replacing rear 1/4 panel...?

[mity2]

So some of you remember my saga with bodyshop that totally messed up my driver side rear 1/4 last year. Well, after 7 months argueing with bodyshop and insurance company, looks like I'm at the dead end .

So I now have to make a dicision as to what to do.


I can take out another 4 or 5 year loan, and get may be S197, look for low milege Cobra, or may be Mach1. Or get someting totally different - like S2000, 350Z, or even C-5 Vette. and start over from scratch(well, some of my stuff can be transfered if i go with Cobra, and almost all can be reused if I get Mach1(less LT)

But any of those would mean sign away 4 to 5 years of my life paying $500~$600+/month, and I donno if I want to do that again, specially when i got less then year left on my GT now(stinkin 5 year lone ), and who knows how long my daily beater is gonna last.

Another alternitive is to get small loan - like may be $4000~$5000 loan, and replace 1/4 panel(take out probramatic area completely), and do few other thing while im at it, like replace my hood, fix all of paint brimishes, replace my saggin Sportline, or even completely ditch Roush look and replace it with Saleen kit, etc...
But thats all depends on what it takes to replace rear 1/4 panel right. ANy bodyshop can replace 1/4, but I understand its time consuming, and expensive process, and your open your car to potential issue like water leaking inside of 1/4 causing rust from inside out.

Is there anyone who replaced rear 1/4 panel on our car here? What/how is that done, and how long it takes, and most importantly, what does it cost to do it right?

ANy ideas?

 

[Orange...]

I had mine done... insurance payed for it it ended up being about $7K (canadian) give or take I had a few other things done at the same time...

They took out the rear 1/4 had to weld in a new one, replaced the rear pillar took out the rear glass, side glass, bumper, both outter and inner fenders, alot of the interior... etc. etc. etc. It was quite time consuming to say the least.

I'm not sure exactly what you want to hear for an answer though... thats the best I can give you considering I had it done professionaly and only watched about 15% of the process...

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The rear quarter panel is structural and cannot be changed out by removing bolts. Cutting and welding is necessary, its a big job.

 

[blckstng96]

its like a good 18hr job.1/4 replacement is not cheap.time consuming.

 

[Skud]

I had mine done... insurance payed for it it ended up being about $7K (canadian) give or take I had a few other things done at the same time...

They took out the rear 1/4 had to weld in a new one, replaced the rear pillar took out the rear glass, side glass, bumper, both outter and inner fenders, alot of the interior... etc. etc. etc. It was quite time consuming to say the least.

I'm not sure exactly what you want to hear for an answer though... thats the best I can give you considering I had it done professionaly and only watched about 15% of the process...

Sorry to hijack, but Orange... is that the car that was for sale at the corner of Idywyld and 33rd a couple years back? I remember a buddy and I looking at it..

Riley

 

[bigcat]

i am pretty sure i posted this info in the old thread. it wont be cheap. you are looking near 20 hours body time, and probably about 5-7 hrs paint time. you will need to blend into the front door for a good color match. therefore, all the door trim needs to be removed at the same time, adding $$. blending the bumper and decklid would be your choice, but its not usually done, unless the car has alot of 1/4 showing directly next to the trunk. i think you can get away without blending the bumper and trunk, but it is your car, the decision is yours. look somewhere between $500 and $1000 parts cost for a new 1/4 panel.

like said before, everything that either touches the 1/4 panel, or is easily damaged during replacement will be removed and re-installed. this will potentially cause squeeks are rattles if the tech does not properly perform every task. if the areas are not properly seam sealed and protected against corrosion, you can have a serious corrosion issue in no time.

find a great bodyshop. ask the lexus, mercedes, bmw, etc. dealers what shop they use (if they dont have their own bodyshop). the high end cars are expected to be repaired flawlessly, so the techs working on them are usually a notch above the rest.

 

[Mossberg]

i am pretty sure i posted this info in the old thread. it wont be cheap. you are looking near 20 hours body time, and probably about 5-7 hrs paint time. you will need to blend into the front door for a good color match. therefore, all the door trim needs to be removed at the same time, adding $$. blending the bumper and decklid would be your choice, but its not usually done, unless the car has alot of 1/4 showing directly next to the trunk. i think you can get away without blending the bumper and trunk, but it is your car, the decision is yours. look somewhere between $500 and $1000 parts cost for a new 1/4 panel.

like said before, everything that either touches the 1/4 panel, or is easily damaged during replacement will be removed and re-installed. this will potentially cause squeeks are rattles if the tech does not properly perform every task. if the areas are not properly seam sealed and protected against corrosion, you can have a serious corrosion issue in no time.

find a great bodyshop. ask the lexus, mercedes, bmw, etc. dealers what shop they use (if they dont have their own bodyshop). the high end cars are expected to be repaired flawlessly, so the techs working on them are usually a notch above the rest.

He speaks the truth!

 

[streetstang03]

It cost ~$8,000 and a little over a month in the shop to get my rear 1/4 replaced on my 97 and to get it done right. That was with blending into the door, new 1/4 panel, new rear bumper and repainting of my Saleen wing.

 

[mustang462002]

I don't really know your story. Could you post picks of your 1/4 panel and also what is wrong with it? Im sorry your having such a hard time. But if its just cosmetic I wouldn't worry too much about it. Why can't it be fixed with bondo and paint? Also, don't get a new car because of a body panel. Be a purist.

 

[mity2]

car was rearended. bodyshop did piss poor repair job. panels fit good(as panel were never removed), but they bangout the dent arong. I think when they realized that they fixed dent wrong, instead of redo it, they used mudd to make it look good. In process of that, right side and left side(side that was hit) ended up having different shape.
If you look at it by itself, looks perfectly good.
but when u look at it from far back so that you can see both side, its shaped wrong...


I talked to bodyshop(not the one that screwed me. Shop i should have taken it first place), said they think they can fix existing panel - remove paint, see how much mud was used, remove mud, then bang metal to where it needs to be).

But guy who does the metal work was not there. I have to take the car back to them day after tomorrow and let him see the car.

He did say if u really want to replace 1/4 because i want perfection, may be looking in to cobra or Mach may not be a bad alternitive....(due to cost / Value ratio...)

 

[Orange...]

Skud: yes that was the car I picked up...

 

[mustang462002]

You should just get it fixed right. Your car is nice you shouldn't just ditch it for that. I got hit on the side 1/4 panel. You can't tell unless you really try. But I see that its not the perfect shape. Either way no car is ever perfect.

 

[mity2]

I talked to bodyshop that i trust yeasterday, and had nice long chat.


He could certainly replace 1/4 if i wish to. but he basically told me like this

its like physics. For every action, there is reaction

Putting new panel would fix the wrong shape on panel. thats for certain.
But i'll more then likely encounter other probrem from it like rusting, gap not matching, or paint not matching etc.

Basically what he suggest is drive it. have fun with it. then if I really REALLY not liking way it looks (and fact that its in accident), get something else. he feels that no appraiser at any dealership will pick out that fact rear 1/2 is shaped differently
from left to right.

But he would not do that he says. Its a magnet, and magnet attract metal even if does not look like traditional "U" shape.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Trade for a Terminator in the fall Mity

 

[mity2]

Trade for a Terminator in the fall Mity

thats my plan!



I also like those LS2 powered GTO too.... and they are for the most part cheaper then Terminator