93beccalx

Here’s a write up on one way to shave the rear wiper on an EK:

You will need:
Welder and someone who knows how to weld
14mm, 12mm, 10mm wrench/socket
Air grinder, sander, scuffer, 60-100grit sandpaper, 120-200grit, 400grit, Bondo (maybe), primer


1. First, you must remove the wiper assembly
a. Remove the plastic cover that’s hiding the wiper bolt then remove the bolt
b. Pry/pull off the wiper and remove the rubber grommet too
c. Now remove the plastic panel hiding the wiper motor from the inside of the hatch
d. Remove the three bolts and disconnect the electrical connection to remove the motor


2. Now that the motor is gone, I found it easier to just remove the entire hatch
a. Start by removing the plastic covers off of the shocks then unbolt them
b. Remove the right speaker grill by removing the three screws
c. Next remove the two gold screws and one silver bolt
d. You should now be able to pull back on the panel just enough to see the wires
e. Unclip the wires and pull them up through the top of the body

f. Finally, remove all four bolts holding the hatch on (it takes two people)



3. With the hatch removed you can see how much easier it is to work
a. Before you start to weld you need to remove the paint from the hole where the wiper was

b. Next, you must prepare another paint free surface for the ground connection

c. Make sure that the sheet metal is touching the hatch and make four tack welds

d. You may choose to turn the hatch over and repeat the welds on the other side

e. Be careful not to melt the rubber seal
f. After welding grind down the excess, sand it flush, and use Bondo fill in any spots

g. Resand and make sure you primer the area once you are done to avoid rust
h. Realign the hatch before you tighten the four bolts down and reinstall everything


I also choose to weld the hole where the water hose used to be below the top of the hatch. The process is the same.

bmoua

props on the DIY but i'd honestly keep the rear wiper.

93beccalx

some like it, some hate it. i hated mine, plus it is one more piece in my "jdm" conversion... hahaha. i hate those stupid letters now! J-D-M that's all you hear now.

but thanks for the props

EKstacy

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props for doing a diy but i hope youre not finished with that

sayone

not really a good diy you need to show step by step process and all the materials you used

The Lobster

good job...but ill stick with my rubber plug

SuperSonikBluEK

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by The Lobster &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">good job...but ill stick with my rubber plug</TD></TR></TABLE> yup

The Collin

Just get a CX

-JAWSHUA-

i did the same to my old hatch. now i got a cx.

93beccalx

the cx doesn't have a rear wiper? what other differences are there between the dx?

93beccalx

haha heck no that would be inviting rust. i didn't get around to primering it yet that day.

93beccalx

what more should i post?

DDEVIANT1

ALSO make sure to tape up or properly cover the rear glass, or you will get welding pits in it . Looks good though.

93beccalx

the hardest part is getting a flat contour with the Bondo.

sayone

you should post the sheet metal, what you cut it with, what you used to grind down the weld iono other stuff to complete this DIY.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93beccalx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the cx doesn't have a rear wiper? what other differences are there between the dx?</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes the cx didnt have the rear wiper and the other diffrence between the cx and dx is the wing. the cx is all plastic while the dx is metal.

pdiggitydogg

Very unwise to do this without disconnecting the battery... Perhaps you should edit your post to indicate it needs to be done, if welding on the car.
A welder like that can fry an ecu...

Nice job though, as long as you can weld

93beccalx

We removed the entire hatch from the car but I didn't know that could have happened if we didn't.

DDEVIANT1

It's is unlikely but it can happen.....just a note on that front, most muffler shops and bodyshops don't disconnect the batteries when they are welding.... if you ever need that type of work done make sure to mention that to them.