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Rear 1/4 panel fix


ZeroMick

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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?

 

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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  

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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.

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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

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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

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  • 1 month later...

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 ...

 

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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!

 

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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!)

 

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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.

 

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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. 

 

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Now you can lift the arm rest (with vertical metal trim filler attached) away and out of the car.  (Again, disregard the white stuff!)

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Now lift the side panel straight up, unhooking its top edge from the rear window glass channel and remove the panel from the car.

 

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Carefully remove the vapor barrier because you will want to re-install it, even if you have to tape it in place.

 

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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!

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