Sagging (rear) facia

[dn010]

Has anyone else experienced a sagging rear facia? Mine is so bad that I cannot even attach the tail lights, as the holes do not line up anymore. Thoughts?

[Hokie]

Has anyone else experienced a sagging rear facia? Mine is so bad that I cannot even attach the tail lights, as the holes do not line up anymore. Thoughts?

(Insert punch line here) :)

[OverlandMan]

Has anyone else experienced a sagging rear facia? Mine is so bad that I cannot even attach the tail lights, as the holes do not line up anymore. Thoughts?

Is your muffler heat shield in tact?

[dn010]

(Insert punch line here) :)

I was waiting to see how long that would take LOL

[dn010]

Is your muffler heat shield in tact?

The only heat shield I have is between the muffler and engine. The support bracket on the facia side is there as well.

[Jonathan]

The only heat shield I have is between the muffler and engine. The support bracket on the facia side is there as well.

Is this the one you mean?

26749

Which of the two does it more closely resemble (considering they are the same part, one just slightly more rusty than the other)?

[dn010]

Mine is solid, I tried to take a picture but the damn muffler is in the way. Mine is not rusted, no holes and no warping, it is original but it has been POR-15'd over many, many years ago when I had the frame off and was able to sandblast and paint whatever I could.




Is this the one you mean?

26749

Which of the two does it more closely resemble (considering they are the same part, one just slightly more rusty than the other)?

[dn010]

It has been a long time since I've had to deal with the rear fascia but it is going to be soon that I'll need to figure out whether I can reuse what I have or if I need a new/used one. Perhaps after this length of time there are some fresh ideas on this?

I can attach the fascia to the car but the middle of the fascia is drooping down to where I can't get the tail lights in because nothing lines up anymore. I'm guessing this is all from engine heat, outside heat/sun, leaning on it all those years working on it etc.

Is it possible to straighten these, any methods that I can try? I've seen some used rear fascias pop up but they too look like they're beginning to bow in the middle....

[SS Spoiler]

I "fixed" mine by cutting a piece of plywood and propping from the frame
to the upper part of the bumper. Pull the taillights out for access.

[jamesrguk]

I too have the classic 'rear end smile' on my DeLorean, not enough to cause any light fitment issues, but it doesn't look as sharp as I would like.

Chris Nicholson in the UK has replicated the rear fascia in fibreglass and from what I have seen it looks pretty damn sharp (see pjgrady.co.uk)

I think a lot of them sag from engine heat and age, let's not forget they're over 30 years old now, lots of things sag when you get past 30 :smile: (and no I'm not looking at my wife as I type this!)

J

[DMC-81]

I "fixed" mine by cutting a piece of plywood and propping from the frame
to the upper part of the bumper. Pull the taillights out for access.

Cool. Any pictures to share?

As I'm reading this thread, I was imagining a similar solution.... But using flat or square aluminum stock behind the fascia near the top lip to support it... Lightweight, waterproof, heat resistant. Has anyone tried that? I'm also interested in any opinions, as I will need to remove the fascia to re-spray it, and "while I'm in there"......

:)

[SS Spoiler]

Sorry no pics, i needed to support my 37 lb SS Spoiler that has a center prop rod.
It pushed my facia down so far that the engine cover wouldn't latch.

[airfireman1]

I had the same problem with mine maybe worse than yours. After hours with a heat gun the results were less than desired. I first made a cardboard template of the correct internal shape of the facia and then transferred that to a sheet of 2mm aluminium Then fitted it behind the facia, from end to end and top to bottom. With that wedged in behind it made a huge difference. I pop riveted it to the facia and the tail light surrounds were cut out including the number plate area. The screw holes for the tail lights then lined up enough to get all but one in.
That was cheaper than trying to ship one to Australia. Not perfect but so much better

[DMC-81]

Very good ideas! Keep them coming...

Attention Vendors: New product alert!!! Similar to the front brow bars....

Essentially:

- a non corrosive metal substructure (maybe tubular aluminum or stainless steel)
- a lateral support at or near the top rounded lip, end to end.
- at least 2 vertical supports that either fasten to the frame or the rear closing panel.
- optional adjusters on the vertical supports with markings to indicate the factory height? Or, make it a fixed height but use a pristine OEM fascia as your template.

I'm sure many Deloreans have a good, but sagging rear fascia.

[dn010]

Thanks guys for the suggestions, I'll give them a shot!

I was going to attempt to prop the fascia upside down supported on the ends and see if the Florida sunshine would do anything to reshape it (it does wonders on everything else you happen to leave outside here) LOL! I'll cut something out of an aluminum sheet and wedge it in when I finally install the fascia and see what happens. I just need to repaint it again prior to install!

[PJ Grady Inc.]

This may be too late to help but I would advise anyone in earshot that it generally is not advisable to leave the taillights out of an installed rear facia for more than a few days or you will find that the light openings will settle and distort enough to make it difficult to get the screws back in.
When this happens install the top screws first and then push down on the light to try to engage the bottom screws. A heat gun/hair dryer may come in handy here to soften up the facia and help it to reconform to the newly reinstalled taillights. This may be the cause of your problems but a rust perforated metal facia shield is another (but rare) possibility as the pictures illustrate.
Rob

[airfireman1]

Rob is right about not leaving the tai lights out for too long. Since mine is a RHD Wooler Hodec Delorean it had Rover tail lights just sitting behind the rear facia. That caused the facia to sag over many years until I decided that the original tail lights needed refitting. The heat gun helped but not much.
Cheers Dave

[DMC5180]

Here's to hoping that DMCH has a (Straight) High Quality Fiberglass reproduction Made before they sell off ALL the potential good ones they have left in order to make the master tool from. The company that did the front facia reproduction did a phenomenal job. It's so straight it almost looks out of place on our cars. Now they need a Rear reproduction to match it. That's a good thing 8)

[jamesrguk]

Here's to hoping that DMCH has a (Straight) High Quality Fiberglass reproduction Made before they sell off ALL the potential good ones they have left in order to make the master tool from. The company that did the front facia reproduction did a phenomenal job. It's so straight it almost looks out of place on our cars. Now they need a Rear reproduction to match it. That's a good thing 8)

PJGrady Europe (aka Chris Nicholson) has already started reproducing both front and rear fascia/bumpers in fibreglass and with Chris's attention to detail they are no doubt superb.

http://www.pjgrady.co.uk/#!our-fibreglass-bumpers/cphu

James

[Timeless]

Tried this with my rear fascia and after a bunch of miles it's holding in place. Plastic telescoping support pole using only 1/2 of the pieces and a hole cut in dense foam square to hold the cylinder against the closing panel. (ignore wiring project) If it keeps the fascia straight for a while I'm happy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ2Q4X4R?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
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