How bad do your end caps fit?

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Joined
Jul 21, 2012
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Location
South Florida
My Car
'71 Mustang Mach 1 M-code "Soylent Green"
'69 Plymouth Valiant 100
'68 Plymouth Satellite
No accurate pictures until tomorrow - but for now, an establishing shot:

EDIT - SEE POST #6

I've since pulled the quarter panel edge out to fit the curvature of the end cap properly - the issue shown in the photo - but what you may also notice is that no amount of pulling the panel outwards is going to make the beltline edge meet the end cap (and if I pull the end cap down, it sits cockeyed in relation to the bodyside and the trunk).

EDIT - SEE POST #6

I wouldn't be complaining if the "step" in the transition was due to the end cap being a bit smaller than the end of the fender, but it does bother me that it's the other way around - instead of the fender end overlapping the end cap, the end cap overlaps the fender end.

I realize that the fit is not supposed to be perfect - and I've seen some pretty terrible examples at that - but I can't recall seeing one coming out this way.

That said, might I have a look at some of the forum's end caps? If this is a common occurrence, I'll rest easy with the look. If not, I'm going to cut that fender up until I have it the way I want it...

FYI, the end cap and the donor quarter panel were off the same source:

quarter_donor2.jpg


-Kurt

 
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My production end cap on the original panel (driver side) fits pretty good. My production end cap on the reproduction passenger side sheet metal fits like crap. It will take a ton of work to make it fit, and mine's a driver (not a show car), so I'm not too concerned about it.

 
A little heat and a hammer will work wonders on that fender extension. You just have to keep working at it until it's right as you well know.
On the extension, or the panel? I'd rather adjust the panel - with lead if necessary - than the extension, for the extension is the "right" part.

-Kurt

 
You may have to work on both. You need to get the fender strait (no dips, or humps) and it all depends on what you can live with. Match the quarter as close as possible and go from there. From what I see the quarter is off, but you can cheat a little and still look great. The extension needs turned counter clockwise just a little to match the outer contour and trunk line, and then you can work the quarter.

 
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You may have to work on both. You need to get the fender strait (no dips, or humps) and it all depends on what you can live with. Match the quarter as close as possible and go from there. From what I see the quarter is off, but you can cheat a little and still look great.
This is where I am now:

71_mustang_183.jpg


As you can see, the quarter edge is fine. The bodyline/crease isn't.

-Kurt

 
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It's because the quarter is low on the outside. there are only 2 fixes...cut the extension on the corner at the trunk channel, heat it, and reform it to the contour you need, or cut the quarter and raise it to fit which will create too much gap and not an option to me. This is why you check everything before welding but it really is an easy fix and you won't be able to tell when finished. You have done a great job so far and you are almost done...just a little more fudging.

 
It's because the quarter is low on the outside. there are only 2 fixes...cut the extension on the corner at the trunk channel, heat it, and reform it to the contour you need, or cut the quarter and raise it to fit which will create too much gap and not an option to me. This is why you check everything before welding but it really is an easy fix and you won't be able to tell when finished. You have done a great job so far and you are almost done...just a little more fudging.
That's what ticks me off - I already adjusted the quarter patch upwards, past the original's placement by about 4mm. It won't move outboard either. I would have given anything to have seen how this thing fit on the intact donor car prior to removal - something tells me that the panel wasn't stamped right, or the edge was beat in on the trunk line edge.

The repop panel and the donor don't match well to begin with, so I'm not particularly concerned about opening the gap. I've got a tig rod taking up the space right now to my satisfaction.

I might just build up this area with a few slightly colder welds and grind it into the proper shape. I already cleaned up the trunk edge using this manner - to excellent results. We'll see.

-Kurt

 
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As CW said you have 2 issues..the Qtr being in & the end cap itself...Some end caps WILL fit better than others I had 3 pair that I fitted to mine & picked the best fitting of the bunch..I would slice the weld of the QTR (you may have to go in as far as 12 inches) push out as far as possible then reweld..I would then look for a known good end cap..it's possible that the one you have is tweaked given the hit the car took..When I fitted mine..I got as close as possible then took a metal file & filed the end cap for a perfect fit contour.

 
As CW said you have 2 issues..the Qtr being in & the end cap itself...Some end caps WILL fit better than others I had 3 pair that I fitted to mine & picked the best fitting of the bunch..I would slice the weld of the QTR (you may have to go in as far as 12 inches) push out as far as possible then reweld..I would then look for a known good end cap..it's possible that the one you have is tweaked given the hit the car took..When I fitted mine..I got as close as possible then took a metal file & filed the end cap for a perfect fit contour.
That's what drives me nuts - I already re-cut the quarter gap once before, as you describe:

71_mustang_169.jpg


The upper half of my quarter is no longer related to the damage that was on my car - that part of the panel is now from the green w/green pinstripe (once red) donor car shown in the third picture of my initial post. My original end cap was smashed, so that donor car supplied both the panel and the end cap. Just clarifying this, as I realize the cars may be confused for each other.

71_mustang_151.jpg


In theory then, the horizontal section of the panel should at LEAST be as wide as the end cap. Yet, look at this:

71_mustang_184.jpg


Ignoring the bad repair on the trunk (not my work - someone patched it on the inside with an arc welder and wound up pulling it in 1/4") for a minute, take a look at the end cap width vs. the panel width on top. Remember, these bits are matching panels from the donor car. The quarter panel - at the top - is narrower between the trunk gap and bodyside crease. There is no way around it - the panel is narrower than the end cap.

Near as I can figure it, there was no way that end cap ever fit properly to that panel to begin with.

Wouldn't you agree?

Someone please tell me that I HAVE done everything possible to get the panel to fit as it came from the factory on the donor car. I'm not as concerned about the fit as the peace of mind of knowing that I didn't screw up the installation of that panel, and that it's sitting exactly the way it was on the donor car for the last 42 years.

-Kurt

 
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Kurt, unless you bought the donor car NEW

You have no idea as to what has been changed / repaired / replaced on it.

 
Kurt, unless you bought the donor car NEW

You have no idea as to what has been changed / repaired / replaced on it.
True, though both the end cap and the panel share the same exact paint layers from the bare metal up.

Unless the end cap was replaced sometime in the vehicle's life in its original red paint job, I doubt that it came from another source.

-Kurt

 
I just looked at 6 driver / project cars, all fit OK - none perfect - none the same but none fit as bad as that one you have.

 
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Get a different end cap & try that..Its possible when you sectioned in the top part that its misaligned to the rain gutter edge or the edge itself was off from the accident..Any which way you need a fix..If a new end cap dosn't work..Your going to have to do some molding cutting filler work on the end cap..Use fiberall

 
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