Attachment III - Technical Information

OVERVIEW

This program involves installing reinforcement brackets at the pencil brace attaching point on the quarter panels behind the rear tires. This new bracket will be secured in place by the addition of two pop rivets for each bracket. The location of these pop rivets is critical. Inaccurate placement of the rivets may lead to cracks in the quarter panel sheet metal. For accuracy, only metric dimensions are provided for pop rivet locations.

SERVICE PROCEDURE





1. If equipped, remove the mud flap. See Figure 1.





2. If equipped, remove the stone guard pushpins and position the guard away from the quarter panel by inserting a shop rag between the guard and the quarter panel. Do not remove the guard. See Figure 2.





3. Remove the pencil brace. See Figure 3.

4. NOTE: The reinforcement brackets are marked for right and left sides. Be sure to use the correct one and position it with the identifying mark facing up.

Position the reinforcement bracket onto the quarter panel with the hole aligned to the pencil brace mounting hole in the quarter panel. Reinstall the pencil brace. Be sure to reposition the splash shield between the reinforcement bracket and the pencil brace. DO NOT tighten the pencil brace fasteners at this time.





5. Rotate the rearmost point of the reinforcement bracket toward the outside of the vehicle to ensure maximum surface-to-surface contact. See Figure 4.

Tighten the pencil brace fasteners to 30 Nm (22 lb-ft).





6. If, after tightening the fasteners to specification, there is a gap between the bracket and the quarter panel, use locking-type pliers, with a rag to protect the paint, to draw the two surfaces together. See Figure 5.

7. Using a center punch, mark the pop rivet hole locations as follows:

^ Front rivet - measure 6 mm back from the front edge of the bracket, then measure 28 mm outboard from the inside edge of the bracket.

^ Rear rivet - measure 15 mm forward of the rear edge of the bracket, then measure 25 mm outboard from the inside edge of the bracket.





^ See Figure 6.

8. Drill through both the quarter panel and the reinforcement bracket at each marked spot using a 1/4-inch drill bit. When drilling the forward hole, drill through the plastic splash shield as well.

9. Neatly apply Motorcraft Low-Temperature Anti-Corrosion Coating, PM-12-A, or local equivalent, to the drilled holes.

10. Install the pop rivets.

11. Neatly apply anti-corrosion coating to the top of the pop rivets to ensure against corrosion. Also coat the entire head of the rivet to make it less visible.

12. If equipped, reinstall the mud flap and/or remove the rag and install stone guard pushpins.

13. Repeat steps 1 through 12 on the opposite side.