Hello Everyone,
Does anyone know the weight of Fiberglass delta wing and does it necessitate the use of low pressure hatch lift support structs if the wing is removed? At the moment the lift supports are strong and hold the hatch up with the wing without any issue. I had another Pantera in past without a wing and when driven on bumpy roads sometimes the hatch would unlatch and raise up by itself. I am thinking about removing the wing from my car but don't want the same scenario again.
Shah
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Most decklid latch trouble centers around trying to keep the lid from shaking sideways and chipping paint off its rear edges. The latch hook is die-cast zinc or aluminum, and its easy to file the notch deeper so it doesn't fly open. I did this in the mid-'80s after losing control of the lid on the road a few times and its still holding today. A slightly stronger latch-spring from your local hardware store helps, too, and it will likely be zinc-plated for rust prevention.
Wings always require stiffer gas springs than stock. Some vendors will not sell gas springs rated over a certain strength for fear of bending the roof mounted hinge brackets from the added pressure needed. Changing the gas spring leverage or substituting Ted Michell's 'Vader' decklid mechanisms is the real fix here, I think.
The mounting and fulcrum point of the decklid shocks is not ideal and stresses the decklid, hence the need to get the shock pressure correct and different shocks for wing and no wing to avoid warping the decklid.
The recommendation used to be 90 lbs force for a non wing and 100 lbs for a winged car. That said tere are different wing manufacturers and they can weigh different amounts depending on how thick they lay up the fiberglass and the original delta wing is an aluminum sandwich skin.
I recommend the IPSCO relocation kit as it does a much better job of relieving the stress and also forces the decklid away from the roof edge upon opening, which was a particular interference problem for me.
Thanks for all the replies and info. I will look into IPSCO lift system.
