Paint and Body Where to Start Fiberglass Trunk Lid Fitment?

Cool Beans

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Aug 2, 2014
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Evening Stangnet! I've finished my tailight replacement redo and I think it is near perfect! +/- 1/16". Original trunk lid fits and latches perfectly. I treated myself to the Shelby style trunk lid and end caps from Fiberglass Specialties in Nevada. The fitment is :poo:. I've read they all suck, so I wasn't disappointed when it didn't fit 100%. The lid is warped. It's also not square. The frame I think is fubar as well. The lid sits hard in the trunk rim before the edge flushes with the quarters. Also, after I install the trunk striker, it sits high by 1/2". I've contacted them about this.

My question, for this trunk lid or any future replacement...

Where do I begin to fit the lid? The end caps have too much extra material so the bumper wont sit flush. At least 1/2" needs to be cut away. I started to rough it in at a 3/4" projection from the leading edge of the fin to the taillight panel because it gave me a 1/4" gap on the passenger side corner. This leaves the driver side This is how I know it isn't square. How do I proceed? I'm not afraid of fiberglass work (I work on boats) but I have no idea how to do this right.

Thanks!

First picture shows lid sitting too high with striker bolted in. Second picture is the OEM (yet rusty) lid sitting perfect on a petrified seal. Third pic is to show off, lol
 

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There has to be atleast 3/8 inch between the bottom of the lid and the trunk lip for the gasket to set the lid flush with the quarters ,the new tail panels have this lip turned up slightly . You can take a piece of wood and set it on the lip and carefuly hit the wood with a rubber hammer untll the lip bends down where it needs to be.
 
All good advice, thanks! I noticed that the frame area on the trunk lid is tapered, and off center. The latch area sits flush, but either side tapers up to a 1/2" gap. It's weird. That sealing edge is not flat. I need to get a picture and send it in.
 
I got the same parts from KAR mustang, they fit decent, took a bit of fiberglass work to clean em up n make em fit. The trunk lid is a bit warped, be sure to remove the trunklid supports- theyll warp the lid easy n fast. Took a ton of adjusting everything on the lid n I still have to slam the trunk for it to close. But my car looks schweet and it was definitely worth it.

shem
 
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You mean the trunk lid rubber bumpers? The lid has a little too much curve and is sitting on the drivers corner. I assume I'll just grind the under side away until it sits where I want, then glass the top side until it is right?
 
To you both, and I appreciate the help so far! Pics attached of what I assume should be a straight edge along the trunk lid seal. This is the part that sits hard on the panel edge. I feel that this is wrong. The top skin isn't bonded to the inner frame here and is sunk in.
 

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I couldnt find any coupe or convert pics but i did find some fast back and a 69 ,you can see the gap you need for the trunk lid and tail panel ,you can also see the placement of the hood adjusters for bump stops . All years are pretty much the same when dealing with fiberglass
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all those pictures are fantastically helpful! I had no idea about the hood bump stops to be used on the trunk. Makes sense. The stock bumpers don't work :/ Which I have have 2 new ones I can't do anything with, lol.
 
Yikes ..ok thanks for the reply and help ...im not a glass guy so will be interesting :)
Easiest thing you can do . Cut the under brace up to the the bottom of the top skin . Grind away any gell coat about 1 1/2 inches on both sides of the cut ,cut strips of fiberglass mat to lay in where you ground ,grind in a little deep but dont grind through ,wet the mat with resin and lay in place ,press out air bubbles with a small natural bristle paint brush and let it set up ,wait a day and you can sand smooth and ad filler if needed