Not sure if this is the proper place but here goes: My trunk lid has those little bumper pads in each corner but they don't appear to touch when the trunk is closed. I can feel and see that there is still a gap when the trunk is down. Maybe as a result of that, at 70MPH my rear spoiler looks like it is shaking quite a bit. Normal or needs attention? Also, my trunk mounted striker plate is torn loose on one side but still holds down solid. Can I just have it welded back and everything be fine in that area? The old body shop that repainted it 25 years ago messed that up some how, among other things. I can take a pic if it helps.
Bumpers should make contact...likely spoiler flutter cause. Is decklid flush w/surrounding sheetmetal when closed? May need to be adjusted "down"...which would help w/bumper contact. As for striker...you mean actual striker, or what it's mounted to? If mount, weld/repaint. Getting back to bumpers...may have been "adjusted" with a hammer :eek2: ..."adjustments" usually made either where bumper mounted or contact point on decklid...sometimes necessary to re"adjust"...
It all looks fine to me, trunk appears flush and the rear line across the top of the bumper appears level. There is maybe an 1/4" gap but it is there. I'll have to check some other Buicks once the spring cruises start back up. How thick are those bumpers? Mine are about 1/4" thick. I was considering some screw in ones like I see on my wife's Honda to adjust her hood gap in the front. As for the striker plate, I really mean the sheet metal thing that is spot welded at the bottom that the real striker bolts into. The bodyshop screwed it up and actually drilled holes in it and ran a sheet metal screw into it. It wasn't a problem before. Now one of the top legs that runs under the weatherstrip lip is broken and it is a clean break. Might have to replace a fairly good trunk seal but they are cheap and I might be able to just section it with some spare I have around.
Some here have had problems w/aftermarket trunk w/stripping, so try not to replace...don't section...starting at joint, using sharp blade width of channel, get under rubber to carefully break glue seal, pulling w/strip out of channel past weld point. Weld. Reglue. No screw-ins...leaks. Sometimes tapping underside sheet metal where bumpers mount will raise enough to make contact...assuming decklid at right height...
There are several different thicknesses of those pads. They should touch. If trunk is lined up nicely with quarters then you simply need thicker pads. If you have new weatherstripping that could be holding it up some as well until the stuff settles a bit. If the trunklid is high on side and low on the other you can use thicker bumper to move one side up a bit. The trunk latch sets the height at the back, you can shim the hinges (at forward bolt) to drop the forward edges a bit as well (yeah sounds odd but it changes the angle on the hinge and drops it overall). The 1/4" thick bumpers are p/n 4595786, I know you can get 3/8" and also 1/2" as well, might want to try your local auto hardware place in the help section. Could be your trunklid is tweaked as well after 40+ years on the road. Oh yeah if that striker plate is loose fix that asap. Most likely your problem.
Yes, I need to get the latch mount welded. The weatherstrip is over 20 years old but still pretty stiff. I've tried to tweak the trunk a bit but not much luck there. I'll try some of the things here as well as the taller mounts.
OK, upon further examination, they are hard, brittle and one broke off as I was trying to measure it. It is mushed a bit, 3/16" on one side so I suspect new ones that aren't as old will probably solve most, if not all of my issues here.
