AVIP....a nice how to would be wonderful.
That's what I said above. The procedure below will work on the hatch glass hinge, latch striker or strut mounts. You need not remove the glass unless the hinge is detaching. In my case, the hinge had detached for about 4 inches and the latch striker had detached completely.
I have enough adhesive left for 1-2 jobs. If anyone nearby has a detaching hinge, c'mon over and I'll help you fix it as long as you have a 6-pack handy.
I also have 5 photos that I am unable to post because I don't have gallery privileges anymore. Apparently, an "enthusiast" has to pay to contribute on this forum.
If anyone wants to post them, I'll be happy to email it to them.
To remove the hatch glass,
1. Disconnect the defroster connections at the top of the glass on each side. The connection seem soft and easily breakable, so be careful here.
2. Disconnect the trunk light under the latch to prevent the battery from draining.
3. Loosen the 4 bolts holding the hatch glass to the mount.
4. Shove your son into the trunk with a ratchet and ask him to loosen the nuts while you and your wife hold the hatch stable.
5. Then disconnect the struts from the hatch and take the hatch off the Viper. It's clumsy to carry, so be careful here.
To clean the old urethane adhesive,
1. Using a wooden wedge, prop up the hinge where it has separated from the glass.
2. Take a long flat blade off a cheap utility knife and scrape off all the glue from the glass. The ideal blade will be much longer than the width of the hinge. Note that below the adhesive is a primer. This is the black surround that you see on the hatch. The primer does not come off by scraping which is good. This is a frustrating job because the working area is obstructed by the hinge. Do not try to take shortcuts by using power tools. It is a PITA. I recommend you play your favorite music to keep the cursing to a minimum.
3. Using the same long flat blade, scrape enough of the urethane off the hinge too to create a rough surface. This part does not need to be perfect as that is how a professional glass shop will do it too. Be careful not to bend the hinge. If it gets a crease in the metal, it will never straighten out.
4. Clean the glass and hinge with rubbing alcohol.
To apply the new adhesive, (3M Windo-Weld Part# 08609 available at Advance Auto Parts),
1. Carefully mask the glass around the hinge.
2. The adhesive applies with a standard caulk gun. Puncture the front, screw in the spout, pull the tab on the rear and mount it into the gun.
3. Cut a small bead in the spout. The adhesive is really messy and it's better to go with a smaller bead than with a big mess. BTW, the adhesive cleans up with mineral spirits. Apply the bead all over the glass under the hinge. Press the hinge down to contact the adhesive and release. Apply more as necessary until you have filled all the voids without creating any pushout onto the masking tape.
4. Press down on the hinge and use a clamp for every couple of inches of glue. I used plastic clamps so I didn't need to protect the glass. If you use metal clamps, provide adequate protection as the glass curves at the hinge ends.
5. Remove the masking tape immediately and cleanup with mineral spirits if necessary.
6. Let the adhesive cure for 24-48 hours (temp and humidity based).
7. Cut off any excess around the hinge with a utility knife.
To install the hatch glass, just reverse the removal procedure.
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-Avi
1997 Viper GTS
