Which Panels are common to coupes and saloons

[mancamefirst]

Hi Y'All

Hope Sunday is treating you well.

Question is in the title, I would just like to know which exterior panels are model specific (apart from doors) . I have had a pop at 'Search' but with no joy. Any expertise gratefully received.

Thanks

[Phil Nottingham]

Subject to lock positions the doors are the same actually its the removable tops that are different. Aprat from the roof and the latch fixings on the rear D post all panels are interchangeable and this applies to striaght six models apart from the front bottom of the front wings and the front valance.

The seats and triming - fronts apart are quite a bit differnent though

[mancamefirst]

Phil

Much appreciated, thanks.

[stantondavies]

Interesting question which I have been pondering for a while. I have replaced my 3litre rear wings with those from a P5B but they seem just a smidgeon short leaving a slightly larger gap between door & wing. Also they seem thinner gauge metal - my imagination or British Leyand economising?
I have no experience of P5Bs, never been in one let alone driven one, so cannot make a judgement on this point.

[Phil Nottingham]

No BL did use thinner metal on P5B's particularly the later ones. The tooling was well worn out by then and it was suggested that the poorly fitting panels went into the spares market! The same wing was offered for all - the trim holes being drilled to suit. This is why buying secondhane wings the holes very rarely line up properly with the door strip ones. Frosnt wings are worst of all and getting the right bonnet/door gap is virtually impossible without some rectification - the bit under the screen dogleg can be a nightmare to get right as this seems always to be too short!. Even if said panel gaps are acceptable this pointer is a giveaway as to whether the wings have been changed. Even Rover used lead loading here.

Having both a mid production P5 of 1964, a 1969 B and a very late 72 B its surprsing how the quality of build and materials went down towards the end

[glennr]

I was informed that a number of the panels made were sometimes 1-2mm different in size, which may explain the worn out tooling?? I wonder how true that is?

[stantondavies]

Interesting information Phil & GlennR. Thanks. I'm glad I kept the original wings! My bodyman siad it wasn't economic to repair them but I'lll have them patched for the future.

[Ken Nelson]

Interesting to read the explanation of the same problem I had with wing/door gaps. I replaced all 4 wings/fenders on my 3-litre and had a 1-2 mm wider panel gap all around also. Since it is uniform everywhere I left it as is and it appears acceptable, altho perhaps not up to Rolls Royce Corniche standards. Ken