Flip Pac Lid Alignment

[NotAMog]

All,

I've had my AT Flip Pac for about 3 years now and for the most part I'm very happy with it. Recently, I noticed that the lid is shifting to the left in the back making it difficult to latch it down. I thought there was some earlier posts on this problem but I haven't been able to locate them. Is there anything I can do to remedy this problem short of taking the rig to FRP? I'm close enough to consider taking to them but I'd prefer to fix it myself if possible.

 

[billy bee]

Mine, too. The lids has shifted about 1/4" to the left, as viewed from the rear. I first noticed the problem after leveling the truck while camping by driving one wheel onto to a rock. That led me to believe that the FP shell flexed some and could end up trained to be racked off to the right, making it appear that the lid had moved to the left. If it can be trainedp like that, I also think it can be re-trained. I have not experimented much beyond that; but that's my theory.

There is also a sequence some recommend for latching the lid. Forget what that is. Maybe that will help.

Bill

 

[Captm]

1. Open the Flippac
2. On the inside locate the hinge bolts on the driver and passenger sides of the shell and lid. Check that they are all tight. Mark
the center of the hinge bolts for reference.
3. Loosen the Lid hinge bolts driver and passenger sides. Ever so slightly move the drivers side forward snug up one bolt, ever so
slightly move the passengers side aft, snug up one bolt. Verify by your reference marks that you moved both sides equally in
opposite directions.
4. Tighten all bolts lid and shell
5. Close lid and A) marvel at your handy work or B) cuss and start over

Cheers

 

[Martyn]

Let us know if the lid alignment goes well. If you need more help contact AT directly.

The shift of the lid is due to the torsion bar being anchored in the front right hinge mechanism and the torque being transmitted to the rear left.

Typically it's just a small shift, and doing up the right rear latch first usually sorts it out.

Tacomas have very flexible rear chassis so this shift tends to show up on this model more than others.

 

[NotAMog]

I popped the lid open and reclosed pulling the the right side down first. That moved it back over to the right a little. It will probably be a few weeks before I get back to it. I'll post what I find out.

 

[austintaco]

If you don't feel comfortable with the above procedure, you can put it in a slight off camber lean to the side that is hard to latch. That will do the trick in a pinch.

 

[The 314559]

Be warned!

Be very careful loosening those rusty screws. They are not stainless steel, and with older units, they fuse into the brackets.

My attempt to realign the lid cost me quite a bit. All but one of the bolt heads snapped off leaving more than an inch of screw body buried inside the rotten brackets. It was impossible to use an extractor. I even broke an extractor in my attempts. Heat treatment is not an option due to fiberglass material. I tried drilling them out (left and right bits of various metals [cobalt, titanium, etc...]) and threading a bigger hole to no avail. It's a very tight area to work.

I had to bite the bullet and order a new lid with brackets and all... $2200
The cost of 10 stainless steel bolts (5/16 18 1-1/4) was $5. Worth the investment in newer units.

If your unit is old, try to live with the misalignment for as long as you can. If it becomes impossible to close, use all the tricks known to mankind for loosening rusty bolts under heavy load. Good luck.

 

[Camelfilter]

Be very careful loosening those rusty screws. They are not stainless steel, and with older units, they fuse into the brackets.

My attempt to realign the lid cost me quite a bit. All but one of the bolt heads snapped off leaving more than an inch of screw body buried inside the rotten brackets. It was impossible to use an extractor. I even broke an extractor in my attempts. Heat treatment is not an option due to fiberglass material. I tried drilling them out (left and right bits of various metals [cobalt, titanium, etc...]) and threading a bigger hole to no avail. It's a very tight area to work.

I had to bite the bullet and order a new lid with brackets and all... $2200
The cost of 10 stainless steel bolts (5/16 18 1-1/4) was $5. Worth the investment in newer units.

If your unit is old, try to live with the misalignment for as long as you can. If it becomes impossible to close, use all the tricks known to mankind for loosening rusty bolts under heavy load. Good luck.

Ugh, that's a bummer. Thanks for the heads-up though!