Rear hatch latch fix

So my rear hatch latch (69350-28011) was "broken", and would not latch the rear hatch shut when I closed/open it it. I tried moving the lever inside the device, but everything was seized together and would not move at all. I looked online but nobody had this part in stock, and even the two 'local' scrap yard vans had latches that were toast (even worse than mine), so I thought I'd take mine apart and give it a go.

I disconnected the electrical connection and cable, removed the latch assembly off the vehicle, and ground and drilled out the flared end of the studs (on the "outside facing side" of the assembly). There was tons of gunk in there, so I removed and cleaned all the interior components. Inspection of the springs showed that they were in good condition.

I was planning on reusing the studs (as I read that others have before), but unfortunately I drilled the studs out too much and could not reuse them. So I ground and drilled the other end of the stud, removing it completely, and created my own studs.

I used two 21mm long pieces of brass rod (bought on amazon), 7mm OD with a 4mm ID. I threaded these with a M5x0.8 tap, to fit some ultra low head cap screws (10mm long). These are now my new "studs", which are now removable in case of future problems. I reassembled everything in the "closed" position, making sure I lubed/greased everything for good measure, reinstalled, and voila - it works! Hope it lasts.
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