Yeah….well, I have been trying to get as much done this week as possible. Having this kind of time off is really helpful. Even more so..is having other car guys off as well. I have been working mostly on the rockers, floors and patches. I ran into a problem with the rear door, but got that fixed. Yesterday, my good buddy Sawzall came over and helped fabricate the basis for the trunk.
This area was really weak because the lower trunk latch piece was rusted away as well as the entire floor was gone. So…we went to work.
Prepped the area for the welding we were going to do required the trunk to be attached and permanently fixed by some spot welds. Though the trunk needs to have the latch figured out yet, it had to be there so that we can see what needed to go where.
I will let the pictures speak…and yes Tuck..there is a really nice compartment for my guns….
This will be a great functional area, with a spot for the much needed tools and spare tire, the air tank, air compressors and storage for the road gear. I will let the pictures do the talking. I have plans to fill in the small pieces around the wheel wells and add more welds to certain areas. In counter clockwise rotation……
The big picture shot. There is a section welded to the original floor on top of the crossmember..
Drivers side wheel well
Rear area. Small notch is for the original gas tank filler tube to fit through.
Back lower trunk panel
Moving onward to the passenger side. The 1×1 square tube really strengthened the rear section….
Rear passenger side wheel well. There is little flanges on the fender panel that will allow a piece to be fitted to the area rather nicely…
This is how it worked. One long piece of metal fit under the car. Measured something like 68 inches long and 13 inches wide. This piece has been welded solid to the lower trunk latch and will be ground smooth and serve as a base for the outer spacer piece that runs the length of the car and connects to the two rear fenders.
This is the filler panels that both sides needed. I will fully weld them and smooth them out some. But no one will see this and I will make sure to undercoat all these areas to prevent further rust issues.
This was a big step in the completion of this project and one that I couldn’t have done by myself. Thanks Jeff.
