Frontcountry
New member
Anyone need to replace their Flippac's hardware?
I replaced my Flippac's original hinges and its second OEM torsion bar with the versions from Swayaway. I did it because there was a small amount of cracking around the drivers side lid hinge area. Based on other posts, I was expecting the hinges and bolts to be horribly rusted, so I decided to replace them before they totally ripped out. And since I was replacing the hinges, I also thought that I should replace the torsion bar.
It turned out that none of the bolts were frozen or significantly rusted. I guess it helps to live in dry areas (Utah and New Mexico). The hinges have small areas of mild surface corrosion, but are in good shape overall with no cracks and intact bolt threads. The torsion bar is in great shape. I had coated it with lithium grease before installing it about 12 years ago, and after removing it and wiping off the grease, it looks brand new. Since it has gone through 12 years of use without an issue, I suspect it is one of Flippac's better made torsion bars, and has plenty more life in it.
So now I have some original Flippac parts, that I hope I will never need:
Original set of 4 hinges: $100
Torsion Bar: $200
FYI - the swap out of all these parts went better than expected, but still required some just-in-time learning on my part. I can give some advice if anyone needs it.
I replaced my Flippac's original hinges and its second OEM torsion bar with the versions from Swayaway. I did it because there was a small amount of cracking around the drivers side lid hinge area. Based on other posts, I was expecting the hinges and bolts to be horribly rusted, so I decided to replace them before they totally ripped out. And since I was replacing the hinges, I also thought that I should replace the torsion bar.
It turned out that none of the bolts were frozen or significantly rusted. I guess it helps to live in dry areas (Utah and New Mexico). The hinges have small areas of mild surface corrosion, but are in good shape overall with no cracks and intact bolt threads. The torsion bar is in great shape. I had coated it with lithium grease before installing it about 12 years ago, and after removing it and wiping off the grease, it looks brand new. Since it has gone through 12 years of use without an issue, I suspect it is one of Flippac's better made torsion bars, and has plenty more life in it.
So now I have some original Flippac parts, that I hope I will never need:
Original set of 4 hinges: $100
Torsion Bar: $200
FYI - the swap out of all these parts went better than expected, but still required some just-in-time learning on my part. I can give some advice if anyone needs it.