Topic: 1970 Interior Fold Down Fiberglass Quarter Panel

[G Wood]

I know from previous posts and photos that the interior fold down quarter panel fiberglass panels were fastened with rivets at the point of the trap door but was there ever a time that screws were used? On my 9/69 Dearborn Boss 302 the panels are mounted with a screws. The rear interior panels  do not appear to have been out of the car before but I could be wrong.

[J_Speegle]

Believe you will find the answer is that rivets were typical and not screws. I looked through my pictures and could not find an example with pictures of that area of the car be it a Mach, sportroof or Boss. Too many non-fold down examples 

Closest I have is Nov and Dec 69 examples with rivets

[G Wood]

Thank you for the response. I would guess rivets as well and maybe these panels were  removed at some point but it did not appear so.

[hopey]

I know from previous posts and photos that the interior fold down quarter panel fiberglass panels were fastened with rivets at the point of the trap door but was there ever a time that screws were used? On my 9/69 Dearborn Boss 302 the panels are mounted with a screws. The rear interior panels  do not appear to have been out of the car before but I could be wrong.

Do you have any photos of the screws? Are they pan head Phillips?

[J_Speegle]

Have seen pan head screws used a couple of times (different plants and years) when the side panels didn't line up with the floor brackets because someone welded them off by a couple of inches but the rear trap door opening is different since there were not pre-drilled holes to misaligned

[hopey]

Have seen pan head screws used a couple of times (different plants and years) when the side panels didn't line up with the floor brackets because someone welded them off by a couple of inches but the rear trap door opening is different since there were not pre-drilled holes to misaligned

Not sure I follow that logic Jeff. The use of screws is not conditional on there being a panel/ bracket misalignment or the lack of a pre-drilled hole.

Anyway, for what its worth, one of the MCA BOSS Gold card judges is currently disassembling a survivor 10/24/69 Dearborn build BOSS 302 and is documenting anomalies. One of these is the use of screws on the fiberglass panels around the trapdoor. It would therefore be good to see photos of Garth Woods observations to see if it is, indeed, the same fastener.

Edit: 2 photos from 10/24/69 Dearborn BOSS302 with kind permission of the owner.

[G Wood]

Photo of the screws that I removed

[J_Speegle]

Not sure I follow that logic Jeff. The use of screws is not conditional on there being a panel/ bracket misalignment or the lack of a pre-drilled hole.

Just sharing that they have been observed being used in repairs and conditions when things were not "normal/typical" to attach interior panels to the car. Possibly like the use of alliterative methods (electrical clips for staples for the radiator seal attachment for examples) when tools were out of commission. In this example a drill or rivet tool until another was sourced and brought to the line

G Wood - thanks for posting

[hopey]

Photo of the screws that I removed

G Wood, IMO looks like the same style fastener as pictured in the 10/24/69 BOSS302.
As you already know from the post last night on the BOSS FB page, a couple of the MCA gold card judges discussed the fastener and have confirmed seeing these screws being used to secure the fiberglass panels around the trapdoor on multiple original vehicles.
It would be good to document any other survivors here on CMF rather than FB (which is a terrible place to document or find posts) to see if this was for a given period at Dearborn or just a tool down anomaly as suggested by J_Speegle.

It is worth noting that the assembly drawing TO-525 of R.P.O. Body Trim Panels D0ZB that shows the generally accepted rivet installation was effective 11/14/69 and superseded a previous arrangement dated 6-1-69. That drawing has not been published I believe.

[G Wood]

Based on Jeff's first response, I was making an assumption that the panels had been out of my car and then re-installed with screws. I made this assumption as my panels have not be refinished, but there was paint missing where rivets may have been drilled out.

I am not sure if this is a bad assumption or not or will add any clarity to this post. Given that the screws that I posted are similar to the car posted on the FB page I really do not know which to go with when I re-assemble.

Garth

[J_Speegle]

I am not sure if this is a bad assumption or not or will add any clarity to this post. Given that the screws that I posted are similar to the car posted on the FB page I really do not know which to go with when I re-assemble.

A common problem for owners of cars with this sort of difference and often compounded by the fact that you can't put off making a choice or hold up a restoration for ever

1- Of course you have started by posting and asking about the difference to make others aware of the possible factory issue and search for supporting other examples - hopefully same production  time and plant

2- Then without others, sometimes it was a one time thing, choose if your going to repeat or restore the car with the "mistake", difference or what ever you choose to label it or correct it to be like typically done and build the car as Ford would have wanted the car built and as typically done.

I've made my choices on such cars in the past and wish you wisdom to make the best choice for you in a similar situation. 

[G Wood]

Jeff, I appreciate your comments and agree.

[Bossman963]

I can 99% agree with Jeff and all my cars had rivets I remember when restoring had to be very careful when drilling them out-my2cts

[Steve Schenck]

I recently removed the fold down rear seat and trim panels from my 70 Boss 302, that was built at Dearborn, April 20, 1970. I expected to find the trap door trim panels riveted in place like every other set I've seen, but instead found them secured with small round headed phillips screws.  I didn't think enough of it at the time to photograph the screws from the inside, but i do have photos of the self tapping tip of the threaded screws visible from inside the trunk.

[hopey]

At Mecum Kissimmee this week. Build Dec 4th, 1969 at Dearborn.