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Thread: 56 convertible trunk panels

  1. #1
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    56 convertible trunk panels

    I have a56 convertible accually a convertible that has been grafted on to a hardtop .original car was in poor shape.my question is this,is there any reason beside cosmetics that the trunk sides are different for the convertible.

  2. #2
    Registered Member smooth 56's Avatar
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    I don't think so I'm building a 55 hard top and everything I have bought or replaced has been for HT or convertible. Think they were built with the same body just more bracing or support.

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    Got a chance to get into the shop today.I wwas told that a hardtop was the best donor.However after looking at rear trunk assemblies on ebay it looks like a sedan was used and I think there is a difference in contour at the top where the hinge supports meet the sidewall.thanks smooth 56 for comment.

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    Registered Member smooth 56's Avatar
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    My 56 is setting rite next to the 55 when I get home I will look.I think the difference is the length,I had to replace both sides of my hard top.Got any pics that will help me see what you have.My 56 is a 210 there is a big difference between a hard top and sedan in the trunk area.

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    trunk photos

    Took some pictures of trunk,had some trouble getting them from my phone.Like i said i think it is a sedan floor and trunk?You can see at hinge area where they cut a pocket for supports and side wall contour is different.I think wheel wells need some work also.I was trying not to cut everything apart for cosmetic reasons but i am thinking about taking quarters off to work these areas and replace quarters.Did you do just the trunk panels on your hardtop?
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    Last edited by c.c.rider74; 06-21-2015 at 09:39 PM.

  6. #6
    Registered Member smooth 56's Avatar
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    Yep your rite it a 210 sedan. Yes I had an old donor car by chance that I cut the panels out of.Like you said taking the quarters off will make things a lot easier for you to do that repair.So does the top fit good? because the HT and vert have a little more space in the trunk area in front of the wheel well also the top on HT and vert is a little shorter than a sedan.

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    I'm not sure how much of the wheel house is different, but the front of it is flatter on top to accommodate the top frame and drain channel. These pics are all 57 and 56 convertible







    The right side trunk wall has a cosmetic difference in one rib compared to the HT





    The left side appears to me to the same as HT cosmetically, but I know some of the trunk henge parts are different, so the wheel house might also be different in that area.




    Personally, I wouldn't want to try it with a sedan side wall.

  8. #8
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    The top frame was in place when I bought the car and reached the front windshield frame fine,but when it was down it seemed to be hitting wheelwells and not going all the way down.That's why I was going to rework them.This car was started along time ago maybe 30 years or more everything has been brazed in(before mig or tig were common in shops).There was a blister in body filler high up by quarter window area so I ground into it to see what was going on there,what I found was a slice there that was used to shrink top of sedan quarter it was brazed together and that's why it blistered.I know these cars were all the same wheel base but what you said about wheelwells position makes sense.I think the next thing to do is get the new quarters and get the car set up to remove the old ones and see exactly what needs done.Thanks for your help .I'll up date as I progress.

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    Thanks for pictures I'm sure these will help me figure this out might take sometime .

  10. #10
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    If you end up using a lot of that metal, I would take down to bare metal and get rid of all that brazing


    I forgot that I had these 55 HT pics









    On the conv it looks like the side wall might be closer to the outer 1/4 panel than any of the other models to make room for the folding top, they just about touch at the very top







    And it looks like the trunk henge braces are probably shorter--front to back at least






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