Hatch Hinge DIY Replacement
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
Hatch Hinge DIY Replacement
I decided to go with a DIY plan for my hatch recall notice, for personal reasons 
Total cost of new hinges from GMParts #20986700 was $46 shipped. Nothing else needed other than time and patience. The trick I found to obtaining proper alignment on install of new hinges was to have carefully marked the original hinge and hinge retainer plate areas, and with the hatch removed then carefully mark the exact areas of the hinge on the hatch. Install just reversal of the removal process taking care to put everything back exactly where it was from the factory. This resulted in my hatch being perfectly centered and closing properly without any problems. Total time was about 4 hours but I went real slow and did this alone 
Other photos obtained if questions. Just wanted to give back to the forum on something that worked for me. New hatches appeared nearly identical to the original ones but had different numbers stamped on them and a dab of orange paint on one of the surfaces not present on the old hinges.
Original Hinges:
Hatch Removal:
New Hinge:
Comparison Hinges:
Hinge mounting on Hatch:
New Hinge installed:
Total cost of new hinges from GMParts #20986700 was $46 shipped. Nothing else needed other than time and patience. The trick I found to obtaining proper alignment on install of new hinges was to have carefully marked the original hinge and hinge retainer plate areas, and with the hatch removed then carefully mark the exact areas of the hinge on the hatch. Install just reversal of the removal process taking care to put everything back exactly where it was from the factory. This resulted in my hatch being perfectly centered and closing properly without any problems. Total time was about 4 hours but I went real slow and did this alone Other photos obtained if questions. Just wanted to give back to the forum on something that worked for me. New hatches appeared nearly identical to the original ones but had different numbers stamped on them and a dab of orange paint on one of the surfaces not present on the old hinges.Original Hinges:
Hatch Removal:
New Hinge:
Comparison Hinges:
Hinge mounting on Hatch:
New Hinge installed:
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
No, the hatch can be completely removed safely without removal of the halo, all that is needed is remove the struts, the inside roof bow plastic trim, the various hinge and plate nuts and bolts. The hinges remain attached to the hatch which is pulled rearward and the hinges slide out of the compartment they fit into in the roof, then with the hatch completely separated the hinges can then be removed from the hatch. The roof bow sh/be well protected with masking tape and cloth towels as in my photos. This photo shows the hatch suspended completely separated from my car.
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,419
Likes: 2
From: "Cedar Valley" (Northeastern) Iowa
Did you consider that maybe the parts you got from GM Parts House are in fact the "defective" part?
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,299
Likes: 1,154
From: Klein TX
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Nice job doing that by yourself. How did you support the hatch?
Last edited by wjnjr; Oct 28, 2011 at 12:41 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
Low ceiling workspace, multiple bungee cords around the perimeter of the hatch, heavy padded wire from rear latch assembly for firm weight bearing, two adjustable heavy duty straps at front of hatch for weight bearing, raise rear of hatch up quite high with struts off, fix that height, this allows access to hinge nuts, mark hinge outlines, then lower hatch to near horizontal and fix that height, remove plastic trim to access hinge plates inside, mark hinge outlines, remove plate bolts then remove hinge plate assemblies, slightly raise all suspension cords roll car forward about 4 inches, tease hinges (pull) out from roof recesses until clear of car, then raise all cords to allow full access to hinge mounts on hatch. Reverse all that for install. Basically just a system of suspending hatch and adjusting open angle and overall height as needed
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,485
Likes: 3
From: Central NJ
...or did safety specs change in 2011? either way it's strange that only those two model years are effected...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 53
From: Largo Florida
That is a good question, I wonder if the specs changed.
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,946
Likes: 26
From: Western Canada
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 1,417
Likes: 161
From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA Iowa
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,299
Likes: 1,154
From: Klein TX
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Low ceiling workspace, multiple bungee cords around the perimeter of the hatch, heavy padded wire from rear latch assembly for firm weight bearing, two adjustable heavy duty straps at front of hatch for weight bearing, raise rear of hatch up quite high with struts off, fix that height, this allows access to hinge nuts, mark hinge outlines, then lower hatch to near horizontal and fix that height, remove plastic trim to access hinge plates inside, mark hinge outlines, remove plate bolts then remove hinge plate assemblies, slightly raise all suspension cords roll car forward about 4 inches, tease hinges (pull) out from roof recesses until clear of car, then raise all cords to allow full access to hinge mounts on hatch. Reverse all that for install. Basically just a system of suspending hatch and adjusting open angle and overall height as needed
Last edited by wjnjr; Oct 30, 2011 at 12:13 AM.