You can do all the work in the world to your ride, but if it’s not assembled properly, there’s no doubt things like body gaps will stick out like a sore thumb. Because of this, the crew of The Build is taking some extra time and care to make sure their 1965 Malibu SS is properly assembled. Check out the first part of the process- tackling the rear decklid- in this week’s episode of The Build above.

When cars were manufactured back in the day, the amount of care put into making sure all the body gaps and trim lines were as perfect as possible was not the same as it is today. Because of this, body panels on the classic cars may not fit as cleanly as some enthusiasts might want, which sets car builders up for a lot more work.

But aligning body panels and getting trim and body lines as straight as possible isn’t all a chore. After all, it’s the cars that have had this little extra attention to detail paid to them that typically go further in car shows, award ratings and overall appeal.

Wanting to give the 1965 Malibu SS the proper treatment, Rick Drewry and his fellow American Modern crew members are starting their painstaking body assembly from the rear of the classic Chevy.

With the trunk lid in place, they can massage the metal along the top of the lid gently to get it to lay evenly against the sheet metal under the window.

Once this is complete, it’s on to gapping the lid from left to right.

To do this, the crew puts the trim work in place to see how much they can really move the deck lid without altering the trim lines in a negative way. It’s going to take some manipulation and plenty of patience but in the long run, the Malibu will be better off having been assembled and gapped properly.

Be sure to check back next week to check out the American Modern crew’s assembly progress!