trunk hatch replacement

[eternaldrift]

Hullo....

new here and figured this would be the best place to ask.....

i got rear ended and my rear hatch and bumper are smashed......i didnt want to total my 97 and want to replace the entire rear hatch door and bumper with a junk yard replacement....

does anyone have experience with a swap....ie...pulling and replacing the hatch.....im pretty sure they are mounted with rivets at the hinge....any advice on replacing or should i have a body shop do the swap?

any feedback would be helpfu....

thanx.....kev

 

[topdown4runner]

Depending on where you live, ie: salted roads + major rust = pain in the ars to work on.

Besides that, changing out the rear gate is just a matter of unbolting some bolts. Be sure to have a helper! That thing is heavy!

Bumper comes off with the removal of some bolts.

This project can be done in less than a day as long as no "hidden" issues come up.

Good luck, and welcome to the site

 

[eternaldrift]

thanx

Thanx for the advice....

aloha....kev

 

[BADGATE]

i recently replaced mine. It is a simple task. You will need a second person. I had my wife (5'4") and a six foot ladder.

Open the hatch, remove the rear dome light, pop off the plastic surround around the dome light. Now you can access hinge bolts and disconnect the electrical wiring, it already has a plug thats easy to disconnect. I placed the ladder under the furthest part of the door to help catch as I unbolted the shock/strut supports. Then unbolt the hinges. Its not that heavy for two people to remove. To install the new is just the reverse order, and I had zero issue with anything aligning.

Know that your key fob will no longer work for the entire vehicle until you swap out your original relay switch from inside the hatch...it is an orange box i think about 5" x 7". To get inside there is one bolt at the vinyl strap then the interior plastic just pops off. I believe there are a handful of 10mm bolts to remove the steel cover to switch these out. Doing this will restore the key fob functions.

You will also need to switch out the old lock core in order for your key to work.

 

[YOTAGUY93]

So... i didn't want to create a whole new thread so i'm reviving this one.
When i purchased my runner the rear hatch was already dented and it didn't bother me because i figured i could just go to the yard and replace it. Fast forward to now.. I found one that matches the color and year of my vehicle at a local yard i'm thinking of going to pick it up tomorrow but need a bit of advice. First off will it matter that the trim does not match mine(junkyard=sr5 my vehicle=limited)? Second question whats the best way to take it off on your own? Or better yet is it possible to take off on my own without it coming crashing down on me and causing a concussion?

Sorry one last question will it fit inside the runner to transport it back home? i'm currently not home and do not know the measurements!

 

[YOTAGUY93]

I went to the yard today and was unable to take it off on my own due to weight. Another guy who was passing by was nice enough to help.Incase anyone is wondering what I was; the hatch does fit inside the cargo area laying flat with the seats folded down.

 

[mikellini]

I replaced my rusted out hatch with a slightly used one, and it's not lining up well/closing well. I've tried to fiddle with the positioning of the bolts when tightening them down on both sides of the brackets, but it's still out.

Is there anything else I can do?

 

[brillo_76]

I replaced my rusted out hatch with a slightly used one, and it's not lining up well/closing well. I've tried to fiddle with the positioning of the bolts when tightening them down on both sides of the brackets, but it's still out.

Is there anything else I can do?

The only adjustments i know of are your top hinge bolts and your latch bolts.

The only other thing you can do is check into the striker bracket at the bottom and see if you can adjust that any way you can.