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Rear Window Rust Repair - A Rot RebellionRear Window Rust Be Gone From the October, 2007 issue of Mopar Muscle By Geoff Stunkard Photography by Geoff Stunkard
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In our June '07 issue, we detailed what went into replacing the wheelhousings on Ed Blankenship's 383 Road Runner. Tracy Hicks and Mark Scott of Wise Guyz Rod & Custom in Jonesborough, Tennessee, had already replaced the trunk pan when we arrived on the scene to document the remaining metalwork on this classic Mopar musclecar. As mentioned in the previous installment, the trunk was done first to help create a platform to support people and tools, which will come in handy on this next step. This month, we are going to document the process of replacing the rotted-out areas at the lower corners of the rear window opening. Puddles of wet, rotting leaves had eaten far into the metal in these critical areas, and it is imperative when making repairs to make sure the weather seal will fit completely and properly into the rebuilt channel. The car also had some unique outer-edge damage that needed to be rebuilt. The corner replacements are available as stampings commercially, but each car is different, so some "massaging" will be part of this effort. The most important part of the job is to make sure the measurements are as close as possible because that rear window needs to fit into the replacement snuggly. 1 After taking the trim,... 1 After taking the trim, rubber, and window out of the car, we found some nasty surprises. Here is the window channel. You can choose to burn that rubber out (warning: this stuff stinks bad), or use a little elbow grease and dig it out. Either way, it all has to come out. Many home garage craftsmen may not have access to the larger metal brakes and tools that helped moved this process along at the Wise Guyz shop. The art of fabricating and fine-tuning the replacement pieces that are not available commercially will likely require the use of some specialized equipment to be done properly, though a good craftsman can fabricate some of it with care and patience. Regardless, the work shown here can help you determine what you might need to do to get your own Mopar repairs done. Tools TiG welder MiG welder with .035 wire Air or electric rotary tool (grider, cutoff wheels, drill) Air or electric metal hacksaw/ saber saw Body hammer and dollies Vise-grip-style locking clamps Sheetmetal stock Sheetmetal shear 2 The next step was cleaning...  2 The next step was cleaning and polishing to determine the extent of the problem. It cannot be emphasized enough that if you are planning to weld anything, bare metal is a must. For most total restoration projects, media blasting the body is the proper way to go, however, this is not a complete restoration and grinding the affected regions will have to suffice.  3 Once we got into good metal,...  3 Once we got into good metal, a straight edge was used to ensure we made clean cuts to remove the rot. The measured line-at 1 1/2-inches from the lip-is further out from the rust to make sure the replacement parts are large enough to be heated without warping. Other cuts will be at hard angles, not curved.  4 The first step was using...  4 The first step was using a cutting wheel to make a small but straight incision in the center of the line. You can either use the cutting wheel for all the cuts or a power jigsaw if you have one.  5 At this point, the rear...  5 At this point, the rear tray was also removed to assess the damage and replace it. The spot welds holding the Dutchman panel in place are located under the panel and were drilled out. We will cover replacement of this piece in a later installment. Meanwhile, the rest of the rot for our window-channel problem was carefully removed, leaving the inner metal to support the new pieces.  6 With the metal cut out,...  6 With the metal cut out, we used an air chisel to knock the remaining pieces off the inner structure of the window channel.  7 Remember, a clean surface...  7 Remember, a clean surface is vital. We used a Twinfiber wheel to make this go quickly without doing any damage to the raw metal. You can use whatever you have handy.  8 Here is the replacement...  8 Here is the replacement YearOne corner placed against the original location before the cutting started, and again once the old metal was cut out. The production variances in this car made the stamped angle of our replacement piece off by a small amount.  In our case, we will not need...  In our case, we will not need the whole thing, so the trimming begins. You can see the higher area where the rear tray fits has already been cut off the new piece.  9 After measuring, two alignment...  9 After measuring, two alignment holes were drilled to temporarily hold the new corner piece in place. The larger hole on the B-post is for the chrome trim that was removed with the vinyl top.  10 Before anything else was...  10 Before anything else was done, the replacement parts were again measured for exact fit. From the underside, you can see the corner of the new piece is lower than the corner of our cut edge and will need to be "tweaked."  The new rear Dutchman tray...  The new rear Dutchman tray and support were partially installed to give a good base to attach the inner tab of our corner.  