- Joined
- Jul 21, 2012
- Messages
- 3,240
- Reaction score
- 16
- Location
- South Florida
- My Car
- '71 Mustang Mach 1 M-code "Soylent Green"
'69 Plymouth Valiant 100
'68 Plymouth Satellite
Question:
Most of the problems I encountered with end cap fit on my car - following a temporarily failed attempt at taillight panel replacement - was caused by the lens flange of the panel sitting too far upwards, causing the end cap to run into it.
Most of this issue was tracked to the corner filler panel that holds the weatherstripping channel, but part of the contribution was the way the panel fit - the left hand flange of the taillamp panel kept interfering with the left-hand quarter panel. I had to grind a bit to make it fit, and even then, I felt the panel sat too far right.
That said, I'd been a bit concerned about this problem - and whether the rear quarters were sitting narrower than they should. That was before I cut up a '73 Sportsroof recently, which had been the recipient of a replacement taillight panel.
Poorly-installed panel on top, my salvaged repop on the bottom:
Said '73 Sportsroof was hacked pretty badly, but it still retained enough of the original quarters to assure that the distance between them remained stock. Imagine my surprise when I found out the PO had chopped a good 1/8" - if not more - of metal from the LH taillight panel flange.
It is with this said that I'd like to ask: Have others that have replaced the taillight panel on a Sportsroof/Mach 1 found it equally necessary to grind off part of the left-hand side mounting flange? Is this generally acceptable with the repop taillight panels?
I'm tempted to say yes, seeing the amount of massaging I've seen repop panels go through, but I'm curious to hear it from those who've done it.
-Kurt
Most of the problems I encountered with end cap fit on my car - following a temporarily failed attempt at taillight panel replacement - was caused by the lens flange of the panel sitting too far upwards, causing the end cap to run into it.
Most of this issue was tracked to the corner filler panel that holds the weatherstripping channel, but part of the contribution was the way the panel fit - the left hand flange of the taillamp panel kept interfering with the left-hand quarter panel. I had to grind a bit to make it fit, and even then, I felt the panel sat too far right.
That said, I'd been a bit concerned about this problem - and whether the rear quarters were sitting narrower than they should. That was before I cut up a '73 Sportsroof recently, which had been the recipient of a replacement taillight panel.
Poorly-installed panel on top, my salvaged repop on the bottom:
Said '73 Sportsroof was hacked pretty badly, but it still retained enough of the original quarters to assure that the distance between them remained stock. Imagine my surprise when I found out the PO had chopped a good 1/8" - if not more - of metal from the LH taillight panel flange.
It is with this said that I'd like to ask: Have others that have replaced the taillight panel on a Sportsroof/Mach 1 found it equally necessary to grind off part of the left-hand side mounting flange? Is this generally acceptable with the repop taillight panels?
I'm tempted to say yes, seeing the amount of massaging I've seen repop panels go through, but I'm curious to hear it from those who've done it.
-Kurt