Starting with the base design of the wagon (this is a stock photo of a restored car, not our junker), we have a lot of modernizing to do. First, the lift gate wraps around the outside so that you see the seam from the side of the car. We want to eliminate all unnecessary seams and clean up the body lines. Next, the bumper is huge and adds no shape to the car. The lower set of lights is not needed and we can eliminate the seam that runs sling the lights form top to bottom. Overall, the back end is very busy for such as small space..

Starting at the top, we are going to re-cut the outside of the lift gate so that it forms a continuous seam from the bottom all the way up the window. Then we will weld the outside seam so that the body wraps around to meet the window. We will eliminate the lower set of lights and replace the bumper with something much thinner. We will also add a lower valence so that the car's rockers match in height on all sides.

We also have some challenges with the lower rockers behind the rear wheels. They are much higher than the rockers on the side and there is a lack of symmetry. As well, when we add a rear roll pan we will need to extend these rear rockers down to meet the new rear pan. Lets go through how we took care of this side section first.

We found our solution to the need for lower rockers from the coupe, which has a really nice lower rear rocker panel with some added rib design features that we will incorporate into the build. At the top of highlighted red section, you see a raised belt line that is part of the panel. This belt line is not found on the wagon and will be an essential design element of the new backend treatment as it will wrap around the rear end as well.

Here is the new lower rear quarter panel tacked into place. Notice the belt line that will also be included in the back end treatment. With this panel in place, the side of the wagon is very symmetrical in terms of height off of the ground and visual appearance.

Here is the new belt line in bright shiny metal extended around the rear under the rear lower tailgate. You will also note the start of the new rear valence that extends down to the new rear rockers under the new belt line. The rear valence metal came from a portion of the rear truck lid of the coupe as it had the exact shape that we needed to continue the body line. Curved corner pieces to connect all of these panels will come later.

To get a feel for progress on the rear rocker, we put a 17" rim and tire (our target size) in the wheel well, stuck on a fender flare, and this is the new side view.  We think the symmetry now between the rockers and the added belt line, and the new design elements from the coupe are very sharp. Keep in mind this is very rough - things are just clamped into place.

Here is the first concept layout of the rear end treatment. We picked up a very used 1966 Corvette bumper with the center downward horn and an oval exhaust tip that matches the shape of the upper rear lights. We like the symmetry of the exhaust and the lights. We also like the idea of much thinner bumpers that wrap around the rear quarter panels, The shape of the bumper was not quite right and the horn is too long, but we liked the look and feel of it. Lets start cutting.

This shot shows the difference between the original 1966 Corvette horn on the right and the shortened one on the left.  We really like the single exhaust coming out of the middle with the same shape a the rear lights. 

After much work, here is tacked up lower rear of V-Rex with both bumpers shortened. The Corvette bumpers have been trimmed and fit like a glove. The horns  on the end of the bumper in the center have been trimmed and the exhaust is sitting in its final place. The extra lights in the rear have been removed as well. Although this is still rough, you can get a good feel for the lower section of the rear. We think it's cool.

From the side, the new bumpers are very thin and wrap around the rear rockers for protection. The new bumpers line up with  the rocker reveal lines that were added from the coupe. All of the original bumper attachment points, and the original bumper attachment steel frames were use to attach the new bumpers. It is as solid as a rock. 

Here is the right side with the bumper coming around the lower quarter panel and lining up with the top reveal on the rocker panel added from the coupe. The depth of the rear bumper and the reworked front bumper from the Mustang are within 1/16 of an inch of each other.

As mentioned earlier, we did not like the design of the original top lift gate as it wrapped around so that you could see the seams from the side. Because the top and bottom hinges and latch for the window are inboard, it is a relatively easy fix to change to a design where the window is only visible from the rear. Here the cuts have been made, in symmetrical fashion with the shape of the window. The side pieces will be welded into the body to form a completely enclosed lift gate window.

Here is a close up view of the cuts made to the back window. The inside cut nearest the window is the new edge of the window lift gate. New metal will be welded in to create a new side for the lift gate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside piece that was a part of the original window will get welded in so that there will not be any seams.

Here you can see the cut on the right hand side of the rear window. Both the cut sections on the side and on the window will be enclosed with new metal. The latch that holds the window up still fits in the original channel position.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the left hand side strut also fits right into it's original channel with a slight modification to the attachment point on the window frame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may have noticed the red rear upper window valence  in the pictures above, We want to have a nice rear treatment above the window that will also house a third brake light. We are experimenting with this version which comes off of a Chevrolet HHR SS. It is very close to the width and shape that we need, but will need some work to have a finished fit and look. 

If anyone has better ideas for a rear upper valence (wing?) please send us a comment in the contact form.