Rear Valance Removal

[nthomas1]

I'm now back in the UK and I started working on my S2 Coupe again today.  I'm struggling to figure out how to remove the rear valance. I asked about this a while back but couldn't provide good pictures at that time.  I've now removed the rear panel and the problem is more visible.  I can see that I have to remove the welds on the horizontal flange that projects into the boot, across the width of it, but am not sure how to handle the two ends of it.  There are two flat discs about 15mm in diameter that would appear to be the ends of straps that support the tubes to which the rear bumper is attached.  
Has anybody removed a rear valance before and can tell me how to remove these discs.  I can not find them in TAV. Should I just grind them off? The two discs are visible just inside the boot in pictures 1, 3 and 4 below.  
Would appreciate any guidance.

[neil-yaj396]

I take the discs to be rivets? As the bumper tube doesn't seem to be connected to the valance, wouldn't you be better leaving these in place?

[nthomas1]

I'm not sure Neil.  The metal plate underneath the "rivets" is part of the rear valance assembly so it has to come out.  I'm about to start drilling out the spot welds all along it.  If you look at the second picture you can see a strap running under the tube that the bumper attaches to.  I think that somehow this strap is attached to the rivets.  I may just grind them off, and worry later how to reattach the strap - if indeed it is connected to them.

[frankxhv773t]

I think you might be right. The discs are similar to the back end of threaded studs that are sometimes welded into a body shell. If they align with the strap under the bumper tube that would seem to be what they relate to. If you are replacing the panel to which the discs are attached it might be worth cutting out a small oblong round them then removing the rest of the panel leaving them in place till you see more clearly how it all works. It seems possible that they perform a structural function that will need to be reinstated.

[nthomas1]

Thanks Frank - that sounds like good advice.  I'll do as you suggest unless somebody else comes up with a better suggestion.  I won't be removing the valance until I have someone lined up to do the welding of the new valance and rear panel - so some weeks away yet.

[nthomas1]

I found a couple of poor quality pictures on the internet.  They show the straps supporting the tubes to which the rear bumper attaches. They don't show the two rivets but I'm now fairly convinced that they are indeed the attachment points for the straps.

In the top picture the long L-shaped strip that runs across the width of the car is still in position (just above the tubes). The rear valance that I bought from David Ashworth has this strip already welded to the valance, so I'm going to have to remove the old one.  If I didn't have to remove it I wouldn't have to worry about the rivets!  

[nthomas1]

Here's the rear valance that I bought, showing the L-shaped strip welded in position.

[nthomas1]

I removed the final few pieces of the old rear panel today, and held the new one up to see how well it fits - see picture below.
I have some head-scratching to do as the new panel seems to be about 5mm wider than the opening!  That could be because it has been manufactured over size (unlikely, I think) or because the rear opening is slightly narrower than it should be due to some previous rear end work carried out by the previous owner (hopefully not).  I would appreciate if somebody could measure on their S2 or S3 the gap between the inside of the flanges/trim at the widest point of the rear panel.  I can then adjust for stainless steel trim width and compare to my car.

[nthomas1]

I managed to remove the final section of the rear valance today.  I drilled through the spot welds and cut around the centre stay.  That enabled me to clean up the metal underneath, and for the first time I was able to offer up the new panel.   I have a bodyshop lined up to do the welding in December.  I'll leave it for them to decide whether to remove the centre support, or just make a cut out in the centre of the valance flange to fit around the support. 

For any of you that recall the two "studs" in the boot that were mentioned in earlier posts, and which were quite a mystery, that problem has been solved.  I cut around them when removing the last section of the valance, but then discovered that the sections that the studs sat on were able to pivot upwards - just welded along the front edge.  I cut them free and found that the "studs" were just small discs of metal dab-welded over holes in the underlying valance flange! They served no structural purpose.

My new outer sills and panel sections arrived earlier this week, so I now have quite a stack of metal - 12 pieces in total; rear panel, rear lower valance, inner sill repair section, driver-side floorpan, outer sills, wing sections and subframe mounting boxes.  The welder is going to be busy, but I still have quite a bit of clean-up and de-rusting to do before then! 

[lancialulu]

Nice set of panel beating hammers too!

Dont froget to add in a central steel membrane between the inner and outer cills - it really strengthens the Fulvia up....

[stanley sweet]

Yes - it really is worth fitting the inner membrane if you can. I had it fitted to mine when new sills were fitted and as Tim says they make it very stiff and strong. I think they were originally added to the works cars.

[the.cern]

I am surprised there was no central diaphragm as standard!! Apart from the Gussie which has a robust X frame under the cockpit, I have yet to work on a car that didn't have one as part of the original build. Mind you, the Trevi and the B20 both had more missing than present!!!!

                                                       Andy

[nthomas1]

Nice set of panel beating hammers too!

I wish I was expert at using them, but I have managed to get rid of a dent in the bonnet with them, and they are extremely useful for straightening out the external weld flanges.

[Caracad]

It's always worth adding a bit of additional stiffening to old cars.
At least the Fulvia had inner sills. Old Fords and Vauxhalls made do with just outer and a closing panel.