While taking the grill out of my recently aquired 73 parts car, I noticed the right [passenger side] inner fender is PERFECT ! No rust under the battery box like most, even the battery box is rust free! Now, how do I go about removing it after I pull the fender? I know it bolts at the shock tower, but how is it fastened to the core support? Bolts or welds? Best way to remove it without damage?
It does not bolt at the shock tower ... those bolts are to hold the outer coil spring cover on ... you will have to drill out lots of spot welds to get it off without ruining it ...
Which CAN be done and is worth it to get a rust free part. Might be quicker to get a sawzall and cut behind the shock tower and thru the radiator support and just save the entire section to be trimmed out later. Of course you'll need to remove the suspension too. Got your work cut out for you either way. Good luck.
Sounds like fun. I will probably just use the cut off wheel then, and save it for further use or sale.....Thanks
Me and my dad had to do it to my first maverick.First took off the one we had to replace,so we knew a little better how to take off the good one.Wasn`t to bad to do,but Iwas only 16 then and not much else to do in life then.But it is alot of spot welds to drill out.
I have done it on Mustangs and Cougars. I used a spot weld drill bit. It is like a little hole saw with a center punch on it. Cuts around the hard weld and does not distort the panel. It makes the job easy - but still a slow process as there are literally 100's of welds in the entire front clip. The toughest ones are the ones that hold the panel to the frame rail. Here is a neat air tool that I would consider buying. I never used one of these but it sure looks like it would make short work of the welds. Here is the web site: http://www.drivewerks.com/catalog/shopcart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_CAT324_pg2.htm
