Wide Body Zero Rear Panel

[gr8nomad]

Good morning folks,

I am putting together a WB Zero in Australia and do not have the luxury of dropping into Maun Way when I have a question, hence my appeal here.

I am looking at the rear panel for my car and at the same time looking at a number of excellent blogs on the subject. The problem is that the rear panel shown in all the blogs is in one piece and goes over the suspension, continuing forward across the rear cresent. This gives a nice clean continuous panel across the top of the rear wing/mudguard. My rear panel comes in two parts; the main part finishes at the top of the arched cut-out for the suspension/shock absorber, and the second part covers the rear cresent and also finishes at the top of the arch cut-out. Clearly there is going to be a join right above the centre of the rear wing.

 

I did Skype the factory on the matter and the response was to overlap the 2 panels (seriously uglu option) or butt joint them (ugly and fraught with danger). How have other WB Zero builders managed to hide or at least minimise the impact of this join?

[fry61]

Have you got enough "spare" material to form a right-angle return, that can then be bolted/riveted together to give a straight & strong shut-line. Have done lapped joints on our 2B with a stiffening plate behind which look O.K. The join is parallel with the headlamp mount plate,& these's another vertical join on side panel just behind headlamp pod.

[knights_templar]

Hi

 

Joint you describe is usually on stainless panels, but as you are so far away, they may have supplied that version in alloy, as the one piece is a bit flimsy

 

have seen but joint as well as overlap, both look OK, All versions have an overlap at the back of the sills. Wing covers most of the join so it appears a lot less noticeable on the completed car

 

Regards

[gr8nomad]

Thanks Knights_Templar and florin metal works. Florin, the panels sit against the shroud for the rear shocks and mount for the roll bar - a riight angle return is not possible here. K_T, I take some comfort from your comments about it not being hugely noticeable. Still not as happy as I could be, but there you are...

[Stewart]

You could allways joggle the joint therefore giving an overlap with a butt joint appearance.