# Quarter Panels



## Fred007 (Jul 23, 2008)

It looks like I am going to need, or it may be easier, to replace both quarters on my '65. I am looking for some good experiences on places with replacement panels. If you had a really good experience with someones panels, I would love to hear about it. Thanks.


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## injn37 (Nov 16, 2008)

Fred,
Replaced my 65 quarter panels. I used the replacements from Ames. Basically, they worked well. Had some issues with the trunk filler panels ( really had to butcher them to fit). I cut the new panels about 1 1/2 inches from the top crease on the quarter. Used a flanging tool to help keep all panels straight, really recommend that. Then spot welded every half inch or less. 
The panels do require a fare amount of blocking, and I when car is complete, I might even take a long board to it again .
I attached a couple of pictures to show how i attached.

rich:cheers


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## Fred007 (Jul 23, 2008)

injn37 said:


> Fred,
> Replaced my 65 quarter panels. I used the replacements from Ames. Basically, they worked well. Had some issues with the trunk filler panels ( really had to butcher them to fit). I cut the new panels about 1 1/2 inches from the top crease on the quarter. Used a flanging tool to help keep all panels straight, really recommend that. Then spot welded every half inch or less.
> The panels do require a fare amount of blocking, and I when car is complete, I might even take a long board to it again .
> I attached a couple of pictures to show how i attached.
> ...


Thanks very much! I need to decide what to do fairly quickly here. Will cut off the bottoms today so I can start working on trunk. Did you get your car dipped? It looks so clean.


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

injn37 said:


> Fred,
> Replaced my 65 quarter panels. I used the replacements from Ames. Basically, they worked well. Had some issues with the trunk filler panels ( really had to butcher them to fit). I cut the new panels about 1 1/2 inches from the top crease on the quarter. Used a flanging tool to help keep all panels straight, really recommend that. Then spot welded every half inch or less.
> The panels do require a fare amount of blocking, and I when car is complete, I might even take a long board to it again .
> I attached a couple of pictures to show how i attached.
> ...


Good job!


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## injn37 (Nov 16, 2008)

Thanks for the compliment Randy :lol:

No, car was not dipped. I had it soda/ abrasive blasted while on the rotisserie.
Floor was sooooo bad I braced the body in the door areas and then removed the floors and rockers ( inner and outers) so the blaster could actually get into the body to do a clean job.

Biggest thing in doing the quarters, is making sure nothing moves or changes before you remove anything. I braced the body front to back accros the door openings and side to side right to left doors before I started the quaterectomy.
In one of the pictures you can see some of the door bracing.
Having the doors on was kind of a waste of time, as the door fit did not change at all because of the bracing i used.

Here are few more picts so you can see to help make your decision, of " why am I doing this?" .

rich :cheers


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## Fred007 (Jul 23, 2008)

injn37 said:


> I braced the body front to back accros the door openings and side to side right to left doors before I started the quaterectomy.
> In one of the pictures you can see some of the door bracing.
> Having the doors on was kind of a waste of time, as the door fit did not change at all because of the bracing i used.
> rich :cheers


On some of the pictures, you have the frame on, others with the frame off. Is the bracing as important if you have the frame off? Also, you mentioned in a previous post about flanging the seams. Did you flange the original quarter seams and overlap the new skins? I will go ahead and plan on some bracing around the door openings, makes sense to keep things as rigid as possible. Ripped off a little of the quarters yesterday to expose the trunk which needs some work. Holding off on the whole quarter panel replacement until I get the trunk squared away.

Thanks for the tips, it really helps bolster what I am doing hearing that someone has gone there before. Thanks again!


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## injn37 (Nov 16, 2008)

Fred,

I cut the top off the new quarters about 1" from the top crease where it goes horizontal on the body. Then I removed alot of the old panel so I could set the new over the old ( left about 5" of old on the car at the top and rear). Laid new over old and scribed a line . Cut about 3/4" below  the line and then flanged the old panel . Did not flange the rear of the old panel, just butt welded this area. Then refit the new panel ( several times!)and trimmed until I had a good fit at the flange area and the butt weld area with the lip sitting over the B pillar looking good and snug. I had a gap between the top of my new panel and the step in the flange on the old panel of anywhere from a little less than 1/4" to no less then 1/8". This will give your bondo a good bite area to hold. Used copper plate behind butt weld are to stitch this area together good.
As for bracing. I braced the body before I removed anything ( other than the doors) that way it didn't matter what i did, I was safe that nothing would move. I had to replace floor and rockers, and I knew the body would get real goosey if I didn't brace it . ( See pictures of bracing)
Also including some mode pictures.
I will look at home for the pictures of the quarter stitched up and bondo'd so you can see this progress. Give me a day on that.

I did replace my trunk floor too. Used a hammer a lot on that part!!!

The guy in the pict is not me by the way! This guy builds rockets for a hobby. And I mean rockets, like 15 feet tall and a foot in diameter! Mmmm, a hobby almost as dumb as ours!

By the way, from the picts, my old panels look pretty good. They were'nt!
Bottoms were gone and tops were all inside rusted.

One last thing. This was a first for me, doing a quarter panelectomy! wasn't as tough I I thought. Just think through your steps before making sparks.

rich


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

I thought I would add a picture, we started on the passengers side and replaced both inner and outer wheelhouses, both quarter skins, the trunk and the tail panel. I built a 2X6 box on wheels to brace the body off of the frame and used the back half of the rotisserie to secure the tail panel. Just be careful and don't get too far ahead of yourself.


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## injn37 (Nov 16, 2008)

....And I thought I was biting off a big piece!
You definitely win the big kahuna award! And I ask the question again, Why do we do this? We could be sitting sippin' a cool one somewhere!
Even with a big book of directions , NOT, doing the wheel house and all, you have really not much to register the new parts to. 

rich


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