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BOOT LATCH STUCK #2 - BD-101A

On 1/3/2018, Simon Burns in England wrote:
"Doing a complete ground up, nut and bolt restoration, on my 1959 MGA 1600. While restoring the car my boot latch stuck – the release mechanism was working but the boot lid was stuck as the boot lid striker was positioned too close the latch body on the car and was caught on the latch body. I tried all sorts and read with horror the solution to drill a large hole in the boot floor.

Another idea I came up with – which worked – was to:
  • Remove the rear right wing.
  • Position a torch below the rear scuttle, in the cockpit, above the spare tyre cover to shine into the gap between the rear cockpit panel and the underside of the rear scuttle.
  • Find a long piece of (say) 1/4” bar.
  • Grind a screwdriver type flat on the end of it.
  • Insert the bar into one of the rear splash holes in the inner wing while looking through the other one.
  • Use the bar to release the latch.
  • Reassemble.
This would only work if the splash had not yet been replaced – but it may save someone from drilling a hole in their boot floor"!

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