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Inner And Outer Rear Sheetmetal - BackgammonInner And Outer Rear Sheetmetal For The Purple Pig From the December, 2011 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliott
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We left the Purple Pig last month with the new EMS lower quarter-panels tack-welded in place, and continue now by installing the rear panel and rear trunk floor section. I fabricated a lower rear panel some 10 years ago, and will admit to not making a great job of repairing the floor section, as I was rushing to get the car on the road and out of a borrowed workshop. While the outer panel didn’t really need replacing, it sure made installing the floor section easier, plus it meant I could get rid of the old outer panel with its full width seam weld and filled original light holes. I also took the opportunity to finally install a cable-operated trunk lid latch, as up to now I’d used a bungee cord to keep it shut! While these are available in the aftermarket, over the years I’ve used several early VW Rabbit hood latches for both hoods and trunks. They’re compact, look reasonably nice, work great, and are, or were, readily available in junkyards. My local yard happened to have an early Jetta in stock, which has the same front sheetmetal as a Rabbit, and which gave up its latch mechanism to my project, for the grand sum of $8. Junkyard hot rodding is still possible, if you have an eye for adapting late-model parts. My rear lights are a similar example. The late-model Fiat lights come as a huge assembly with three lenses. Trimming two of the lenses off, and mounting them vertically instead of horizontally, they match the curvature of the Chevy quarters and provide late-model reflectors and bright lights, unlike the small stockers. I’ve had these on the car ever since I first built it in England, and am always receiving queries about their origins. So now you know! The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that I have only tack-welded the latch bracket in place and haven’t welded the center of the new floor section. This is because I have further plans for this area that involve the bumper—not because I forgot. Stay tuned …  [1] Here’s where we left off...  [1] Here’s where we left off last month, with the new lower quarter clamped in place. While there was nothing wrong with the rear panel, the lower 3 inches of which I fabricated around a decade ago, I wanted to replace the rear section of the trunk floor. After covering the fuel tank and RideTech components with a fire blanket from Harbor Freight, and protecting the coated exhaust pipes from scratches, I cut the old rear panel away using a Sawzall. You can see the weld running the full width of the old panel, where I’d previously fabricated the lower section.  [2] The EMS panels; whether...  [2] The EMS panels; whether you have rust repair to contend with, or want a smooth look without the stock taillight holes, the rear panel is ideal. The rear section of the trunk floor above it will save an awful lot of fabrication time!  [3] I elected to trim the...  [3] I elected to trim the old panel away in a dogleg fashion, in order to retain the factory trunk lid adjusters/bumpers. I wanted to join the new panel to the old as high as possible in order to make the joint above where I’d welded up the stock light holes. I retained these end sections as patterns to use later to determine the size and shape of the new light apertures. Note the measurements marked on the primer.  [4] After covering the fuel...  [4] After covering the fuel tank and RideTech components with a fire blanket from Harbor Freight, and protecting the coated exhaust pipes from scratches, I cut the old rear panel away using a Sawzall. You can see the weld running the full width of the old panel, where I’d previously fabricated the lower section.  [5] The new rear panel was...  [5] The new rear panel was temporarily clamped in place to determine where I would cut it, and where the new lower quarter-panel would need trimming to fit.  [6] As I have a sunken section...  [6] As I have a sunken section of floor housing my fuel tank and RideTech compressor and tank, I didn’t need the full depth of the floor repair panel, cutting the excess away using a nibbler.  [7] I trimmed the new floor...  [7] I trimmed the new floor panel to clear the rear body mount bolts. If you use the panel untrimmed, you’ll need to drill it to accept these bolts.  [8] Here’s the new floor panel...  [8] Here’s the new floor panel in place. You can see how it steps down to meet the lower lip of the rear panel.  [9] Self-tapping screws were...  [9] Self-tapping screws were used to locate the floor panel while the outer panel was installed. I didn’t want to weld anything at this stage in case adjustments were required.  [10] Again, the rear panel...  [10] Again, the rear panel was clamped in place, this time marked for trimming.  [11] As this panel had to...  [11] As this panel had to fit in more than one plane, and the sides of the car sprung out a little when the old panel was removed, I trimmed it oversize, used self tappers to locate it in the rain channel, and snuck up on the final cut marks. Better to trim too little than too much!  [12] Before final trimming,...  [12] Before final trimming, the trunk lid was closed and the gaps checked, as well as the flow of the trunk lid into the rear panel, ensuring the curvature was consistent. Note the panel now fits behind the quarter-panel at the rear.  [13] Looking from inside the...  [13] Looking from inside the trunk, here’s a better view of the trunk lid adjusters/bumpers, as well as depicting how the panel was marked for final trimming.  [14] The new panel is supplied...  [14] The new panel is supplied with a stepped lip, which fits under the old quarter-panel at its highest point. This was tack-welded, as was the dogleg section inboard of it, before a cut-off wheel was used to remove the overlapping section where the self-tapper was locating the panel. A hammer and dolly was used to assist alignment of the panels in the rain channel.  [15] With the panels tack-welded,...  [15] With the panels tack-welded, the gaps were checked again. The importance of repeatedly checking this cannot be stressed enough.  [16] The ends of the new panel...  [16] The ends of the new panel are now welded to the quarters, but not yet attached to the floor. Using the splash apron/gravel pan as a guide …  [17] … its mounting holes...  [17] … its mounting holes were drilled though the lip in the rear panel, and through the new floor section.  [18] Using nuts and bolts...  [18] Using nuts and bolts to clamp the two panels together, further holes were drilled between them and plug-welded from below. When welding upside down with a MIG welder, turn the wire speed up slightly to compensate.  [19] It was now time to turn...  [19] It was now time to turn to the light apertures. Using the sections saved from earlier, as well as the width measurement, I marked where the metal required trimming away.  [20] Note when I welded the...  [20] Note when I welded the overlapping section I stopped short of the actual edge of the panels. This enabled me to trim the overlapping sections away 3/8 inch from the aperture and butt-weld the joints, so the light unit would be able to fit flush against the bodywork.  [21] Some careful grinding...  [21] Some careful grinding and filing later, and the light unit fit. They’re modified late-model Fiat units, by the way, mounted sideways.  [22] All that remained was...  [22] All that remained was to replace the latch bracket, which also served to brace the rear panel to the floor in the center. I’ve never had a latch that fits here, so I decided to scrap this bracket and make a new one, along with a new latch, as I wanted it to be cable operated.  [23] A quick trip to the local...  [23] A quick trip to the local junkyard provided what I was looking for: a hood latch from an early VW Jetta. BMWs have similar latches.  [24] What’s wrong with this...  [24] What’s wrong with this picture? Sure the latch hits the lip, but that’s no biggie. The problem is it’s at the wrong angle to enable it to open and close without binding.  [25] I had to close the hole...  [25] I had to close the hole where the old latch was mounted anyway, so I made the new section at an angle.  [26] With the position of...  [26] With the position of the upper latch determined, a new bracket was formed to accept the striker plate in the correct position. Once satisfied that the clutch works correctly and is aligned, I’ll trim away the area marked with a Sharpie and round off the upper edge, while allowing enough room for the cable to operate.  [27] And there you have it...  [27] And there you have it … or rather, I do! New sheetmetal, uniform panel gaps, and a trunk lid that latches closed for the first time in years. No more bungee cords here, thank you!
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