Chevette rear hatch topic
The Chevette rear hatch can be a source of aggravating noise, but this is pretty simple to repair.
First, if you're getting some bouncing and squeaking noises, check the rear hatch seal. This is a surrounding piece of rubber that simply presses onto a ridge.
Make sure this is intact, and not compressed beyond the thickness of a penny. I have found used ones that are in good or perfect condition are perfectly re-useable. Also, another very important part is the rubber bumpers at the outer edges of the hatch:
Make sure your bumpers are in place, and not the rotted out mess on the right ! Also, if your hatch is a rotted out mess all along the rear, as seen in the far right, you really won't stop the bouncing and squeaking with anything short of a new hatch. Or you could weld it shut.
The hatch hinge pins are easy to remove, just soak them with good lubricant ( Knock'em loose ), and using caution and a long punch, start them through the brackets. Use caution,because the pins are very soft, and will bend "sideways" instead of pushing through if you're not careful. They are easy to straighten out however. When past the bracket, grip the pins with vice grips, and pound them out the rest of the way, beating against the vice grips.
Make sure you have a helper, because when you take the hydraulic cylinder loose to lower the hatch, THIS THING IS HEAVY ! If you have a rear defroster, don't forget to unplug the wire on the driver side !
To adjust the hatch, after installation of a new hatch or seal, remove the cover here, four Phillips screws, and the two (10mm wrench ) bolts are accessible for adjustment. Be careful to keep the hatch aligned with the quarter panel. If you adjust it too low or high, it won't line up.
