Body Work 3 Rear Panel

The rear section of the T25 is mostly taken up by the tailgate.  It's the section beneath this containing the lights and number plate which tends to corrode.

The number plate is fixed to a drop-down flap which gives access to the dipstick, oil filler and the coolant system expansion tank.

The flap is sprung closed on a pair of hinges. A bit of effort is needed to remove the screws but the complete assembly does come off.  I found it was too difficult to get at the screws holding the hinge brackets to the rear panel, and the solution was to knock out the hinge pins so that the two parts of the hinges sprang apart, and then it was easier to get a drive onto the screws.

This shows one hinge removed.  The two holes above the removed hinge are for the screws which retain the collant expansion tank.  I really need the whole area clear to get all the rust off and respray it.



Beneath this opening is the dropped lip that covers the exhaust muffler.  All the little square holes in this are also corroded.  The whole area soon cleans up with the wire wheel on the angle grinder.

The areas that appear black are actually shiny, it's just the way the light catches them.













Once cleaned up it is apparent that there are several perforations along the lower lip, which will clean up on the back and then repair with a fibreglass patch from the reverse side.

Once repaired, rubbed down and primed the section looks quite good.  There are some uneven edges around the little square holes where the old paint has not feathered properly. We might fix this before the final respray, but all this section is behind and below the rear bumper, so not subject to close scrutiny.