new CF trunk. wont latch shut.

[lucky7]

ive never had anything CF before. but today i picked up a trunklid from a guy. brand new, never been on the car, etc. i got it on today, after taking a dremel to the locking mechanism to get it to fit. everything appears to line up correctly, but it just wont latch. do i have to do something with the spring mechanism?? i mean, they're really strong now. and it takes ALOT more force to shut the trunk now. i think maybe that might have something to do with it. im not really sure though. anyone have this issue before???

btw, its a Seibon trunklid. just wont stay latched.

[S14DB]

You lid is still not aligned. Throw a midget in the trunk to align it properly.

[lucky7]

i dont know how i would go about aligning it. theres nothign to adjust....is there?

[garagelu]

Yea the best way I have found to align a trunk lid is to get inside your trunk with a flashlight and just adjust those two bolts till it latches. You should worry about getting locked in because you can unlatch it from the inside. But make sure you know how to unlatch from inside before you do it.

[Bubba]

OR, fold down your back seats before you get in so you can crawl out as soon as you get it lined up properly.

[wrapmeup2005]

Easier said then done, I could barely fit through the little hole and on top of the trying to work with a flashlight. I had the same problem with my VIS trunk lid and I was almost certain it was aligned but it still wouldn't shut properly.

[S14DB]

Someone has to crawl in the trunk with a ratchet. close them in it. Then they undo the 4 latch bolts. 2 on the top, 2 on the bottom. Level and align them then ratchet them down.

[mrmephistopheles]

Your trunk is much harder to close now that you don't have the weight from the OEM trunk there to help you. The springs that hold the trunk up are overkill at this point. If I remember right, you may be able to disconnect one of them.

[dirtdiggler666]

not sure if its the same as a hood but do what they are saying and if that still wont work try ajusting the bottom latch.

[garagelu]

Your trunk is much harder to close now that you don't have the weight from the OEM trunk there to help you. The springs that hold the trunk up are overkill at this point. If I remember right, you may be able to disconnect one of them.

Actually the two torsion springs for the trunk work with each other so if you take out one, you have no tension. So you might as well take out both. Otherwise you might get smacked in the face when opening your trunk.

[lucky7]

thanks guys, ill fold the rear seats down tomorrow and fuck with it. kinda pisses me off.

but for real, the 'springs' are WAY too powerfull now. its like a catapult. i could launch shit like 100 yards off that bitch. effing crazy shit.

[projectRDM]

Actually the two torsion springs for the trunk work with each other so if you take out one, you have no tension. So you might as well take out both. Otherwise you might get smacked in the face when opening your trunk.

Incorrect. Though they work together, you can remove just one spring and it's perfectly balanced to work with a CF lid. I've done three cars like this locally with no issue.

[lucky7]

you've done this on an S14 before?

[projectRDM]

As I said above, yes. Three of them. The latch was off on them as well, a little alignment was needed on two, the other I had to trim some of the latch out to make it set right.

Your key and all other hardware is also useless and the key catch can be removed as well.

[sbanzer123]

post up some pics!

[lucky7]

i still havnt gotten a chance to mess with it. maybe tomorrow, or tuesday.

[240sx_sr20det]

I did a CF Trunk on my friend '04 WRX and that thing would not stay closed (same problem) we just took out one of the springs and WAHLAH! Work's perfectly now. I'm going to agree with whoever already said it, and say it is the springs. Good luck! Post pics of it when you're done!

[lucky7]

cool, ill try that before unbolting everything again. it seems to be aligned correctly. it even clicks when i push it down all the way. but the springs are way way too powerfull i think. again, thanks for responses. ill post pics in the picture thread when i get off my ass and complete it. lol.

[lucky7]

got it latched. i had to cut more away from around the latching mechanism on the hood. latched like it should. before i cut more away, i took off one of the springs. now it lays unevenly. the side with more pressure sticks up a quarter of an inch. and the other side sits a TAD too low. meh.. this shit is getting annoying. i had to order a 3rd brake light lens, cause i snapped my old one in half, lol. after i get it all assembled again, i'll probably take it to a shop and have them align it better. im getting too frustrated with this thing. i defenately like the wingless look though. thanks again for all your input.

[INeedNewTires]

i just did a CF trunk on my S14. i had 2 issues. one was the springs, took both out, and that was fine, put one back in and it works perfect-- but has a little pressure and its popped up a bit. 2nd was not the latch on the trunk itself but the part on the car. its held in by 2 10mm's and a plastic plug. pop out the plug and loosen the bolts till it can slide up and down free'ly but still has some resistance. pull it up closer to the top, close the trunk softly, once it clicks open the trunk and tighten the bolts and it should be lines up fine. may take a few try's but its really easy in comparison to moving the latch itself.


*edited* wow just read your last post... let me know if you find a solution to the trunk 'popping up'

[lucky7]

its not really popping up. but just having 1 of the springs in, its putting more pressure on the drivers side, than it is the passenger side. so the gaps are not even. i was thinking about taking out the other spring, so there are no springs at all swinging it open. im sure i could deal with that. then i thought about putting the other one back in, to even out the pressure so hopefully it would lay flat. but im afraid of fucking myself up putting that spring back in. haha.

[projectRDM]

You don't want both springs in. Opening it with the lever will send it flying up like a rocket, putting a LOT of stress on the hinges. Not to mention *if* someone was to ever be behind the trunk when you opened it, you'd knock the shit out of them.

[lucky7]

if i cant get it adjusted correctly, ill probably end up taking the 2nd spring out. modifying it. putting a bar across the swing arms so they go up and down evenly. just so it lays flat when closed.

[INeedNewTires]

i tried it with 2, 1 and none......... 2 flew up super strong almost knocks you out, dont recommend

1 works ok but obvious problem mentioned earlier, one side is popped up higher.

none is more flat but the trunk needs to be lifted to open and its a bitch to put something in there because it wont stay up. maby if someone could rig up a decent prop rod, or maby a simple hydraulic strut like on some nicer car's hoods.