Re: j c whitney side panels....what gives?

[jwynne2@domain.elided]

Hi John,

I'm not positive on the rear quarters coming from Howerton.  I'm four
states from home and won't be able to confirm until this weekend, but if it
helps, the catalog was orange(never mind, guess that won't help).

Anyways, I installed my fiberglass quarters on to my 76 Terra, and they
matched up almost perfectly.  The only areas I had to work were where other
body parts mate up to the fiberglass.  This is simply because the
fiberglass is thicker then the original sheetmetal.

Some of the things I had to do:
Remove old rear quarters.  Rust assisted in this area, but for the areas
that were still solid, I used a 1/4 inch drill bit to weaken each weld
joint and then popped them loose with a hammer and chisel.  There's alot of
weld spots so be patient.

Undercoat everything!

Take the fiberglass rear quarters and start at the rear.  There is a lip
that goes over the tail gate opening, just like the original sheetmetal
used to.  From this point, walk the rear quarter up to the door jam.
Again, there is a flap of fiberglass that attaches inside the door jam like
the original metal did.

I used some spring loaded plastic clamps to hold the quarter in place.

Once your happy with the fit, start attaching the panel to the truck.  I
used 3/16 inch aluminum countersunk rivets.  I decided to use the aluminum
instead of steel rivets, because the aluminum ones don't crush the
fiberglass.  I placed them about every inch.  This might be a little
overkill, but I didn't want the flexing of the truck over the years to
weaken the fiberglass.

I had to cut out the openings for the sidemarkers and the fuel inlet tube.
No big deal there, just make sure where you put the cuts.  You can see
faint lines in the fiberglass where these cuts should go.  The fiberglass
also had some minor imperfections in the gel coat, but they were easily
fixed with some light sanding.

So far, I am pretty happy with the results.  I haven't replaced the
tailgate yet, but I don't see any reason why it won't fit.  The fiberglass
section that goes into the door jams had to be worked slightly in order for
the doors not to rub it when they are closed.

The one thing I liked was that the rear quarter had the rear end cap molded
right into it.  It made the job alot easier.  Ofcourse some people might be
upset with the originality aspect, but then again this was a fix that make
my Scout more practical for long term use.

Oh, almost forgot.  The tail lenses fit right into the preformed cutout in
the rear, and there was even a metal bracket bonded into the fiberglass for
screwing the assy into.

Hope this helps a little.  I'll check on the manufacturer this weekend and
let you know who it was.  Good luck,
John W.