Upper Hatch Damage - Need Advice/Guidance

[tarheel40]

Had a very unfortunate end to a great beach week with my family and damaged my upper cargo hatch. Had the cargo area loaded up with chairs, surfboards, etc to take a few miles down the road back to our condo and left the hatch up as a few things where hanging out. Plenty of space above the hatch while loading the cruiser but in a complete moment of mental lapse/distraction by my kids/etc I forgot there was a single low beam under the house and I caught it with my open hatch while backing out.

Was only going a few mph when I hit but it was enough to damage the lower lip of the hatch and bend it around the hinge area. I can still close it but it doesn’t line up properly when closed. No broken glass thankfully and damage isolated to just the hatch.

My question is what is the best course of action here? Can a competent body shop straighten this back out and get me squared away? Is this enough distortion I need to be looking for a replacement rear hatch (the ones I’ve found thru some quick searching look worse than mine)? Should I contact one of the cruiser bodywork gurus on this forum and see if it’s worth shipping the hatch to them for repair?

I’ve got some experience with body shops repairing newer cars but nothing with 40 year old Land Cruisers. Any advice appreciated. Pics below. Thanks!!

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

You'll be way ahead to find a nice donor and have it repainted instead of trying to repair that one. Upper hinge inner structure is damaged as well.

 

[tarheel40]

You'll be way ahead to find a nice donor and have it repainted instead of trying to repair that one. Upper hinge inner structure is damaged as well.

That’s unfortunately what I was expecting to hear. Rear glass is original, know the rear chrome trim is no longer available new, just not sure how hard it would be to transfer assuming the donor doesn’t have glass. There’s a lot of good in the hatch still but I realize the damage around the hinges is a problem. Any chance you have a donor or an idea of where to look/who to contact?

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

That’s unfortunately what I was expecting to hear. Rear glass is original, know the rear chrome trim is no longer available new, just not sure how hard it would be to transfer assuming the donor doesn’t have glass. There’s a lot of good in the hatch still but I realize the damage around the hinges is a problem. Any chance you have a donor or an idea of where to look/who to contact?

Jonas @jkdur728
Paul @3_puppies
Jason @arcteryx

All three are worth giving a shout out to for quality donors.

Jason

 

[3_puppies]

I've got 2 in OK shape, shipping cross country is the issues with shipping prices as they are currently

@jkdur728 is alot closer, possibly drive and get 1

 

[tarheel40]

Jonas @jkdur728
Paul @3_puppies
Jason @arcteryx

All three are worth giving a shout out to for quality donors.

Jason

Thanks Jason, I really appreciate the info and guidance! Will reach out to these guys, fingers crossed.

 

[arcteryx]

Thanks. I have numerous and do ship. Email if interested.

 

[tarheel40]

I've got 2 in OK shape, shipping cross country is the issues with shipping prices as they are currently

@jkdur728 is alot closer, possibly drive and get 1

Thank you for the the feedback and honesty! Will follow up as needed.

 

[tarheel40]

Thanks. I have numerous and do ship. Email if interested.

PM sent.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

That’s unfortunately what I was expecting to hear. Rear glass is original, know the rear chrome trim is no longer available new, just not sure how hard it would be to transfer assuming the donor doesn’t have glass. There’s a lot of good in the hatch still but I realize the damage around the hinges is a problem. Any chance you have a donor or an idea of where to look/who to contact?

Ouch! Sorry that happened.

You might be able to extract the old chrome trim by cutting the rubber moulding around it
and / or
perhaps using silicone spray with plastic trim removal tools to run along the edges and separate the metal to rubber bond then gently lift the trim out?

I haven't done these my self but just a thought.

I have seen others on mud repaint their 60's and they have the chrome trim back in after paint, so someone knows how to do it.

I personally love the chrome trim.

 

[MWM1]

Save the chrome!
I am going to have to do this one day soon. Was told leave the hatch in the sun for a few hours and then push from the inside out leaving the chrome trim in the rubber when you do it. Do keep us posted on your progress!

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Save the chrome!
I am going to have to do this one day soon. Was told leave the hatch in the sun for a few hours and then push from the inside out leaving the chrome trim in the rubber when you do it. Do keep us posted on your progress!

Great advice!

 

[tarheel40]

Ouch! Sorry that happened.

You might be able to extract the old chrome trim by cutting the rubber moulding around it
and / or
perhaps using silicone spray with plastic trim removal tools to run along the edges and separate the metal to rubber bond then gently lift the trim out?

I haven't done these my self but just a thought.

I have seen others on mud repaint their 60's and they have the chrome trim back in after paint, so someone knows how to do it.

I personally love the chrome trim.

Thanks, me too - one of the dumbest car related mistakes I’ve made. But in the grand scheme of things it could be worse!

My cruiser had the correct windshield gaskets for the chrome trim when I bought it but the previous owner had either de-chromed or more likely just didn’t add it back after repainting. I installed new gutter and windshield trim soon after I purchased it, 3 years ago you could get most of it still new from Toyota except a few rear windshield pieces I had to get used. Install of the windshield trim was a PITA, especially the rear windshield - I swore I’d never do it again but may eat my words .

