I asked this question in the repro section, with no respnse, so I figured I'd ask here.... I finally got around to stripping the drivers side 1/4 on my latest 66 vert project, and found that the it had been patched badly long ago by "butt brazing in spots, and caking on bondo. The passenger panel had been replaced, poorly. Both were later rusted,and hit again, and bondoed up by some hack shop in Juarez, haha. Talk about the car that wouldn't die. I think the only thing that saved it was being a GS convertible. My question is: I have heard numerous people say that hardtop 1/4s require a lot of work to fit a convertible. I have a line on some very nice Skylark hardtop 1/4's in a local yard. If a good bodyman is doing the work, how hard is it really, to section them in, say from the top body line down, or from the crease. Thanks, Dan
Dan I have put HT Q panels on a 69 GS conv. We cut them as high as we could. These were NOS GM ones. For used I would still cut high. One thing the top of the wheel house is not the same. The conv is kinda flat because the top lays on it. Thanks Bill.
Dan if you could get the complete rear clip from the hardtop you could put it on in one piece. Cut at the front deck lid seam on each side and cut around the top area to mid quarter window area and put the complete front quarter and rear clip on with complete trunk floor up to the seam where the conv top motor goes. The only other issue is the wheel well tops as I said the conv are flat on top. Best to cut then high and butt weld them. I have done this on a 67 conv and it works out very well. You do need a good body man. Mine was a little harder because we used a 4 door rear clip and that got us the quarter lips and inner and outer wheel house but needed to splice in the front part of the quarter. Thanks Bill.
