OBW Lower Body Cladding Removal

[gbhrps]

Its time for some restorative paintwork of a rear quarter panel on my 02 OBW. Surface rust has started to creep from under the rear bumper cover and the rear dog leg adjacent to the wheel arch on both sides. Pulling the bumper cover is no problem, but has anyone figured out how the rear dog leg panel between the rear wheel opening and the rear door comes off, without breaking it or its fasteners? Many thanks!

[Legacy777]

If it's the metal piece I'm thinking of....it has to be cut off, and a new piece welded in.

[lpasco]

Without looking at one i cant say for sure, but i think there are just like 8 white clips that hold it on. Your talking about the plastic pannel on the rear quarter that s like 1 foot by 2 feet. If your talking about the little one that is like 8 inches by 6 inches or something like that, then it has just clips, but the plastic breaks easly on that so be carfull.

 

this is just off of memory so you might double check with someone else.

[gbhrps]

I experimented today, taped up a shortened putty knife to prevent scratches, and pried the plastic cladding a bit. With the rear door open, I pried out the top section of thye dog leg cladding (measures about two inches wide by 10 inches tall and an inch and a half thick) from the door opening side until I heard a pop, and saw a short white male plug spring free from a female plastic plug receptacle set into the metal body of the car. At that point I slapped everything back into place, since it appears that getting the plastic cladding off isn't going to be such a pain after all, and I won't be tackling the paint job until the end of the week. (I'll still be driving the car until then.) There may be a strip of double sided tape to contend with as well, but it doesn't look like anything will self destruct, as it does on some cars when you start removing body mouldings. I'll keep you posted as to how things go. Thanks!

[gbhrps]

Got into the paint restoration today. The lower cladding on the rear dogleg can be pried up from the rear door side. There are 3 plastic plugs that will come out with the cladding, and then slide the top of the cladding towards the wheel opening to free it at the top. Its bottom can only be removed if you take off the rocker cover skirt first, which I didn't do. I was able to swing the cladding down out of the way and wire its top to a wheel stud (tire was off). By the way, the rear bumper cover has a 10 mm bolt up into the body right at the wheel opening. One other 10 mm nut can only be removed from the side of the rear bumper cover, if you remove the rear floor panels, the rear tailgate opening floor garnish, the lower side panel over the wheel well, and finally the rear side storage compartment between the rear wheel well and the tail light. Interesting enough you'll find that those cars with the sunroofs have the rear and side drain tubes meet behind the rear wheel well, join together and exit through the body, draining out between the bumper cover and the body. We blasted the wheel well opening adjacent to the bumper cover and the dog leg cladding, sanded, primed, sanded the primer and the quarter panel, and final painted the quarter with base, pearl and clear. Luckily there was no bondo needed after blasting and sanding down the surface rusted areas. Tomorrow we'll unmask the car, polish the rest of the car, and reassemble the beast.