Looks like I can get an OEM rear windshield gasket new still and just need to get my chrome out as carefully as possible.

 

[tarheel40]

Save the chrome!
I am going to have to do this one day soon. Was told leave the hatch in the sun for a few hours and then push from the inside out leaving the chrome trim in the rubber when you do it. Do keep us posted on your progress!

Thanks for the advice, assume you’re saying removing the windshield from the inside out with the gasket in place and then get the chrome out once the windshield is out? I imagine the gasket can’t be reused?

 

[tarheel40]

As always this forum has been super helpful, have a good lead on a replacement hatch in VA which would is within driving distance and solves the shipping expense of such a heavy part. Still going to let the body shop look at my hatch and get their opinion on saving it.

If the windshield glass has to come out to repair I assume I’ll need a new gasket, you can’t reuse these can you? I imagine the glass will need to come out for them to repair the damage and ideally I assume it would be removed to get the best paint job, if that’s the case a “new” hatch is probably cheaper than the labor to repair what I have.

If they can straighten it out and repaint with the glass in and get things pretty close I’d definitely consider it - doing it right with donor hatch, time/gas to get the hatch, painting it, transferring glass with new gasket and replacing chrome trim will be several grand easy and take a lot of time I don’t have. But it doesn’t all have to happen tomorrow either. Will keep you all posted.

 

[MWM1]

Thanks for the advice, assume you’re saying removing the windshield from the inside out with the gasket in place and then get the chrome out once the windshield is out? I imagine the gasket can’t be reused?

Correct, remove from the inside with the gasket in place pushing outward. Remove trim once glass and gasket are out. Gasket cannot be re-used.

 

[tarheel40]

Correct, remove from the inside with the gasket in place pushing outward. Remove trim once glass and gasket are out. Gasket cannot be re-used.

Thank you! Assuming glass has to come out I’ll make sure the body shop knows these details, I’ll probably remove trim from the gasket and reinstall myself unless they are familiar with this type of design.

 

[Skniper]

Had a very unfortunate end to a great beach week with my family and damaged my upper cargo hatch. Had the cargo area loaded up with chairs, surfboards, etc to take a few miles down the road back to our condo and left the hatch up as a few things where hanging out. Plenty of space above the hatch while loading the cruiser but in a complete moment of mental lapse/distraction by my kids/etc I forgot there was a single low beam under the house and I caught it with my open hatch while backing out.

Was only going a few mph when I hit but it was enough to damage the lower lip of the hatch and bend it around the hinge area. I can still close it but it doesn’t line up properly when closed. No broken glass thankfully and damage isolated to just the hatch.

My question is what is the best course of action here? Can a competent body shop straighten this back out and get me squared away? Is this enough distortion I need to be looking for a replacement rear hatch (the ones I’ve found thru some quick searching look worse than mine)? Should I contact one of the cruiser bodywork gurus on this forum and see if it’s worth shipping the hatch to them for repair?

I’ve got some experience with body shops repairing newer cars but nothing with 40 year old Land Cruisers. Any advice appreciated. Pics below. Thanks!!

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Oh man, at first this looked like a fun ‘learn how to do body work and hammer and dolly that back out project’ …until I saw the crimps up at the hinges. Bummer.
I feel your pain, also while at the beach, my son backed my 62 through a gate with the passenger door open “snap crackle crunch!!”
It still works, barely.

 

[tarheel40]

Oh man, at first this looked like a fun ‘learn how to do body work and hammer and dolly that back out project’ …until I saw the crimps up at the hinges. Bummer.
I feel your pain, also while at the beach, my son backed my 62 through a gate with the passenger door open “snap crackle crunch!!”
It still works, barely.

Yeah the hinge area is definitely the wild card. Still bummed. Even though the outcome would be the same I wish somebody else had done it, then I wouldn’t be the dummy .

 

[tarheel40]

Had the body shop check things out today and it sounds like if this were a new car with parts readily available I’d get a new hatch and move on. Obviously it isn’t a new car with parts readily available so we weighed the pros and cons of several game plans.

What they’re going to do is take the hatch off, try to start straightening it out and basically see if it’s salvageable. Keep the glass in, keep the chrome lock strip in tact, etc and see if there’s hope. Hopefully they’ll know within a few hours of labor if it’s worth continuing. If not I get a donor hatch, new windshield gasket and hopefully reuse my existing chrome lock strip.

More money in labor to salvage my hatch vs more money in parts to get a donor hatch, gasket etc - seems like it’s going to be about a wash. The source I bought used chrome lock strip from in 2023 still has it available, just 2.5x what I paid 3 years ago . It’s used so no idea about condition, what I got originally was also used and pretty decent. Hopefully I can salvage mine if I go down the donor hatch road. Potentially quicker to save my hatch I would think, maybe better end result with a donor hatch assuming I can get everything put back together correctly? Simply not an easy solution..