Help me replace my 1/4 panel

[nmcgrawj]

Hey guys, i need to replace my drivers side 1/4 panel. Before we even get started i cant afford to just have a shop do it right now. Plus i like learning how to do things myself. SO!......

juiced_94gt already described where the factory 1/4 panel is spot welded on. My question is after u drill out those spots, does the panel just get pulled off? Is there some sort of sealant between each spot weld?

If it doesnt come off, then how do u seperate and/or cut ? Which type of saw gives the best cut? I found a 1/4 panel for $150, which ended up being 1/4 of a mustang coup cut off (this is my first time dealing with a 1/4 panel at a junk yard) so i guess whatever i do to my car i'll have to do to the junkyard one right?


I think thats it for now, thanks for any help :SNSign:

 

[SQUEEZE&STROKE]

The quarter panel is made up of three parts. In all honesty, if this is your first time doing this type of body work, I'd stay away from it. You will need a welder as well. The rear quarter panel also serves as a means of support and tie in. If it were me, I would save up and have someone who knows what they are doing change it. It is alot of work and there are alot of things that could go wrong.

 

[nmcgrawj]

Even if i decided to let someone else do it, i'd still want to know what is involved so that i know exactly what it is im paying someone else to do. I've searched and read people saying "just let the pros do it" but i have also talked to people who have done it themselves. This is my first 1/4 panel but not my first in the field of "body work". One of the biggest reasons i like doing things myself is that most places i've been have messed up on something, then its a battle to get it corrected which isnt a battle thats always won. And then i either have to pay more money to go elsewhere, or figure out how to correct their mistake myself. Even if i "mess up" hopefully if i planned correctly and took my time, i will know exactly what i have to do to correct it.

I dont need people just putting "get it done by someone else". Thats not helping me. That was my first instinct, but its too costly at local shops. So as of right now im looking for help in understanding what exactly has to be done. I will make the decision for myself to continue forward or to save up at that point.

 

[nmcgrawj]

Here is a 30 second draw of the car and the damage. Its just the outer shell of the panel.


The blue is the damage. I got a new trunk lid and rear bumper already. Just need the 1/4 panel and getting a new tail light will be easy.

 

[blksn955.o]

At this point why not try it yourself...its not like you really mess it up TOO much more...I am like you and would rather try it myself even more so if its already a write off.

I would start by removing all the stuff around it you can unbolt to see what things look like.

Rim/tire, tail light, trunk, that roof/side panel molding on the roof/C pillar (rear window area), and side molding. Then look at removing anything in the rear wheelwell and inner trunk, along with the rear seat and rear arm rest.

You may need to remove the window depengind on what it looks like.

Look at the part from the junk yard and your car and find common points/mounting points. If you dont need the WHOLE pannel look at doing just a large patch panel and not the whole 1/4. See what can be made straight without cutting off. Like said if it looks structural and looks fairly good still...try keeping it there.

As far as a patch look at cutting/welding at the body lines if you can just do a patch. You will need a welder either way...so at least you can go get some new tools.

 

[Killercanary]

Nate, have you tried to search on some autobody websites for some help?

 

[fordtech28]

The quarter panel is made up of three parts. In all honesty, if this is your first time doing this type of body work, I'd stay away from it. You will need a welder as well. The rear quarter panel also serves as a means of support and tie in. If it were me, I would save up and have someone who knows what they are doing change it. It is alot of work and there are alot of things that could go wrong.

Squeeze is right the quater panels are really a critical point of the car I was hit in my cobra on the same part of the car just little lower and I was able to get the dent out since part of it was covered by the bumper I was really close to getting the whole panel replaced and I saw whats involved and its a lot of work to get it right .Not to discorage you but thats why they charge so much to do that type of work if they mess up they are liable if you mess up your screwed and it attaches the rear bumper support and the body .If you do go ahead and do it good luck.

