cudak888: 1971 M-code "Soylent Green" - 2024: Help me measure the frame!

[MechEng]

Looking good! I'm curious to hear how you go about repairing your trunk corners. Please don't skimp on the pictures of that process!

 

[cudak888]

Good to know... and thanks for the detailed explanation....

....Still can't wait to see it all back together. ::thumb::

I defer to Scott's better explanation of sliding the quarter in, mind you. Requires the car to be off the ground by a foot or two.

There's a lot ahead of this. LH quarter at the valance mount area needs to be patched (possibly the whole thing at the bottom). Even then, I have to pull the front window, tear out the dash, headliner, and carpet to fix that pesky cowl.

...and then I can't even put it back together until the greenhouse and quarters are painted - or at least the edges.

Need I mention that I need to get one of those welders that installs trim studs? I'm not going to risk rust through using screws.

Looking good! I'm curious to hear how you go about repairing your trunk corners. Please don't skimp on the pictures of that process!

I've got a couple of bits left over from a torn-up donor, though not enough for a single seam. Either way, I'll have it easier putting them together.

-Kurt

 

[Mister 4x4]

Looking good! I'm curious to hear how you go about repairing your trunk corners. Please don't skimp on the pictures of that process!

I "cheated" and got the trunk corners from a donor car. I had the junkyard cut about the last 18" of the quarter panels to the rear, and enough of the tail light panel to get the entire lower corner areas.

Having the donor part in-hand made it easier to figure out how that portion of the car goes together (without having to be a contortionist). Leaving the quarter panel in-place, I cut all the spot-welds from both pieces, swapped the new piece into the void left by the old piece and placed the new tail light panel, made adjustments, and welded it all down. After that, it was time to replace the quarter panels. There actually some pictures in the FB album linked in my signature.

My reasoning for doing it in 'phases' like that, was to make sure the rear end of the car didn't distort from too much structural replacement going on at once - the car basically kept its shape without having to truss-up or rig anything. I was too chicken and inexperienced to simply shot-gun all the rear end sheet metal. Made sense to me at the time, even though it's probably a rookie way of doing things. Having as much measurement and configuration data as possible will only help ensure it all goes back together at least as good as the factory did it.

And I've said it before: having the advice and encouragement of experts like Scott, Kurt, and all the others (not to mention being great guys as well) willing to share their knowledge, has been huge.

BTW - The passenger side was the only one I had to replace - I actually still have the driver side if anybody needs it (although, I'll have to retrieve it from the scrap trailer ).

 

[cudak888]

BTW - The passenger side was the only one I had to replace - I actually still have the driver side if anybody needs it (although, I'll have to retrieve it from the scrap trailer ).

I need it. My driver's side corner is rough too, and my patch is for the driver's side only. Will PM.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

FYI, I just measured the quarter-to-quarter gap of the new Q-code: 116mm. Then I checked the M-code. 116mm.

Score!

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Taking lunch now - but here's a quick welding process picture. More tonight.

-Kurt

 

[caspianwendell]

Much better

 

[cudak888]

Just closed up for the day.

The tree made for some funky shadows in the morning. By this photo, the door jamb was already taken care of:



Lightly ground welds - nothing quite finished for looks yet.

Decided to take my time on the roof and tack the whole thing together. The welding isn't tedious, but clamping and tapping each flange down to minimize the gap is.



I did use weld-through primer, but I removed primer in the specific areas to be welded. I have had enough close calls with unexpected burnthrough due to paint remains that I'm not going to risk it

Made holes for plug welding the window channel, and here I stopped:



Back end is starting to look like a Mustang again:



-Kurt

 

[Totalled]

Go Kurt go!

 

[Doug The Dog]

Lookin' good, Kurt!

 

[Don65Stang]

Totally awesome! This day has taken a while to get here but it's here and the results look great!

 

[jbojo]

The car is really looking good.

 

[sicndhed]

Just watching feels good. I can imagine how it must feel to be in your shoes. ::beer::

 

[cudak888]

Just watching feels good. I can imagine how it must feel to be in your shoes. ::beer::

Sun...hot.

Shirt...drenched.

Need...water.

Weld...there.

Why...am,

I...doing,

this?

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Done. Photos in a few.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

I've been waiting a long time for this (and I'm not even close to done yet):

Window channel welded. I'm quite ticked that I'll have to buy yet another welding tool to put those trim studs in:



Let me say this: The trunk corners on this car, from factory, were a disaster, compounded by the beating put on them by the bodyshop that had replaced the taillight panel.

Welding this area was a nightmare, and almost took longer than everything else combined. Wherever you THOUGHT you got it clean had some paint or sealer on it that would catch fire, and wherever it wasn't clean wasn't easy to reach.



I still can't believe I got it this decent. A bit of sealer and filler will hide the pits and imperfections. Heck, factory would have done no better.



Going for the dropoff area, complete with '65 floorpans being used as spark shields - ironically enough, I sold the floorpans through Craigslist an hour later! I love the way the clamps came out in this photo.



Flange done.



I'll never get this photo again with the window installed:



Drumroll please - I present you with the image of success:



-Kurt

 

[caspianwendell]

Well done Kurt, and I know what a JOB that was

 

[Totalled]

Outstanding.

 

[sicndhed]

Just watching feels good. I can imagine how it must feel to be in your shoes. ::beer::

Sun...hot.

Shirt...drenched.

Need...water.

Weld...there.

Why...am,

I...doing,

this?

-Kurt

Not the shoes I was thinking of but I've got a pair of those too.

 

[73vertproject]

Finally got caught up with your thread, Kurt. Outstanding work! ::thumb::