that more panels need to be removed as well, but I'm speculating. I'll start with that panel and see what I see, then expand from there as necessary.

Yes there is some metal behind but there are gaps large enough to get into. Might need an extension for your dremel or whatever it is you’re using though. I’ll attach a photo showing what the handle access looks like.

 

[TheRealPoser]

Yes there is some metal behind but there are gaps large enough to get into. Might need an extension for your dremel or whatever it is you’re using though. I’ll attach a photo showing what the handle access looks like.

Thanks js47 for the info, I appreciate it. I was hoping to find some time this weekend to pull it apart but I ended up not having enough time. Well, rather I spent my time cleaning out my garage so I could park the LC inside since the wet weather is starting to set in here in the PNW. At least this way I can keep it from getting damp in there in the mean time. If I manage to figure out how to get down in there to clean it up I will post some pictures here to share the love a bit. After looking at your pictures and my truck this weekend a bit I think you're right, I'm likely going to need a flexible dremel attachment, if I can even manage to get my hand down in there at all. That section is narrower than I remember it being.

I also have a leak in the 3rd row area and after some research over the weekend I believe it's coming from the weather strip belt under the rear side window. To diagnose that will require me to remove the rear quarter panel trim as well, so it looks like I'm going to get a lot of practice working on the LC trim. But that's an issue for another thread if I can get it diagnosed and fixed.