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With my work light under the care, it didn’t take much to realise that the Rear Seat Pan was pretty much scap. The rust had badly perforated the four areas I have cicled, and in others it was only the sound deadening sheet that was holding the pannel together.
Then I realised that these panels are no longer available. Rimmers don’t carry them and nor do the others. So I posted an SOS on the Stag Facebook forum. Luckily for me another Stag enthusiast (Darren Capper) had a panel he was willing to sell. It was pressed some time ago and had sat in his garage.
As you can see, it was a raw pressing without even having been cut down to size. But that was fine as I was going to cut it down anyway, based on the rusty section I was removing from my car.
The installation method I adopted seemed logical to me, although the purists will probably not approved. I removed the section of the panel that was essentially scrap, and used it as a template against the new panel. I cut the new panel with appox 2cm clearence around the old one. This meant that the new panel, when dropped into place from inside the car, would sit on a lip of circa 2cm all around. I welded from above and underneath i.e a double welded joint all around. Not pretty but strong.
Once the seam sealer had been applied and a couple of coats of my favouratie Rustbuster epoxy white paint I thought it looked pretty good. Not perfect I know but strong and better protected than the original factory fitted one. As that had lasted 47 years I think this oone will last be out.