 

[nmcgrawj]

The part that isnt "fixable" is the corner that meets at the top left corner of the deck lid (if u are looking at the back of the car). I was thinking about trying to "patch it" but then figured it would be harder to get the lines right so i then i figured if i did the whole thing, atleast THAT section would be straight lol

I know i need a welder. I havent brought the other 1/4 panel home yet, im not happy with the one they had. It had damage in the wheel well area. I guess i will start by removing all plastic parts around it to see what im up against.

Question, can anyone explain the 3 parts of the 1/4 panel? Are u saying like outer panel, inner panel, and something else? And to me, if i can find decent areas to "cut" the outer shell off, i dont see it being that hard to weld a new one in And then i still have the question of the panel being attached outside of the spot welds or just simply "sealed" (sealed being where i can pull/pry it off rather than having to cut the seam)

Even if i can "prep" or get the old one off, then take the car to someone it will help keep the costs low.

Nate, have you tried to search on some autobody websites for some help?

No i havent paul, i'll look into that.

 

[blksn955.o]

I would still say patch it...cut it out and line it up it wont be that hard. You can even give the area they meet a light bend to creat a valley of sorts wre they meet. The rest would be filler...just make sure the valley is no more than 1/8in or so and make it gradual. Getting into the whole panel with all the structure stuff and sub frame tie-ins possibly could get really messy. You could probably get by straightning out any dents/bends on the rest of the panel.

You wont know if you can even patch it without looking at the what the rest of the panel looks like.

You would tak the patch in place this will help get things straight as you can adj. it as you go to make sure it fits best as possible.

 

[nmcgrawj]

This is not the best picture. But maybe i can cut from the corner of the trunk(where it meets the windshield) down on an angle. Or would you recommend cutting straight up and down? I was trying to avoid doing anything with the pillar....

Also, i've never done a valley like u describe, care to explain how to do it in more detail?

Im pretty sure the dents above the tire can be bumped out, its just that last 1/4 of the panel where the gas tank "would be" and back to the tail light thats screwed.

 

[nmcgrawj]

I just went out to look at it and patching it seems to be even harder than i thought. If u look closely to where those pink/red numbers are, thats the furthest back point the panel seems to be "in line". The car was hit from back to front, so the panel is "bowed out" making the car look wider directly above the wheel well. This also caused a decrease in space in the door jam.

 

[nmcgrawj]

I was hoping a repair like this wouldnt be TOO challenging....

1996 mustang quarter panel change what you think???? - Ford Mustang Forums

 

[stprorolla49]

Hey man, sorry I didn't PM you back I was going to yesterday but I've been sidetracked with a lotta things. Anyway, I did get a quarter panel and I am going through what looks to be almost the exact same hit that you have in yours. I have decided to basically replace the back half of the panel. Today after work I drilled out all the spot welds and cut just about all of the back half of the quarter panel off the car. I stopped because the sun was starting to go down and I was wiped. I will be working on it all day tomorrow, and I will take pics along the way and post them up so you can see my progress. Good luck man.

 

[urban96]

have u thought about maybe buying a cheap V6 or roller chasis and swap your parts over to it?

 

[blksn955.o]

Yeah, that might need a whole panel. Yours looks bent all to hell...I was thinking it was mostly around the tail light section only.

I still say go for it. From the 3 pics in the link it looks like its just a skin and the structure under it is the support/chassis part.

 

[nmcgrawj]

Hey man, sorry I didn't PM you back I was going to yesterday but I've been sidetracked with a lotta things. Anyway, I did get a quarter panel and I am going through what looks to be almost the exact same hit that you have in yours. I have decided to basically replace the back half of the panel. Today after work I drilled out all the spot welds and cut just about all of the back half of the quarter panel off the car. I stopped because the sun was starting to go down and I was wiped. I will be working on it all day tomorrow, and I will take pics along the way and post them up so you can see my progress. Good luck man.

