The package tray in my Chevelle (you know, the bit between the back seat and the window) was not in good shape. Being essentially colored cardboard, the leaky rear window that necessitated me to patch a couple spots under the rear seat also did its thing to the package tray over the last 50 years. It was discolored, warped, and the layer of jute underneath it essentially sublimated when touched during removal.
Being a 4-door, these are apparently a slightly different part than those for a 2-door, and reproduction options exist, but not in the right color. This means I did what any "sensible" person would do, and decided I'd just make one.
The construction is essentially a large flat piece, with a strip of foam at the end under some vinyl, which is glued to the body of the car behind the rear seat. The "flap" basically just makes up the gap where the tray meets the rear seatback, puffed by the foam.
A piece of masonite was obtained and cut to the right shape through the magic of "I traced it." It fit! This is thin and flexible enough to work.
As stylish as this wood tray is, it ought to match. A trip to the fabric store yielded a bit over a yard of marine vinyl, which provided the section shown below.
Much stickiness later, this was affixed to the board, as were some 1" (matching factory size) foam strips to make up the padded edge.
From here, the edges were folded over (the curved bit cut flush; it is pretty far recessed under the rear window trim so this was more sensible than trying to wrap it around a curved edge) and the foam added. The construction is visible below. While not identical to the original (which was only vinyl at the edge, and was sewn on top) it is, if nothing else, close enough.
Time for another test fit to confirm all is well. All is, in fact, well.
"But wait!" you say, "Your interior is Jade Green and this is bright white!" to which I reply "nuh-uh"
"But wait!" you reiterate, "If you had the dye all along, couldn't you have bought one in a light color and dyed it?" to which I reply "I dunno, I only thought of that after buying all the materials, and I think the reproduction ones were all backorder anyway"
The new one turned out pretty well. Definitely an improvement over the old one.
It fits pretty well too, and the color is a dead-on match to the original (and as close as any of the interior parts match in a GM car from the 60s/70s). Since the jute that goes between this and the metal turned into a cloud of dust due to age and what not, I'm going to either get some sort of cheap foam to put under this, or just put a layer of sound deadener on the bottom. I don't want it to rattle or anything dumb like that. After that it can be slid into place for good, and I'll glue down the "flap" edge shortly before re-installing the rear seatback.
As an overall project update, the interior is almost done - the rust repair is complete, need to put down some sound deadener then it will be ready for reassembly. Exterior is still just a coat of primer, expecting to start blocking/filling/etc. this week.
