57 Camaro

 
The fiberglass  fender has a molded in recess for a gas door that must be cut out A hole for a saw blade was drilled in each of the four corners.  Initially only a small opening was cut then once the location was confirmed it was enlarged.  Some of the hinge arm had to be cut away to fit through the opening. Both rear fenders are roughly in place but not glued on yet.   After checking the distance from the middle of one rear fin chrome to the other I found they were 1/2” too close together.  The cause is a small bump at the rear of each fender where the Camaro trunk lid ends.  I was able to move them slightly with a hammer.  The joint between the fenders and rear valance needed to be trimmed to create a butt joint.   The Camaro trunk lid needs to go back on at this point.  To locate the mounting holes it is possible to use a stubby pencil to mark the fiberglass through the mounting holes if you reach around the trunk opening flange of the Camaro.  One hole on the driver’s side is tough to get to behind the convertible top pump... I lost 2 pencils trying to get it marked.  I put the trunk lid on before making several modifications to it but they could be done before reinstalling it.  First each rear corner needs to be cut away to provide clearance. 
The rear spoiler also needs to be partially cut away. Using 3/4” tape as a guide I cut a straight line across the spoiler.  A bit of fiddling with the hinges and grinding the side of the Camaro trunk lid to provide a nice even gap allowed the trunk lid to close.  To prevent the trunk from latching I removed the latch mechanism from inside the trunk.  Otherwise I would have had to reconnect the battery and find the remote to open it each time. 
Once the Camaro’s trunk lid had enough clearance and closed all the way I added the inner trunk panel from the kit.  It has two tails that fit in a small recess on each side of the Camaro trunk lid.  I used three self-drilling / self-tapping screws to attach this piece.  One on each tab and one in the middle.  Again I checked for interference and made some minor adjustments by grinding away a couple spots on the trunk lid.  Next to be fit in place was the kit’s trunk lid. 

I decided to leave the side flange in place but cut it down to 3/4” around three sides.  The other option was to cut the flange off flush with the Camaro lid.  I choose to leave the flange for a more finished look to the edge.  To do this the edges of Camaro trunk lid must be extensively ground down by the thickness of the fiberglass flange on both sides.  The fiberglass trunk also needs to be trimmed to size around the convertible top opening.  While I had the trunk lid in place with the trunk open I traced the back edge of the Camaro’s trunk lid on to the backside of the fiberglass trunk lid.


Next Page - Working up front