Ok, just wondering, how possible/easy/hard/stupid is this...? For the summer, only on certain occasions, such as a nice hot, summer drive, or maybe a movie drive-in, or something...completely removing the rear hatch glass...? How hard are these beasts to put back on...? As someone told me, they are rather large/heavy, and may be a pain to align correctly...I doubt there's any laws concerning this as a safety issue, but I just wonder if it could work..? Thanks all!

 

Possible: yes

Easy: depends on whether or not you have help

Hard: See above. Nissan Pulsars have removable hatches. I'm sure the quick-release hardware (on the hinges and support struts) could very easily be adapted to work on an F-Body. It was pretty cool in the summer-time cruising with the t-tops and hatch off.

Stupid: The only really "stupid" aspect I can think of is that the car would look kinda funny with the decklid and center section (or whole thing) of the spoiler missing. 'course you could probably take care of that by buying a junk hatch (maybe one with broken glass) and grabbing the decklid off of it to use when you remove the hatch.

>How hard are these beasts to put back on...?

Well, just replacing the struts wasn't too fun, so holding it all up while trying to get the bolts back in and line everything up every time would be a pretty big PITA.

 

I know in SUVs you begin to suck in exhaust fumes, but with windows down and t-tops off it would be like a convertible....ummm yeah, i was thinkn, get a hatch from a junkyard and just swap that on and off. don't know how hard that would be, only owned a hatchback 3rd gen for a few months and never fooled with the hatch, now i have a convertible IROC....ummmmmmmmmm, needs paint and a modern interior.

 

I used to take the hatch off my multi-colored 86 camaro all the time. After you do it a time or two it only takes about 20mins to get it off. Yes, i did go to the junkyard and grab the back hatch metal piece with the spoiler also. Hehe, i put bungee cords to secure the front down and the latch held the rest. i wish i had some pics of it like that.

 

lol, you guys make this sound like a possible idea......

 

LOL

I had to cruise like this for a few days while I was painting my decklid.

#1 It doesnt look that cool..just roll down your windows for that airy effect :-)

#2 People give you wierd looks

#3 The hatch is heavy and fairly difficult to align.

MY opinion- It's a dumb idea, but...

It's up to you - Careful not to scratch the paint. I covered the body with beach towels when putting it on and taking it off. You will need a buddy.

 

I've often thought about that idea. My idea was to make a complete fiberglass replica of the whole hatch (using the original to make a mold), then cut out basically where the glass is located. Then paint it to perfectly match the car. If nicely done, it would probably look good enough that some people wouldn't even notice and it would be cool as hell for summer cruisin'.

 

*sigh*....summer cruisin'......can't WAIT......

 

Not saying I like this idea, but you might.