Improving

The deck lid looks really good, even from the point of view of a perfectionist. The only blunder is a sag in the clear coat that can be seen at the bottom of this photo along the edge. Nothing a little sanding and buffing can't fix.

The bracket for the bumper is on backorder and will be painted and installed once it comes in. The weatherstripping cannot be installed before final paint.

The difference on this part now that it has been restored is dramatic and very satisfying. More than anything, it allowed for some improvement with painting which might seem easy but is anything but.

The assembly manual contradicts in small ways how this is assembled. Some of the parts are simply different from how they are drawn so they can't be installed as the ASM directs. Other parts, when judging from the original paint markings on the deck lid, were installed with different orientations than the ASM directs.

To be honest, a few brackets, if installed in the way that the manual suggest, wouldn't work properly. This part, because of all this, was assembled as it clearly was at the factory.

Perhaps the line workers at GM in St. Louis figured out what works best and diverted from the manual.