TR6 New Rear Deck
It’s taken much longer to get to this point than expected. Way too many other things going on this summer. Now in mid September with cold weather approaching I’ve got to get motivated.
Removal of the rear deck once again revealed more rust damage. The deck itself had rusted thru on both ends and been patched. The top edge of the inner fenders just over the rear tires were virtually missing. The old top edge was cut away and new sections fabricated. The sections were mig welded in place. This photo shows the left hand side after the repair.
Here is the new deck panel punched for plug welding. The 3/16″ holes line up with the old spot welds on the brace. Each old spot weld, when removed, left a nice shiny home for the plug welds.
Here it is plug welded in place. On the right hand edge you can still see the small holes punched for welding. Before the sides could be welded, the rear fenders were trial fitted to ensure good alignment. The plug welds were ground down using a whizzer wheel. The grinding scars were filled with a light wipe of green acrylic spot putty. A bit of sanding with a block of wood virtually made all the welds disappear.
The trunk area has been primed with NAPA’s Crossfire Primer Sealer. Sealers don’t require sanding if topcoated within sixteen hours and they actually seal whereas primer/surfacers are porous. Sealers are a good idea if a project starts and stops like this one. The color coats (2) were NAPA acrylic enamel. I’ve decided to paint interiors and internal sections like inside fenders with acrylic enamel. The exterior will be painted by the panel with a base coat/ clear coat and then bolted in place. Next up is prepping the rear valance for paint as well as the trunk top edge.
