71 deck filler panel?

[Lin,s GS]

I have the vinal top rot around the bottom of the rear window on my 71 GS does anybody make a filler panel or rear window part of quarter panels. Any advice will be appreciated! I have a moldy rear package tray and waterlogged speakers.
Thanks Lin

[evil16v]

No... no one makes it andi don't know why.... I guess it's because it's a complicated piece. it includes the reinforcementundernieth and a trim piece under the window.

Here is a complete thread Mike garrison and I put together. In this thread mike shows every thing involved with transplanting one from a skylark into my stage 1. Below is a link to thread here on bpg.


http://www.bpgforums.com/showthread.php?t=2005

[ROCK N ROLL GSX]

Just happened to be doing that very operation on a GSX project last week. I don't need to tell you amount of time that goes into a job like that.I started out but removing the rear glass from a parts car and rough cutting it out with a plasma cutter.Then drilling out the spot welds and and removing the pieces from both cars, stripping the replacement and cleaning carefully prepping the piece to weld back on.By the time the glass is back in !!! You have covered some distance. This piece is available for all the other A Bodies and interchanges on some $99.The Buick A body part has a bow in it that makes it different and why they don't make it. That bow contributes to the water settling in the corners too and why it deteriorates.
I could have piece sectioned it, but that is not the type of work we do.I see most people load it up with plastic .
Replacing that panel OK to do, along with some other sheet metal work.But the operation itself reminds me to shy away from projects with extensive sheet metal work.
I can recall doing two cars at the same time, one a clean one, and one a very rough one. 75 % production time going to the rough car and 25% on the clean one.The clean one was back on the frame and painted while the rough one was just completing the sheet metal work like trunk floors 1/4's etc... etc...Even though 75% of shop time was put on the basket case.
The client saw the other car on the frame and painted, and thought that car was getting more attention.Restoring rough cars may be a thing of the past.Maybe a GSX or something like that, under very special circumstances.
We are working on some pretty clean ones right now, and I can tell you it goes a LOT faster and smoother.We sure need that filler piece reproduced and will be glad to the outer wheel house available soon ?

[BignastyGS]

I may just have one right now after I get the fenders sold I have. My 71 GS is now a parts car and I know this panel is sweet. I may decide to sell it though.

[Lin,s GS]

That wasnt what I wanted to hear. I have found a parts car (unseen) which supposidly has a good panel if not I will be in the market. Thanks for the pictures, this project looks worth the $750 I might need to talk to Mike, he put Quarter panels on it (damage not rust) and painted it in 1986 and the rest of the car still looks good I dont even plan on repainting the car after this repair. The guy that I had put the vinal top on must not have got it sealed good because after a wash I could milk some water out from under the back corners from day one I should have done something then but I was 17 young and dumb.
Thanks for the advice
Lin

[Lin,s GS]

I got a 70 Skylark parts car mainly for the deck filler panel, its been pretty well picked, but it does have almost rust free (surface rust only) undented doors. The kicker is its a post, roll out wing windows and all (this is a first for me) but comparing them to my car they are the same size and it looks like you could cut off the frames and put normal windows and works in them, has anyone ever tried this?
I dont really need the doors but if I could get this to work my doors do have some dings and are kinda getting crusty underneath. I have nothing to loose by trying but would appreciate any thoughts.
Thanks
Lin

[71GSX455-4Spd]

I may just have one right now after I get the fenders sold I have. My 71 GS is now a parts car and I know this panel is sweet. I may decide to sell it though.

Pat-

If Lin's GS isn't interested in that panel, I would be. I know I have rust under the vinyl top as there are a few spots that are "crunchy".

Let me know...

[Duane Heckman]

Lin,s GS,
I hate to tell you this but 2-door post model doors are completely different from 2-door coupe/conv doors. The inside skin is completely different, due to different mounting requirements for the vent window mechanisms, and the outer skins are also different for the same reasons. I also think the exterior mirror mounting holes are different, due to moving them back to clear the vent window.

If you cut off the window frames, all you will do is ruin a set of doors so no one can use them.
Duane

[Lin,s GS]

Thanks Duane, I pulled off a door panel earlier and your right, I have another parts car that needs doors. I was slowly aquiring parts so maby my 6 or 8 yr old boys can have a shot at a GS clone if they are ever interested, The roll out wing windows are kinda cool Ill leave em alone. I guess I can put em on a non post car?
Sorry Pat the Filler panel is what I bought this car for, the doors were the bonus kinda one of those $100.00 for the filler panel $75.00 for the car (unhappy neighbors thing)
Thanks
Lin

[Lin,s GS]

Sorry Ken I misunderstood your post, I dont need the panel so go ahead, I appreciate the consideration.
Lin

[ROCK N ROLL GSX]

Restoration and the process is an area that really needs to be discussed at length. So many people confuse the format of commercial type body shops with restoration shops. There is a big difference in body work and a restoration, and the process of prepping a car for paint and the assembly. Most enthusiasts don't really understand the process and what is involved.
I wonder too, just how many restorable GS'S are still out there.I passed on two projects in the last while.They were too rough and needed extensive work. Booked in a Grand National instead. Do have a Stage 1 conv project a Stage 1 HTP and a GSX on the go right now.The GSX a "little" rough. No longer will we accept any more rough or parts cars to restore.We used to take in cars that no one else would do.Some of those condition cars have caused us some controversy. And cars like that, you do all the very rough sheet metal work and prep and paint, and never really get any recognition for it.No one ever knows what the rough parts car projects looked like in the first place.AND They take took long to do. We do document and take hundreds of 35 mm and digital photos and run hours of video of EVERY project we do.There is never any question of what condition a car was in when it came in , what was done, and what it looked like when it left.Going to have the guys that we are working on the TV shoot with, format a DVD on some of the projects we have done over the years.I would like to bring it to one of the restoration semiars to help educate people, they can see what really goes on with the process, and what some of the cars we worked on, Really looked like when they came in and what they looked like when they left, and how much work is really involved in doing a really rough car.We certainly advise these days, NOT to start restoring a rough car. And even in some cases discourage a restoration if we feel that buying a restored car is more practical.Really looking forward to putting this material together. Sometimes I think it might be interesting to take it one step farther and create a Restoration "HowTo" DVD on GS'S. 20 years of pictures video and doucmentation is certainbly enough material to combine to make a DVD showing the process of restoring a GS from A-Z. Now that we have some contacts in the entertainment industry that might be possible.I am certainly thinking about it.