11 To change the angle of...  11 To change the angle of the new corner, a cut was made to both corners of the replacement piece except at the center upright edge so it can flex but not become two separate pieces. It can then be adjusted to fit exactly.  12 Using the old piece of...  12 Using the old piece of removed metal as a template, the corner piece was adjusted and marked.  13 The gaps were carefully...  13 The gaps were carefully welded up. to prevent heat build-up, we worked slowly to "sew" the metal together.  14 With the new piece held...  14 With the new piece held in place with our Cleco pins (if you don't have Clecos, use sheetmetal screws), an exact template of the rest of the cut-out metal area was made, using heavy paper and trimming it to fit.  This needs to be as exact...  This needs to be as exact as possible, though some trimming may be needed as you go. The new replacement was trimmed out of steel sheetmetal. remember, you can trim a little; you can't make it bigger.  15 Since the top of the quarter-panel...  15 Since the top of the quarter-panel was not flat, the new piece needed to have a bend in it, and that slightly changed the angle of the corner. To remedy the angle change, a gap was cut into the replacement piece; then adjusted to fit on the car, and again carefully welded up.  This was easier to do on the...  This was easier to do on the bench than trying to exactly line-up the pieces and do it on the car. The left-hand end was left longer so a 90-degree bend could be used to tuck it into the gap between the two body panels.  16 Cleaned up, the piece...  16 Cleaned up, the piece fit right into the gap. Using a welder, the first tack weld was made near the upper edge of the replacement.  17 Slowing working down the...  17 Slowing working down the replacement section, welds were added every 2-inches or so to start with, going about halfway down and hammering and fitting the metal. the homemade piece was actually fitted on top of the replacement piece. The edge where the replacement piece and the repop meet will be welded together.  18 Here is the initial tack...  18 Here is the initial tack welds across the top edge of our replacement. It should be noted that every other spot was welded, allowed to cool, and then the rest were added, taking care to never allow the torch to heat the metal more than necessary. That slight overhang will be edge-finished once the inner piece has been fitted.  19 Occasionally, the edge...  19 Occasionally, the edge will need to be ground down on the replacement due to shrinkage of the gap due to weld-generated heat. This is why it was so critical that the original cut was straight-taking your time will make this right.  20 After checking our fitment,...  20 After checking our fitment, we found the bottom-edge section of the window opening was slightly higher than needed (meaning protruding into the window opening).  The trim was laid into the...  The trim was laid into the channel, and a line was drawn on the excess metal, which was then cut out.  21 Next was cleaning the...  21 Next was cleaning the new corner and edge. This area is what will be visible to the eye once the corner trim is installed, so careful finishing was important.  22 The window-trim fitment...  22 The window-trim fitment was also checked on the window's upright edge and marked for minor clean up.  23 Now we needed to fill...  23 Now we needed to fill in the inner edge of the opening. Note the angle in the pattern; this will be important in the following steps.  24 Rather than trying to...  24 Rather than trying to cut out the angled pieces of metal exactly as the pattern, we made the pattern straight for ease of layout and cutting. The design was drawn out on the steel and then cut.  25 After adding a small cut...  25 After adding a small cut at the bend location, (which allows the piece to be bent to match the original window opening pattern), the new replacement piece was bent around a bar and carefully hammered into shape. The separation shown in the center-where the cut was made-made the curved center point a little simpler to fabricate.  26 our new piece was fitted...  26 our new piece was fitted inside the channel; they overlap on top of the corner we installed previously.  27 The longer piece was tack-welded...  27 The longer piece was tack-welded to the channel edge, tucking under the top piece so that it can be smoothed down. a body hammer was used to make the transition into the corner exactly fit the lower structure we added earlier.  28 Next, yellow cardstock...  28 Next, yellow cardstock was laid into the window channel and a pattern was marked. the inner edge was trimmed and made to fit.  29 This is a flat replacement...  29 This is a flat replacement piece cut out of sheetmetal and has holes in it to weld it to the channel. It was fit, clamped in place, and the initial tack welds were done to hold it in place.  30 Clamped down again, we...  30 Clamped down again, we began final welds on everything.  31 Be careful and take your...  31 Be careful and take your time welding. Hit the area once, move to another area, hit it, and go to a third area. Never add more than 1/2-inch length of weld to any one spot at one time.  32 With the edges welded...  32 With the edges welded up, you can see how good things look. The final plug welds were put into place and smoothed out as well.
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