Sweet, pics will be great. When do you think you can get some up? Did you go with a used 1/4 panel or a new one?

have u thought about maybe buying a cheap V6 or roller chasis and swap your parts over to it?

Thats going over to the other side of the thing i dont have an abundance of.....time. Time is money, and money is time. I need to find a solution with a good balance. I cant go write a big $1500 check and i cant devote many many many hours to building a whole car. Even if i were to find a car i could buy, in a color i'd want, between the wiring harness, rear end, fuel pump (i hate doing those), motor, interior (my interior is all black) i'd be going crazy.

The motor, interior (minus the dash), fuel pump are all things i've "touched" before so i can handle those easily. But the wiring harness and rear end would be just as big of headache as a 1/4 panel to me since i am clueless with that stuff. And its such a big transplant if something went wrong, there are A LOT of places the problem could be

Plus, i like the idea of "resurrecting" my car. Stuff happens, but i think those of us that put our blood, sweat and tears into a car we want to hold onto it. Sometimes we sell them, sometimes we cant fix them, but i'd like to think all of our "natural" instinct is to keep them

I posted on a Detroit forum (motownmuscle.com) and got feed back from a few guys. So depending on Michael's pics, i will either be attempting the fix myself or hooking up with a local guy to pay him for a side job or have him help me.

 

[stprorolla49]

Alright, so we got a lot more done than the pics show and Ill get some more of that tomorrow because we stopped at around 9pm and it was too dark to get good pics. The patch panel we made from the "new" (used from junkyard) fit pretty well, and is just about installed. We clamped it in place, and tack welded it until the next time we can work on it and finish the welding. Then its just a lot of grinding, sanding, and bondo before paint. The hard part is finished. All I can say is if you plan on doing it yourself, take your time separating the old panel from the car because it will save you a lot of time fixing it in the long run. Also, if you decide to make a patch panel like I did, measure twice - cut once, or at least leave a little extra metal on there. You can always grind it off later. On to the pics...

Mangled rear piece of the quarter...

Car in the air...

New quarter panel (actually its more like a 1/4 of a whole mustang)

Dad's new truck...

Fixing trunk floor...

Ready to install quarter

 

[nmcgrawj]

Thanks for the pics mike. Couple questions, what did you use for cutting the panels? I see you used tape, was that for a clean cut, or to make a straight cut? Also, did your gap between the panel and door get messed up in your accident? My damage stops above the wheel well but the 1/4 seems to be shifted forward just a hair, this makes me worry about doing a "patch" job.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Looks like you guys are doin a good job. Just make sure you weld it on slowly. Don't get the metal too hot because you will warp the hell out of the area. It just makes the body work easier if it isn't warped.

 

[stprorolla49]

Thanks for the pics mike. Couple questions, what did you use for cutting the panels? I see you used tape, was that for a clean cut, or to make a straight cut? Also, did your gap between the panel and door get messed up in your accident? My damage stops above the wheel well but the 1/4 seems to be shifted forward just a hair, this makes me worry about doing a "patch" job.

We started all of the cuts with a cutoff wheel just to make a notch big enough to fix the reciprocating saw blade into. Then we just used the reciprocating saw to cut it off. The tape was basically a guide but also aided in making nice, clean cuts.

As for the gap in the door jamb, there was no shift for me. Maybe just a little elbow grease and you can massage the rest of the quarter panel byt the door jamb back towards the back of the car.

Looks like you guys are doin a good job. Just make sure you weld it on slowly. Don't get the metal too hot because you will warp the hell out of the area. It just makes the body work easier if it isn't warped.

Thanks man. Yea, we just tacked it in place last night to keep it in a good position, and only did a few sections of weld. I think we might braze the seams instead so we don't warp the metal as much. It really didnt warp at all, and we'd like to keep it that way.

I'll try and get some pics of the rest of the progress we made, and post them up later but right now i cant seem to get myself out of this chair. It's way too hot outside for me to move.