Plaster of Paris was used to take a mold of the factory panel that trimmed around the latch. The plaster mold was coated with shellac, paraffin wax, and PVA mold release. Fiberglass resin and mat were applied to the back of the plaster mold to create a fiberglass replica.
The new fiberglass latch trim was sanded smooth and test-fit in the trunk opening. The latch piece was taped and reinforced body filler was built up around the latch piece. The filler was sanded smooth inside the car with 36-grit sandpaper.
The trunk was closed into the center of the newly formed latch piece and carefully checked for clearance. A flashlight greatly assisted during this procedure. Shown here, the completed trunk panel and latch trim were sanded with 36-grit, 80-grit, and then 150-grit sandpaper in preparation for primer.
The entire trunk panel was sprayed with three light coats of Evercoat Slick Sand. Be sure to allow the primer to flash properly between coats. (Letting a material "flash" means letting it sit in between coats and dry on the surface. The surface will slightly dry and skin over while the molecules of material underneath will still be wet. If you spray multiple layers and not allow it to "flash" properly in between coats, you risk runs or drips on the surface as well as trapping the vocs (volatile organic compounds) inside, which can cause a bad reaction called solvent pop.)
The primer was allowed to dry, and the pieces were set back inside the car and sanded. All of the edge tolerances were checked on the inserts and trim pieces to make sure that the primer wasn't built up too high. The pieces were removed from the car and wet-sanded with up to 600-grit sandpaper.