How do I remove the passenger side rear plastic cover in my 78?

[jeremy93ls]

That thing is hard to get out. There was already a crack below the strut mount from whomever tried to remove it years ago. The driver side was tough enough..had to remove the strut nut and muscle it out. The other side is a bit more complex. The rear light panel is out, all of the press-board decking is out, the right-side deck mount piece is out, too. It feels like its going to snap if I put any more bending pressure on it.

Any tricks to getting this out? Is there a bolt underneath the weatherstripping to remove the strut mounting plate?

Edited October 1, 2016 by jeremy93ls
added model year

[Dave WM]

should not be that hard, removing the strut mount and the tail light trim cover and bulb are key. I assume there is a small trim pieced around the strut mount that should come off as well, once the lower strut mount is unbolted. The large acron nuts that attach the bumper shocks will need to come off as well. Something is not right you should have very little bending to do, at least that was the way on my 75.

[Mark Maras]

 You might try warming the panel with a hair dryer. You should gain additional flexibility.

[jeremy93ls]

ahhh.  I just went back and realized the strut mount comes out, too. There's a 12mm nut holding it on. Doh! Apparently, because of the crack in the plastic, someone before me overlooked it, also.

Thanks, guys.