Progress Thread The "grátis" 1966 Coupe - final sheet metal repairs

Looks like someone may have patched some holes in the tailpanel at one time . I dont think that the pieces under the end caps can be bought seperat from the quarters . I will be pulling the quarters off mine soon and i can save them if you need them ,if you have to do the quarters new ones come with the new quarters.
Is the trunk floor bad enough to need replacing or can you just patch the rusted area?
There isn’t really any rust. It’s just damage to the sheet metal that looks like it was from an accident. You can see it just to the right of the driver’s bumper bracket. The rear trunk support is also pretty mangled and looks like someone tried straightening it out before. That’ll get replaced too.

So far, all the rust is just on the surface except for the floor pans and possibly some areas of the cowl. I wouldn’t need to replace much if it weren’t for the accident repairs and bad bodywork.

Edit: I will be needing those extension pieces if you have them or know where I can get them. I thought Dynacorn had the extension pieces separate. They do, but only for a fastback.

https://www.cjponyparts.com/dynacor...er-driver-side-fastback-1965-1966/p/3647FBWT/
 
Last edited:
  • Sponsors (?)


The quarter end piece is the same piece ,fast back ,convert ,and coupe . The new ones have the corner chanel made to them so that saves a bit of work
So I could get those and use them on my coupe? I assume the primary difference is a higher upward angle on the trunk channel portion of the piece? Or is there no difference at all and CJ just labeled them incorrectly?
 
Would this work for protecting small areas until I get the car blasted?

image.jpg image.jpg
 
Honestly you can get away with any type of paint just to cover the metal.

It doesn't even have to be an etch based primer.

Something with etch will adhere to the metal, meaning it'll last for awhile.

So John, depends on how long before you get back to the areas you're covering. If it'll be a month or three. Put any paint on it to cover the bare metal. Treat bare metal like it's your most precious thing. Rust happens QUICKLY.

Honestly though, don't waste your money on a non etch primer. This project will take awhile.

Plus if you use a non etch primer you'll have to strip every bit of the crap off of there when you go to work on them again.

Anything you get at a hardware store, no matter how pricey should be considered temporary. I'm not totally knocking it though.

You know the cheap rattle can bs I used on Booger, right? I've used it just to protect the metal until I can do it right. It's a similar product to the stuff at Lowes or Home Depot. It does serve a purpose, just not a permanent one.

Tell you what John, just use any paint you can find at the hardware store that has an etch capability to it. I'll stop by wichita Falls on the way to Dalllas and spend a day with you to help you out this spring.

@horse sence , aren't you in Cali? With your expertise in classic mustangs it sure would be good to have you there. Maybe we could do a video chat when I stop down and help John out? What do you think?
 
Y'all are most definitely welcome at my abode!

As far as protecting the metal goes, at the rate I'm currently going I'll probably have all the sheet metal I intend to remove removed in a couple of months (floor pan, the rest of the tail light panel area, cowl). I'll have a welder by then and can start worrying about getting the car off the ground and level. There's a local place that does dustless blasting that I still need to call for a quote.

I mostly got this primer to cover some of the areas I've already exposed and will have exposed and cleaned up after removing the old metal. It's definitely not meant to eventually become the substrate for the final paint job.

Dave, if you make it down here, I'd love to get a lesson on how to best work with metal. I'm sure there are some areas where that skill would come in handy.
 
So this past weekend I was again embattled with a stomach bug (twice in as many months). While it passed quickly, it sapped all my energy that I was planning to use to work on the car over the holiday. I did manage to get the rest of the tail panel extension brackets cut out of the car, however, I didn't take any pictures. Maybe later. I'm feeling much better now, though.

That said, there is a TON of that brazing crap all over the ends of the quarters. What is the best way to remove this stuff besides just grinding it away? There seems to be precious little metal left at the end of these quarters. I really, really don't want to have to replace these quarters. I think I can handle installing new metal, but I'm not sure I could handle fitment issues that may arise from aftermarket panels in the event I'm forced to replace large pieces like the quarters.

I'll take some pictures when I get home so you can see what I mean. The original flanges spot welded to the quarters were completely rusted through. They were only attached to the car by brazing.
 
Pictures. Driver's side isn't as bad as the passenger side.
mNFPULY.jpg

DRyJmkm.jpg

teZWd7I.jpg

wnMYMjA.jpg


I was able to at least salvage a good deal of the quarter panel flange on the passenger side.
6PQGB1A.jpg


Someone's effort at dent repair on the driver's side.
urG3AbK.jpg


On an unrelated note, I also noticed that the upper mounting nuts for the hood hinges on both sides are missing. Who know's why.
jDvERKg.jpg

f3q1Hcb.jpg
 
Back at it today and the car has no more suspension. Going to have to fabricate some means of moving it around, but I'll worry about that later. Can anyone recommend a good, decently priced cart or rotisserie? Or should I just try to fabricate something once I get my welder?

aMbFGMK.jpg


This appears to be a dirt collection tray.
2JxtHik.jpg


Underside looks fairly good.
2Jy4Xjw.jpg


The front leaf bolts were rusted into the bushings. I was worried about this, but I ended up coming up with a good solution. I used my MAP torch to burn away enough of the bushing to where I could get a vise grip on the metal insert. Didn't take much effort with the impact to break them loose.

The left side bumper bracket is tweaked along with the trunk floor in that area. Not sure how I'll go about remedying this. The metal is solid with no rust.
wdxhoMP.jpg

6W02reZ.jpg


Also, is it possible to get patches for the dash other that just the radio hole? Someone ripped out the old ignition cylinder and there is also damage around the HVAC controls. I'd rather not replace the whole dash, and I don't want to buy a new dash just to cut it up for what I need.
mOU35EX.jpg