1968. See my avatar? That's the car I'm trying to recreate ... my first car. (Maybe I can recreate the cool-looking dude with the classy suit....
just a little off the back and sides please
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Ta da! Thanks for your help in this, eldubb440. Inspired! Now I'll work on removing the cross member and cleaning up the tail light panel. Then I'll work on removing the rest of the trunk pan. Any tips on what I'm about to do? Terry
Okay, round two with the trunk and I have a few questions. I add one question per posting to keep things organized. First question: I have ordered a rear frame rail and sub-bracing to replace the rotted driver side. Here's a picture of the passenger side rear frame rail and sub-bracing. I'd rather NOT replace it, but rather patch what I need to. Do you think I can patch rather than replace? (BTW, the picture shows only the bad section; the rest of the passenger side rear frame rail has only surface rust.)
Second question: Does it make sense to drop the leaf springs and axel? Or should I keep them on to act as a stabilizer of sorts? (I know I'll have to remove the rear side of the driver leaf spring when I replace the rear frame rail...)
Third question: As previously mentioned, I'm replacing the trunk extensions/drops. However, the wheel well bottoms are both a bit tattered. I'd rather patch these than replace the whole section. I know that the trunk panel is welded to the wheel wells. What do you suggest I do?
Fourth question: I removed the tail light panel and have some trimming to do when I receive the replacement trunk gutters. My question is about the rest of the rust on this panel. I would like to patch rather than replace. Thoughts? Also, how would you suggest I remove the rust and paint on this piece? And how would you prepare it for painting?
Fifth and final (for today) question: I cut out the jack tie-down piece assuming that I am to remount it to the new trunk floor pan. There's a reinforcement piece on the back. Is my goal to carefully separate the tie-down piece and the reinforcement piece from the old pan so I can reuse them?
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your 2 week free trial subscription has expired....... I'm gonna need your bank account number to proceed
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you're in deep lol...... I never had to replace a rear rail, but it wouldn't phase me........ I would lean toward replacement, I suppose you can section in a piece with some proper welding and reinforcement plates inside......but no way would I trust a butt welded frame rail
either way...... I would use the existing rail(s) to locate the all the rear sheet metal, then come back in and replace
either way...... I would use the existing rail(s) to locate the all the rear sheet metal, then come back in and replace
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you can patch the bottom of the wheelhouses, common on almost all these cars.... it's easier with the trunk pan sitting in place....... do not weld the trunk pan to the wheel houses until almost last, both rails and the pan as a unit will probably need to be "jacked' into place when attaching the drops and reinstalling the tail panel; welding to the wheelhouses will impede your ability to jack
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sand blast and epoxy prime...... then cut and replace the nasty........ i wait until the tailpanel is attached securely in place before patching the lower part that attaches to the trunk pan........ some of those deep pitted and perforated spots can be filled with epoxy after primer
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some pans may come with those in place...... there is no shame in salvaging useable parts, but sometimes it isn't worth the effort.... AMD sells them seperately...... the ones on the bottom hold the J bolts for the gas tank straps
now, about that account number.......
Tell me your favorite charity and I'll donate $100, eldub440.
Makes sense. That's what I was thinking. Super helpful!! Thanks.
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lol..... my favorite charity is my dog...... no worries, I'm happy to help; that's why most of us are here...... here's an idea, consider supporting the site by becoming a gold member (40 bucks)
you get extra credit for diving in!
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Thanks. It's exactly why I bought a car in this rough of shape. My last project (69 Roadrunner) required no deconstruction, repair, or replacement of metal. Actually, I've never worked with metal before, so this should educational and interesting. Having advice and guidance available makes me more confident -- and less likely to screw up! Thank you all.
Done (the becoming a gold member part).
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congratulations, and welcome to the club! this place is a treasure trove of information
And information is what I'm here for! As I'm chopping up the trunk and discovering more rust, I noticed that the brace that holds the driver side trunk hinge to the wheel well is rusted. I'd rather NOT replace this piece if I don't have to. So I used some of the metal from my aforementioned chopping and fabricated a replacement piece (picture #1 and #2). Questions:
- What do I need to prep the metal for welding?
- I left the metal tabs from the rusted original and ground them down thinking they would allow for a great anchor for my replacement. Thoughts?
- There are pinholes in the wheel well. Can I just use POR or something to fill these in? I'm not going for a concourse restoration....
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