NEED ADVICE ON SAIL PANEL INSTALL

[andy72]

So I snapped my new sail panel into its factory hole using an interior clip, like on door panels.

I must assume this is the correct way from the factory.  My rear interior was toast when I got it, so I don't have much reference.

This is a fold down rear seat car.

Anyway, there is a large gap between the interior plastic quarter panel and the sail panel.  When the clip is snapped in, it pulls the sail panel in too close to the body.

The quarter panel is up against the factory mounting holes so I know it can't go inboard any farther.

Anybody install sail panels lately and have this issue?

Any thoughts?

 

[clevelandcoupe]

Andy,

I recently installed sail panels and mine had the same type of gap, I modified the clip so it didn't pull in so close and put a few shims under the sail panel near the plastic panel edge to push it out to the panels edge.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Jay

 

[andy72]

Andy,

I recently installed sail panels and mine had the same type of gap, I modified the clip so it didn't pull in so close and put a few shims under the sail panel near the plastic panel edge to push it out to the panels edge.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Jay

It does help.  It confirms that I'll probably have to custom fit/make the best of it.

 

[clevelandcoupe]

As always with any car project !!!

 

[87fox72mach]

I massaged the metal mounts for interior plastics. Plus shimming looks good now

 

[andy72]

I guess I was most curious that the clip holder on the back of the sail panels that I ordered could even be used.  If you know how those clips work, they need some force to pull them out.  The weak little cardboard tab on the sail panel would never stay in place if you try to pull the clip out.  That's why I added epoxy to mine.

My car had no sail panels to look at to see how they were installed from the factory.

Seems like the standard door type clip pulls the sail panel in too far.

ok, custom time...

 

[Omie01]

I didn't even bother with that clip, I tried the first one and it just ripped out, once all the other panels were in place the sail panel was REALLY locked in. And so far it is not sagging at all.

 

[OMS]

The metal stand offs are made to be  ' hammer ' adjusted. That is why they all look bent when you remove them.

Without removing your other panels, you can unscrew one side of the bracket, move the foot over to lower it, then drive a screw in.

 

[andy72]

I'm massaging things as we speak.

And to make it all the trickier, I'm installing the 2 piece rear quarter sections sections made by MP products since these panels aren't available.

onward...

 

[johnwanzel]

Andy, I bought those same panels from mp products but haven't installed them yet. Let us know how they look and how they installed.

 

[andy72]

Andy, I bought those same panels from mp products but haven't installed them yet. Let us know how they look and how they installed.

 

[andy72]

Andy, I bought those same panels from mp products but haven't installed them yet. Let us know how they look and how they installed.

Will do.  I'm already having issues though.  The panels in the rear don't have the extra material needed on top to tuck into the slot that's in the metal panel below the window.

JB Weld and plastic fixed that.

With the panel edge screwed in place along the trap door opening, the panel isn't flush to the above mentioned metal panel.  When inserted into the slot of the metal panel, the rear most carpeted seat section hits the 90 degree fold at the bottom.  Fun...

Being that this is a 2 piece panel set, it's even trickier. 

The 2  90 degree bends in the front section of these panels, where it tucks under the front quarter section, are not very accurate.

The "seam" where the 2 pieces go together is also not very good.

The panels that came in this car had literally crumbled away from sitting outside for years.  And nobody makes correct ones.

I'll keep ya posted on the project...

 

[johnwanzel]

That actually doesn't look that bad. I'm thinking maybe you could take a heat gun and a 2 x 4 with the panel out of the car and carefully bend it so it would be flush with your sail panel.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

I believe that the sail panels were installed while the rear window was out and that the extra material at the top would be captured under the window gasket.

When I got my car mine were loose and not installed properly. I put in new ones and since my car interior is accommodation a roll bar and racing seats, I elected instead to just run a screw through the sail panels into the structure. Works fine and isn't too noticeable. If you were to trim a bit of the excess material off the top edge, you could probably even cover the screws.

 

[andy72]

Hey Jeff, ya I'm good on the sail panel material at the top going under the rear window gasket.  Not visible in photo.

That blue metal piece under the rear window has a slot on its lower edge.  The original fiberglass corner panel tucked up into this

slot.  The black MP panel does not have material on its top edge to slip up into the slot.

John, just to be clear, the 2 halves of the MP panels are not joined together yet.  The front piece is just floppin around.  That's

why it doesn't mate at the top yet with the blue quarter panel in front.

Good idea on the heat gun.

You can see the mounting hole on the far right of the pic for the panels.  The black panel does tuck under the blue

panel enough that the screw will go through both panels.  I am going to rework the metal standoff behind it so that I can

pull the panels in toward the sail panel.

onward...

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

I might just fold a piece of thin steel to make a bracket and pop rivet it to the plastic panel to create the lip. 3 rivets evenly spaced and painted to match the panel would not offend me

 

[andy72]

Plastic and JB Weld.  No visible rivets.  It all gets painted blue...