ZeroMick Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Hi Guys, Greatings from the land down under! first post here... I've been lurking around for a while and the resources and knowledge on here are amazing! I've had my 71 Monte since last October and I'm getting ready to take it off the road for a few months to give it some TLC, the first being fixing a dint in the rear 1/4 panel in front of the wheel. For the life of me I cant figure out how to get the trim off on the inside to get access behind the dint, can anyone help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroMick Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 As she sits right now, all original, minus the 30 year old respray... not many of these in Australia 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Never had to do that but I'm guessing the 2 door panels & rear Interior quarter panels will have to come out. The rear seat will have to come out for the rear seat panels to be removed. Only other thing is that they are glued onto the exterior body panels which I would find highly unlikely. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC1of80 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Hi Mick. Yes, first remove both parts of the rear seat, then remove the panel with the ashtray assy, the rear window handle and then the trim panel. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 That molding in the middle is held on with pop rivets. Take out the vinyl insert and the drill off the heads of the rivets. There is a tool available to remove the window crank. The crank has a groove and the tool goes into the groove and pushes the holding clip out. You will need to apply slight pressure to the trim panel to get the tool in tt the groove. There is also a screw in the front edge of the trim pqnel going into the quarter panel that will have to be removedplus a couple of screws you will see at the back of the trim panel after you get the seat out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 That outside molding on mine was held on with screws. As Larry said pull out the inserts (center peice of molding) I decided not to put that molding back on. Are you going to try and fix that or replace the quater panel? Welcome to the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Welcome! Love the picture. I can't say for sure but I do believe the "side moldings" are NOT factory but aftermarket add on. IMO, pull them off and discard them. Nothing else to add from above but here is a picture of the tool used to remove window crank handles. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroMick Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 Cheers guys, yeah I figured the side mouldings were not factory, I've not seen any photos with them before and they are coming off permanently when I do the body work. Thanks for the replies everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I am not sure how much access you will get to that dent from the inside due to body reinforcement and window crank mechanics but it has been awhile since I had one of the side rear interior panels off. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmoore2 Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 I attached 2 photos with quarters removed, so you can see what may be in the way of getting to your dent. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCfan Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Hi, Mick, I don't even attempt body work, but I know how to access the back side of your quarter panel dent because I installed factory power windows in one of my '70s. I have included some photos from that project that might give you some guidance. Okay, here we go ... Remove the rear seat by pushing the lower seat frame spring rods back, up and out of the two slotted brackets you see protruding toward the back edge of the black carpeting. BTW, sometimes this seems fairly easy but it can be a total PITA! Now you can remove the two screws in the front edge of the arm rest BUT the armrest is NOT ready to come out yet. You first have to remove the rear seat back. (Disregard the white stuff - a prior owner put that there for insulation I guess - it's gone now!) Use a wrench to loosen and remove the bolts that secure the lower frame of the rear seat back to the floor on both sides. Now using both hands, lift the seat back straight up at least an inch to unhook its top edge from the front of the package tray. Remove the seat back from the car. Now you can see and remove a screw that is holding the vertical metal filler trim that is attached to the back of the armrest. Look from the center of the rear seat back toward the side of the car and you will see it about half way up the seat back opening. Now you can lift the arm rest (with vertical metal trim filler attached) away and out of the car. (Again, disregard the white stuff!) Before you can remove the side panels, you have to remove the window crank. There are some specialized tools to do this but you can also just reach behind the crank base with a hook pick and pull the wire retaining clip out, allowing you to pull the crank straight off of its splined stud. Next, remove the screw that is inside the rear window opening at the top of the door opening. That screw holds the rear side panel in place. Now lift the side panel straight up, unhooking its top edge from the rear window glass channel and remove the panel from the car. Carefully remove the vapor barrier because you will want to re-install it, even if you have to tape it in place. Walla! With the window glass rolled up, you should now have access the the backside of the dent shown in your photo. NOTE: Depending on the location of the dent, you may also have to remove the window glass and regulator/track to allow working room. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroMick Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 mate, you're an absolute legend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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