Topic: Trunk Floors/Bumper Mounts/Rear Taillight Panel/Rear Crosspiece

[bryancobb]

Replacing these 6 parts and need advice on VERTICAL alignment.  The rear crosspiece and Ford Tooling rear taillight panel have large alignment notches for left/right fit-up, and on the ones that I removed, the bottom edge of the two parts were flush.  If I fit them in like this, the repopped bumper mount reinforcements that go in the trunk are a full inch too high.  If I jack the car up so the rear suspension is supported by the frame rails, the frame rails sag a little and the bumper mount reinforcements are 1/2 inch high, and the bottom edge of the rear crosspiece is 1/2 inch lower than the rear taillight panel.  If I use a porta-power and lightly jack the frame rails downward until the bumper mount reinforcements are perfect so the bumper bolt holes line up, the bottom edge of the crosspiece is 1 inch lower than the rear taillight panel, and the rear valence screws will only penetrate the rear taillight panel and not the rear crosspiece.  I suspect the car had a minor accident in the middle of the back, before I bought it in 1978.  The quarters have no evidence of repairs, but the rear taillight piece could have been replaced.  There was brass filler metal in the left and right corners of the trunk driprail where the rear taillight panel attaches, and at the bottom where the filler neck bulkhead attached to the rear taillight panel.  I don't think the assembly line used brass here.  I just need to know if anyone has run into this and how they ended up solving it.
My removed bumper mount reinforcements had their slots for the bumper bolts "HOGGED OUT" downward to the point that there was almost no metal at the bottom of the lower slots.  This just can't be right?

[cobrajetchris]

HOW does the rest of the car fit up, like the door to qtr. panel gaps, trunk lid to qtrs. etc..? I would not do any fitting are welding with the car on jack stands supported by the frame rails, If your car has the suspension in it, have the car on it's wheels are support with jack stands at the rear axle housing and front lower control arms. I would first fit the trunk lid to the rear body and see how it shuts and seals and fits up. As for brass there was some limited use around corner seams from the factory but the edges around the qtr. panels and rear x member are all spot welded. If you can upload some photos this may help too. I have noticed on most models I see the rear body panel and bumper mount brackets are not perfectly aligned, however not as extreme as 1/2 inch or more.    chris

[bryancobb]

Hey Chris,
Thanks for your input.  This car was bought by me in 1977.  It had no rust or previous body work then.  My Dad was the Lincoln Merc Body shop foreman from the 50's to the 70's and I was raised in the body shop.  Not one myself but very familiar.  I sold it in 1980 to the guy I bought it back from in 2009.  He put 15,000 mi on it and never let it get wet. 
It doesn't sag, the panels fit great, and it has no rust anywhere except the exhaust related rust of the trunk floors.  I only had to remove the taillight panel to get best access to replace the floors properly.  The trunk lid fits well and the quarters are original and undamaged.

[cobrajetchris]

My suggestions at this point would be to make sure the floor pans are fitting tight to the frame rails (self taping screws or vise grips),   then fit the rear body and x member flush on the bottom flange. I would then have someone help you hold up the bumper to see how it fits. If everything is looking good at that point I would fit the floor mounted brackets as best you can and tack weld them in, then remove the rear body panel and bend the brackets down as they can be bent down once it's welded in place. A large round punch slid into the brkt. holes works pretty good. There may also need to be some HOGING of the brkt. or rear body holes as a last resort as you are dealing with aftermarket parts and they are notorious for fit problems.  CHRIS

P.S  I am sure you have done this, but compare the origninal bracket with the new ones to make sure you have the correct bracket.