They let me teach this stuff?

During a very successful pilgrimage to Storyland, I noticed the rear hatch of the minivan (AKA the "Swaggerwagon") would not stay up.  Upon our return, I decided to change out the supporting struts myself. 


Of course the friction force between the hatch and the supporting plank is dependent on a strong normal force at that point of contact, duh! 

Of course the glass in the hatch window is thin and will break as the plank slips and hits it!

A little shaking of the car while replacing a strut and you get this:

In the end, my insurance covered the window replacement.  Next time, I'll draw a force diagram first!