hatch problems

[mountainman1]

I am new to this posting "threads" so please bare with me, I have a 1970 GMC Jimmy K5 that i finally talked away from the previous owner after waiting 25 years for it. We started a year ago doing a frame off & finally have it coming down to the last 1/3. when i bought this Jimmy i had to replace the hardtop which i came across a perfect single wall for $100.00 but the rear hatch was screwed (royally), so I bought a new hatch & handle that came from BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS, after receiving it we found that the holes on the side of hatch for the striker latches were not cut out properly & the metal brackets that were riveted "around" the holes were not positioned properly before they were riveted at the factory so after 8 hours the holes are now correctly set up. the hatch was painted inside & out, then we installed the glass & new weatherstripping. we went to install the new hatch handle from BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS & found the beginning of many problems. 1st of all we found that the bracket that goes inside the hatch to retain the hatch handle would not fit into the new hatch, then we found that the hatch handle spring assm (original as new one is not available) would not fit without pushing square shaft of hatch handle off angle as it rubs against the fiberglass (the pocket where the spring assm & shaft fit into the inside of the hatch is not as deep as original door). in addition to these problems we also noticed that the new gaskets/seals provided by BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS for the hatch hinges will not fit, the new ones are fat short rectangular but the originals are long & narrow with screw holes on each end & are retained with a metal plate over the gaskets. we have contacted BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS & have received very little assistance & we do not know what to do. has anybody ran into this problem before? any suggestions?

[Bentblazer]

Sorry for the bad luck, had you discovered this site earlier you would have seen several post as to the junk hatch that brothers sell. Hope you didn't throw your original away, they can be rebuilt. Mine was junk, took two to make one good one. Maybe someone will have some advise on what to do, good luck!

[Tom Vogel]

I am really sorry you bought that hatch, they are unusable. I bought one years ago and just ended up getting rid of it and fixing my original. Even if you got it to work, it wont fit well in your top opening. Ditch it.

Heres my old one ready for paint... it was pretty rough.

[69-72]

Sounds familiar. Here is my fix.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=348772

Any reputable reseller should not be selling these as far as I am concerned. I bought mine back in 2008, not from Brothers but another place. 5 years later and they are still being sold it seems.

[mountainman1]

i think that it is time for legal assistance. if a supplier has been advised repeatedly of a faulty product & still sells it, then they should pay a price for it. has anybody checked out the options? anybody contact the Better Business Bureau in the area where BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS is located? i am far from being done with this

[69-72]

Originally Posted by mountainman1

i think that it is time for legal assistance. if a supplier has been advised repeatedly of a faulty product & still sells it, then they should pay a price for it. has anybody checked out the options? anybody contact the Better Business Bureau in the area where BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS is located? i am far from being done with this

You can only blame Brothers so much. Assumably they are reselling the product and don't make it. I was told that the hatch is made by bowtiebits. I don't know if that is accurate or not. I wouldn't even bother with the BBB, they are just another company trying to make a buck.
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[Tom Vogel]

Originally Posted by mountainman1

i think that it is time for legal assistance. if a supplier has been advised repeatedly of a faulty product & still sells it, then they should pay a price for it. has anybody checked out the options? anybody contact the Better Business Bureau in the area where BROTHERS TRUCK PARTS is located? i am far from being done with this

I wouldnt waste further money on legal fees. Too expensive just for retribution. I agree that they shouldnt be selling these though.. pure junk plane and simple.

[robs71k5]

There is another option ! I have thre of these hatches and have been reworking them and taking in trades in exchange for hatches in need of repair ..It is time consuming as you can imagine . The extent of the repairs is done with by the book as close as possible without separating the two halves .My hatches come with new upper hinge hardware to which a hole is placed in the housing to remove and install new like hardware. Now I do have some parts that I've been making also that would make a good section repair if your hatch is that bad.It enables you to cut the back off and glass in a whole new section .Trouble is there are some shuttle differences between hatches and I haven't nailed it Down to as the how they diff from year to year or single ,double wall but having said that the repair parts do make a good alternative to trying to rebuil something that's totally gone .I have a very limited supply of them but could fire up the press if there is an interest.any way might or might not be a solution. Other than that I might be swaddled into doing repair work in exchange for damaged one with cash difference shipping without glass can reduce the expenses
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[mountainman1]

i having been very busy since your reply but I am very interested in getting you to fix a door for me. could you pls pass along your phone number or email so i can make arrangements? thanks

[king drake]

I need some inter handle parts for my hatch.

[mountainman1]

what parts are you looking for exactly?

[king drake]

Well, i really don"t know,i went out to turn the handle on the hatch,and it just spinds around in circle.And i been trying to find some replacement glass,for the hatch and the side glass in a green tint,with no luck.im in charlotte nc.

[robs71k5]

If you find the hardware the the handle / lock assembly goes through hang on to it. I sold the last one I had by mistake and have been scrambling to find even a temporary solution to the repair .I believe I can overcome this situation if I had one to copy but till then will be limited to non functioning lock.

[king drake]

Ok, thanks! for that imfo.

[robs71k5]

King drake I can fix you up with side glass but shipping would have to be tricky there got to be a glass shop that can cut it for you. I'm now working on the missing pieces you are referencing in the handle . That raw material is not cheap to buy if you can find it. Thirty bucks for one piece and I still have to get it machined .Probably $100 or more when done just to fix the latch assy