BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”

[pagrunt]

Is there a way to keep enough of the weather strip mount flange in place (while being flexible enough to adjust as needed) & fab a new tail panel to correct GM's great quality control giving a new slate to work on? It sucks getting into panel fabrication to find the fixed panel is out of wack. With this idea, you could even make a pocket that'll give a inner access to mount/remove the plate light while using that voodoo you do so well to look factory like. Regardless, taking a break & stepping back for a moment or two can be what's needed to give a better view on the fix.

 

[Sweet_Johnny]

That's an all too familiar feeling. You've illustrated that these things are slapped together about as well as a kid's first model car, and the panels are all on different planes and angles. I don't think you could square it unless you completely separated both quarters, the pan, and the tail again.

This reminds me of replacing siding or redoing a floor in a home that's not square. In those instances the "tweak" is spread out over a larger area, effectively hiding it. Would sectioning solve the issue?

What about trimming the entire border of the tail panel and squaring that and the tag filler panel with the trunk lid, then filling?

There's also the Bob Ross approach: instead of trying to remove something from one side you can add it to the other side. They'll match and it might be easier.