Just wondering how to remove the panel between the rear window and trunk. Are there spot welds in the window and weatherstrip channels? How hard of a job is this to do? Thanks in advance. Terry

I just did my 65 two days ago. I found spot welds in the trunk weatherstrip channel and the bottom of the window. Also there were 4 on each side. I think about 28 total. I just was on my back in the trunk for half a day. I am a novice however. It was my first large panel removal. I thought it wasn't too difficult. One tip I read on here was to cut out the old panel along both sides so you could get at the welds on the edges. I did it and it helped quite a bit.

Also I had to melt out lead that filled the side channels. Don't know if the 67 has it or not. But a tip to do it, is to apply small amounts of heat and crumble it out with a wire brush.

That is all I can share about it. I imagine you will find similar stuff but I can't say for sure. I am really glad I removed the whole thing, the understructure had lots of surface rust, plus it will make the repair easier on the window corners.

Good luck!

Jeff

Thank You. I guess it will be similar to yours. I already thought that I should cut the ends open to get access to the spot welds on the ends. I knows the metal bends down at the ends and are welds on that lip. I wasnt quite sure if there were welds along the channel areas.
Whoever owned this car before, had loaded a lot of filler on the panel, that a magnet barely held near the glass. It was finished well, but I didnt like the thought of that mud. So after I removed the glass, I took a chisel and knocked some of the putty off to see what was underneath. Suprisingly the metal looks nice. No major rot. But the mud was about 3/8 thick at the glass edge, and taperd to nothing at the trunk, and ends. It must of been dented up and they used all that filler to level it off. ???? I might take a picture of it, and post it later.

This will give you a idea on how many spot welds there are along the rear window and along the trunk. As you can imagine, this repair is a biggy for a novice (like me), but still do-able :)

Thanks for the pic. It gives me an idea to what I have to look forward to.

Hey Raider SS, have you put the piece back in yet? I also have to do this but i heard that it is a real pain to get everything aligned back up. thanks

Yes I have, and mine wasn't so bad.....probably because I had to replace the metal all the way around the back window too. This helped me out because by doing this step at the same time, my sail panels were no longer welded to anything, so they could flex a little in and out so I had a easier time getting the dutchman panel exactly where it needed to fit and moving the sail panels up to the dutchman panel perfectly.

I just cut this panel from my 67 today and can attest to this being a pain in the A$$. Theres also a piece of insulation between this panel and the under structure. Is there a replacement for this insulation, or can I just use a piece of dynamat?

There's also a piece of insulation between this panel and the under structure. Is there a replacement for this insulation, or can I just use a piece of dynamat?

I don't believe you'll find a replacement for sale anywhere. You do want to put a similar thickness / flexible piece back in there. My original piece was still in good shape, so I put it back in.
I have yet to purchase any Dynamat, so I can't say if that will work. I thought maybe a similar thickness roofing tar paper would have been comparable???

I don't believe you'll find a replacement for sale anywhere. You do want to put a similar thickness / flexible piece back in there. My original piece was still in good shape, so I put it back in.
I have yet to purchase any Dynamat, so I can't say if that will work. I thought maybe a similar thickness roofing tar paper would have been comparable???
My guess is that stuff was in there to prevent vibrations between the 2 panels. Im thinking of just putting a few small blobs of butyl or seam sealer rope in there to keep the 2 from touching.??? Tar paper would probably be the same as the original stuff. It sure looks like it to me.

The piece of material between the 2 panels actually ties both pieces together without a physical bond. I think this way the suns heat will allow the exterior piece to expand without issues of a sub panel attached to it. My repair here is done (with the original material sandwiched in), and when I slap the exterior piece with the palm of my hand; it feels like a really thick piece of metal there. Nice :D

IMHO; I'm afraid a many dabs goop will not give the same results.