I know that it's been a long time since I "wrote in".  I feel guilty about losing my enthusiasm and not getting back to my projects.  But, medical appointments and even taking the neighbors to the hospital have gotten in the way, so I'm laying low most of the time.

  So, today I was trolling eBay looking for Corvette stuff when I came across a listing for a 1982 Special Edition Corvette.  I know this is a C4 site, but this car possesses a couple of 1984 C4 components, and that's when a question popped up for me.  Does anyone here know? kind of thing...

  All of us know that loud BANG! we get when we pop the rear hatch.  Those of us who have C5s know that they have 2 electric activated latches, and they are much quieter.  We need to take care of them best we can.  I remember when the pewter colored C5 I had years ago puked one of the releases and felt lucky when I found a used one on eBay.

  But back to the 1982 Special Edition Corvette.  Only the last C3 year, 1982, on only the Special Edition cars, had an opening rear hatch like all later Corvettes.  A taste of things to come.  My question is:  does that hatch BANG! like the C4's?

You are correct about the 82 CE:

The 1982 "Collector Edition" was the only C3 Corvette to offer a hatchback rear window

As for the "bang" I can't personally say as I've never had one. I don't think I've ever been in one.  I'll post the question over on C3VR and see if anyone knows and let you know what I hear.

I was a proud owner of the C3 swang song. It was a terrific car even with the GM crazy Cross fire injection. Mine released the hatch but you had to go back and raise it then it would go up slowly. Closing it wasn’t as forceful as the C4’s. The interior was all leather and those wheels were a work of art. Like a lot of C3’s most of the 82’s were abused and finding one that was loved is rare especially the CE. 

Adam mentioned that he hadn't even sat in one.  Like Adam, the first Corvette I drove was the C4 I bought.  Never was in a C3 until about 2 years ago when a friend who ran a shop offered me a ride in one.  I was astonished to see how tight the cockpit was.  I have always been enamored with the stylish fender swoops and the views of what you can see of the car as an occupant, but the area "available" for humans was interesting.  I never thought of that car as "coke bottle shaped" until I sat in one.  I guess an overhead view would best accent the feeling you get inside.

  But...  back to the question:  does it BANG! like a C4?

Here's the reply I posted to Adam's post on C3VR, as I'm a member there, but thought I'd reply here as well.

I would guess the amount of noise being made when releasing the hatch on the '82 CE, and on any C4, would depend if the hatch is aligned properly and also on how new the struts are.  When we first bought "The Beast" there would be a soft pop when the hatch was released and then the hatch would have to be lifted because the struts were weak.  After replacing the struts the pop was a tad louder and the hatch would go up on its own.  I know Pete had an alignment issue with the hatch on his car mostly because the hinges were shot.  He found a set of replacement hinges and that took care of the alignment issue.  I don't know if he has replaced the struts but I'll ask him what noise the hatch makes when released and whether or not it lifts on its own.

I chatted with Pete yesterday.  He said there is a noticeable "pop" when the hatch releases but that it isn't overly loud on his car.  He also said that the hatch raises on its own so there must still be some life in the support struts.

  Now you've got me thinking about another detail.  Since my Corvettes have always been used, I wasn't aware that the hatch is supposed to lift on its own once the button is pushed.  I have replaced the struts on a couple I've had over the years, but even then, the hatch doesn't lift by itself.  Are the hinges too tight?

  Then, I know that some GM stuff had closer mechanisms so you don't have to slam the trunks.  Did Corvette ever use those back in the C4 days?

I don't recall if the hinges on "The Beast" were adjustable, or the type of metal they were made of.  Pete said the original hinges on his '82 CE were a cast metal and had cracked.  The replacement hinges were machined and much stronger. 

Struts have different lifting capacities so it is possible that the replacements you used weren't strong enough.  It has been my experience that if struts stay compressed for long periods of time they will lose their oomph to expand and lift.  So POP that hatch occasionally so the struts get some "exercise"!

It is possible that the hinges need a bit of lubrication to move more freely.  If they are misaligned they could be binding and not moving freely.

"The Beast" was a '90 and did not have a closing mechanism on the hatch.  I don't know if a closer was used on later model years.  Pete's C5 convertible and coupe do not have closing mechanisms so that would lead me to believe they were not used on the C4s.

My ‘82 CE and the C4’s and C5’s do not have self closing rear hatch. On the contrary they have to be closed by hand and slammed when new rubber is attached. Sometimes I cringe when I close my C4’s and hope no damage comes to the glass!

It helps to leave a door open or a side window cracked a bit when closing the hatch so you're not fighting the inside air pressure.  😉