If you're following along with Super Bee Project, you saw us do some repair to the Dutchman panel in the January 2012 issue. Once again, we had so many pictures that we were not able to fit into the magazine so we decided to bring them to you here.
Like we said in the magazine, overall, we were more than satisfied with the fit and quality of the replacement panel. Now, that being said, if you did read the article in the magazine, you saw that we did have some fitment issues. Keep in mind, the car is more than 30-years old, and it's hard to say what kind of life it might have encountered over the years. We weren't sure if the situation we encountered was caused by the car or the replacement panel, but regardless, it was easily overcome. Keep in mind, this is rust repair/body work, nothing ever goes as planned.
Depending on your skill level,...
Depending on your skill level, this job can be accomplished in a day, but even if you don't feel confident enough to do it yourself, it's always good to know how your repair needs to be made.
Although not noticeable from...
Although not noticeable from the outside, there is rust at the area where the Dutchman panel meets the rear window opening. The only to properly fix it, it to replace it.
Removal of the old panel was...
Removal of the old panel was easy. Simply take a die grinder or other cutting tool, and roughly cut out the old panel.
Once the majority of the panel...
Once the majority of the panel is removed, finish removing the remaining pieces of the panel by drilling the spot welds out.
Previously, I said we ran...
Previously, I said we ran into a situation, and here it is. Where the replacement panel meets the panel, the pieces didn't come together as nicely as we hoped. Again, these cars didn't just fall together when they were new, and variances on the assembly line could mean that any replacement panel will not fall into place on every car. This was a minor discrepancy that was fairly easy to fix.
The slice we made on the replacement...
The slice we made on the replacement panel allows us to close the wide part of the gap between the panel and the Dutchman panel, but now we have to contend with the gap we made by cutting. The reason we did it this way is because our cut can now be welded and smoothed. Since the joint between the two panels is visible, welding the seam in this area can ruin the body line.
Once you're happy with the...
Once you're happy with the fitment you'll need to finish-weld the panel in place. Unless you have a huge pinch welding-machine, you'll need to improvise. We drill holes in our new panel every couple of inches, and simply fill-weld them to attach the new piece.
The new panel installed, and...
The new panel installed, and ready for bodywork and paint.
Underneath our Dutchman panel,...
Underneath our Dutchman panel, we found a strange looking repair on the trunk floor. There was a patch on the floor that was roughly 3-feet wide, and 18-inches deep.
Once we started to remove...
Once we started to remove the 14-gauge metal used to repair the floor...
...we found that the entire...
...we found that the entire floor would need replacing.
We also found that the rear...
We also found that the rear cross member also needed replaced.
This piece is now available...
This piece is now available from the aftermarket, but when we fixed ours, it wasn't.
With the new floors welded...
With the new floors welded in place, we can now fit the fuel cell.