[fairwayhit]

I'm replacing both rear QP's on my 1971 Convertible. The repo QP skins have a funny angle where they meet the trunk drop offs. My Trunk drop offs were rusted out along the bottom by an inch or so,

I am going to fab up a patch for the bottom of the drop offs, but I can't figure out how it is going to mate up to the Quarter Panel. Does anyone have a picture of how this is supposed to look?

Just trying to get everything fitted up and in position.

[2002Z4CSS]

Originally Posted by fairwayhit

I'm replacing both rear QP's on my 1971 Convertible. The repo QP skins have a funny angle where they meet the trunk drop offs. My Trunk drop offs were rusted out along the bottom by an inch or so,

I am going to fab up a patch for the bottom of the drop offs, but I can't figure out how it is going to mate up to the Quarter Panel. Does anyone have a picture of how this is supposed to look?

Just trying to get everything fitted up and in position.

I will be doing the same fix ,in the near future. Curious here too.

[CraigGT37]

the skins are not correct where they weld to lower trunk drop off. Where i used parts of the skin, i had to cut the edges and bend it almost 90* to get it to fit.

[HWYSTR455]

I could have gotten away with using skins on my 71, but because of the issues with them, I bought full quarters instead, and had the body shop only use what was needed.

Before you finish the body work, and certainly before you shoot color, test fit wheel opening moldings. The lower body line on both the repop skins and quarters are not correct, and the molding won't fit well.

If you have no luck with getting the skin to meet the trunk drop off, maybe consider a patch panel for that section of the skin/quarter.

.

[fairwayhit]

Anyone have a picture of how the factory quarter mated up to the trunk drop off?

As you can see from my pics, the repo skin is angled down. I could make an extension/patch for my drop off to match that angle and then just plug weld them together. I just wonder if it should look like that.

I am thinking that I may have to bend the bottom of the quarter panel skin straight up so it can be welded to the trunk drop off.

Also wondering if I need to drill some weep holes in the bottom so water doesn't collect inside there.

[fairwayhit]

more pics

[CraigGT37]

here is a picture that i saved from the internet for reference.

[fairwayhit]

Thanks for that picture CraigGT37!

That is exactly what I needed. Not sure how the heck I am going to get that bottom portion to radius straight down like that. I will definitely have to cut the edges and then try to bend it straight down like you said you did.

Any tips on how to get that bend in there?

[fairwayhit]

Thought I would give a little update.

I had trouble bending the bottom of the replacement qp with a nice radius like CraigGT37's picture showed. I decided to make a straight 90 degree bend there. I found it is very difficult to get the repo outer wheel well, inner wheel well and trunk drop off to match up with the bend in the quarter panel.

However, I think I am getting pretty close.

For reference, I bent the QP 1" from the bottom using a wiss tool that i have used in the past to bend HVAC ductwork in my home. I had to cut the QP at the corner to get the bend to work.

[fairwayhit]

I am having more problems with fitting the quarter panels and hoping someone can give me some advice.

On the passenger side, the wheelwell lip was rusted out, but I was able to cut and weld in a new outer wheelwell about half way from the top. Since there is no replacement convertible outer wheelwell, that is all I could do. The good news on that side was that because it was just the bottom portion, it was fairly easy to match up the new replacement metal to where the original wheelwell was.

When I put the quarter skin on, it lined up pretty good with everything and I am pretty happy with how things went.

Here is a picture of that side.

[fairwayhit]

So, now the problem

the drivers side wheelwell was already cut by someone in the past and they cut it way up by the convertible top brace.

I was able to line up the replacement wheelwell and test fit the skin. Everything looked ok. I welded in the wheelwell, and now the skin won't fit correctly. It appears that the Wheelwell lip is sticking out too far and it wont allow the skin to fit flush.

Attached are pics of the drivers side

[fairwayhit]

The issue is that the wheelwell appears to be sitting at about the correct height but is protruding out about an inch too far near the middle of the wheelwell.

I am going to have to cut the wheelwell and move it in about an inch and then reweld it. My question is where to make the cut so I don't raise the height of the lip. Basically, it just needs to move in about an inch but stay the same everywhere else...

If I cut it right above the lip , I think it may not line up properly to reweld it.
However, I don't really see anywhere else I could cut it.

Here is where I am proposing.

[eric65]

Hi golfer do some measuring 1st
I have some pix showing my measurement from inside wheel well to out lip
1st is inside wheelwell somewhat center use the same area




next is my measure to quarter attached NOS


you can see wheel well is inside just a tad here as quarter overlapped.. look just inside that hole and see lip of wheel well

next is toward the front see where ref point.. front driver side


to edge in front ~12 5/8".. here my wheel well is even with quarter


now rear area of wheel well


then out to rear edge


hopefully you can get approximates from these and see what your wheel well is in relationship to mine

May not be exact but it should show if your wheel well is way off or not

I can get more pix if you need or do better at measurement of relationship to inside

[fairwayhit]

Eric. THANK YOU!!!!
I will get some measurements in the next couple days and see if I can match them up to yours.

[fairwayhit]

Just a little update,
I used Eric's measurements and it looked like my wheelwell stuck about 1/2 inch too far out. I did a little hammer and dolly work (actually a BFH and no Dolly) and persuaded it in a half inch. I also had to modify the bottom lip of the skin in front of the wheel so it would match up to the body lines and wheelwell.

Anyway, it looks like everything is going to fit now.

Thanks again Eric.