63 trunk cardboard

[petelempert]

I'm redoing the trunk cardboard on my 63. It's never had any trunk carboard-onboard since I've owned it so I'm working sort of blind. On the passenger side, does the cardboard install so that jack is visible or not? From test fitting, it looks like the the cardboard goes between the jack and the rear inner fender, leaving the jack fully visible once the trunk lid is opened. That seems to sort of defeat the purpose. Isn't the cardboard designed to hide stuff like hinges, wiring and the jack? Anybody got a picture? Thanks in advance. PRL

[Glenn McMahon]

Hi Pete

As strange as it sounds I believe the jack etc is to be visible. There are some good trunk pictures of the jack etc if you do a search. Also you will find it much easier to work with if you bend the cardboard on a sheet metal brake or something like it. You can leave factory color or paint it as some like to do. The wild card is LOL the elusive clips that hold everything in place. I am still searching for a set for the new cardboard which I have.

Good Luck

Glenn

ROA#12929

[Seafoam65]

I'm redoing the trunk cardboard on my 63. It's never had any trunk carboard-onboard since I've owned it so I'm working sort of blind. On the passenger side, does the cardboard install so that jack is visible or not? From test fitting, it looks like the the cardboard goes between the jack and the rear inner fender, leaving the jack fully visible once the trunk lid is opened. That seems to sort of defeat the purpose. Isn't the cardboard designed to hide stuff like hinges, wiring and the jack? Anybody got a picture? Thanks in advance. PRL

Yes the jack is exposed. Here are some pics.....my car has the original cardboard with replacement

vinyl trunk matting material that is not like the factory.

[RivNut]

Somewhere; owners manual, chassis manual, jack instructions., etc.; it states that the jack should be wedged between the tire and the floor. At 70 mph that jack is going 70 mph but it doesn't have any brakes.

Newton's 1st law of motion: applicable to a loose jack handle.

I. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

In other words the jack handle continues to travel at 70 mph until it hits something that stops it. Or it slides from side to side just like you did as a kid in the back seat of your parents car when they went around a curve and you weren't wearing a seat belt. Have any of you ever seen what happens to that big sack of sand that the guys carry in the back of their pickups for traction in the snow when that pickup suddenly comes to a stop when it rear-ends the car in front of it? It goes through the back window of the cab and smacks someone in the back of the head. Another demonstration of Newtons 1st law of motion. At least the jack handle is in an enclosed area.

Ed

[Seafoam65]

Somewhere; owners manual, chassis manual, jack instructions., etc.; it states that the jack should be wedged between the tire and the floor. At 70 mph that jack is going 70 mph but it doesn't have any brakes.

Newton's 1st law of motion: applicable to a loose jack handle.

I. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

In other words the jack handle continues to travel at 70 mph until it hits something that stops it. Or it slides from side to side just like you did as a kid in the back seat of your parents car when they went around a curve and you weren't wearing a seat belt. Have any of you ever seen what happens to that big sack of sand that the guys carry in the back of their pickups for traction in the snow when that pickup suddenly comes to a stop when it rear-ends the car in front of it? It goes through the back window of the cab and smacks someone in the back of the head. Another demonstration of Newtons 1st law of motion. At least the jack handle is in an enclosed area.

Ed

How right you are Ed. That picture was taken by the seller of the car before I bought it. I have the

handle in between the tire and the trunk floor as you suggested.

[petelempert]

Thanks guys. I fit the passenger cardboard last night and indeed, the jack is on the outside. Still seems odd since it could be covered. I guess Buick worried that if they covered the jack, owners might not see it and think the car didn't come with one? Anyway, I covered my cardboard with vinyl to match the carpet before installing. It takes a little while, but I think it looks really good, fits more snugly and is more durable. PRL

[RivNut]

Thanks guys. I fit the passenger cardboard last night and indeed, the jack is on the outside. Still seems odd since it could be covered. I guess Buick worried that if they covered the jack, owners might not see it and think the car didn't come with one? Anyway, I covered my cardboard with vinyl to match the carpet before installing. It takes a little while, but I think it looks really good, fits more snugly and is more durable. PRL

Come on Pete, you know you can't tell us cool stuff like this without supporting it with pictures. We 'tire kickers' need to have our optical illusions supported.

