74 Duster- deck between the rear window and back seat

[Steve Agrella]

Anyone know if the deck that goes all the way across the back between the rear window and the back seat is structural, I want to cut a 24 in wide piece 8 ins from the back out of the middle of the deck for a project I’m thinking about I

 

[MoparMike1974]

Kinda. There are brackets on the bottom side that extend out and attach to the deck filler panel.

 

[toolmanmike]

The cover ( rear package shelf) Isn't. The structure underneath is.

 

[Mopar-Mitch]

If it has the fold down rear seat, the whole shelf is the reinforcement.

 

[Steve Agrella]

It does have the fold down seat, dang

 

[72bluNblu]

Doesn’t matter if it’s a fold down seat car or a standard rear seat car, the package tray is VERY structural. It ties together the C pillars, the wheel wells, quarter panels, and the bracing from the floor to the package tray, triangulating the whole thing. The fold down seat version just reinforces all the corners, the front edge of the package tray and wheel tubs further to make up for the lack of cross support.

Although it should pretty much go without saying that almost EVERYTHING is structural on a uni-body, at least to some extent.