Ed

[petelempert]

OK Ed. That's fair. It's about time I learned how to post. I'll snap a few shots and post them. I'm counting on help from my 14 year old daughter for a technical assist. Stay tuned. PRL

[Seafoam65]

OK Ed. That's fair. It's about time I learned how to post. I'll snap a few shots and post them. I'm counting on help from my 14 year old daughter for a technical assist. Stay tuned. PRL

Since there seem to be a lot of people who are having trouble posting pictures on the forum,

please check out my new post on how to do it....Regards, Winston

[phoemsen]

Does the 63 have the spring and clip like the 65? It does a good job holding the jack in place and preventing rattles!

[Seafoam65]

Does the 63 have the spring and clip like the 65? It does a good job holding the jack in place and preventing rattles!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]270872[/ATTACH]

UH OH.........looks like my car is missing the jack hold down spring......I hadn't known about that...and I hadn't noticed anything on the trunk floor to hook the spring to....no protrusions in that area.....what say

ye ED?

[RivNut]

Ed says "yea." There's a small hook on the floor of the trunk. Right where the bottom of the spring is in the picture in post #10. Most of the ones you find are rusty because they've fallen into the wheel well and lie there among the other stuff that's rusting. I've made some and they're not hard to make. The hard part is finding one to use as a template.

Here's an older thread that shows what I made. http://forums.aaca.org/f177/1st-generation-jack-hold-down-spring-334929.html

Here's a picture of the hook on the trunk floor. Really difficult to see because of rust converter, lacquer thinner to remove old paint, and some poorly applied seam sealer - right over the top of the hook. Sorry I didn't have some time to paint everything one color so it would show up better, but Matt was working on the tail pan today.

I've found the easiest way to store the jack handle, even though it's not OEM, is to cut a couple of sections from an old bicycle inner tube and slip them over the jack. Then slip the jack handle in the inner tube. It's snug, doesn't rattle, doesn't take up any room, and never gets lost.

Ed

Edited September 25, 2014 by RivNut (see edit history)

[JanZverina]

Or some heater hose. I recently restored my trunk cardboard, keeping the original panels. Here are some pix of the jack, and Ed is spot on about the spring hook. Mine was in good shape. I kept the original mat, even though it's a bit soiled, but I like the real deal over repros any day. If you need a perfect color match for the cardboard, let me know. It's a SEM color but I can't think of the name right now.

[JanZverina]

OK, the color match for the trunk cardboard is SEM Color Coat 15713; shade is called Ladera. Perfect match to get those scuffs out. What I did for any deeper scuffs was to run a fingerful of Elmer's Glue into the scuff, let it dry and then I sprayed it with several light coats. Perfect match.

[Seafoam65]

OK, the color match for the trunk cardboard is SEM Color Coat 15713; shade is called Ladera. Perfect match to get those scuffs out. What I did for any deeper scuffs was to run a fingerful of Elmer's Glue into the scuff, let it dry and then I sprayed it with several light coats. Perfect match.

Thank you Ed and Jan for all the great info......looks like I've got another future project to take care of. What is the correct finish on the spring?

[petelempert]

Ditto what Ed said about the inner tube trick. It keeps the jack from moving. Regarding the spring, I looked at some hardware store options, but none were quite right. I ended up using one from an old Tensor adjustable light. It's the perfect length, tension and it has a ring formed on each end which made it hook up perfectly. It is a natural steel color.

Here's another question for the group. What is the purpose of the z shaped piece just above each of the taillights? They are visible in Seafoam's picture. They are not covered by the cardboard. Are they some kind of tie-down point to secure cargo? Not sure? PRL

[RivNut]

Here's another question for the group. What is the purpose of the z shaped piece just above each of the taillights? They are visible in Seafoam's picture. They are not covered by the cardboard. Are they some kind of tie-down point to secure cargo? Not sure? PRL

Those are the contact points for the rubber bumpers in the trunk lid.

[petelempert]

Bingo Ed. Makes perfect sense. That's why they are not cardboard covered. I've been staring down at them for awhile and wondering what they were. I never looked up at the underside of the open trunk lid. Sometimes the answer is right above your head. I just checked. I've got no bumpers on my lid. Guess I need to get some. Thx PRL

[Guest RivinitUP]

HEy Glenn,

I finally got the parts car home, I've got the original trunk cardboard if anyone is interest or just needs any point of reference, Glenn, I've also found some of those elusive cardboard clips you've been hunting for. I have put them aside for you, until we meet again. How are you making out with the brakes?

[RivNut]

.........some of those elusive cardboard clips

These clips are not unique to Rivieras; they were used in all full sized cars from the era.