ryle

iTrader: (19)

Ok, both of my rear quarter panels have dents and crinkles in them and I was thinking of replacing the panels. I have two panels sitting around on a parts car that I have sitting in my driveway, but I don't know where to cut in order to get the panels off, and still be able to make it look nice when I put them on my other car. Any suggestions would be helpful. Would I just be better off to Bondo the bad spots?

thanx

Cts-Voodoo

quarter panel chopping and replacing is a job for a skilled bodyman, I dont know how much or little will unbolt, on some cars youre actually better off chopping out the sections you need with a sawzall and weld/grind/filling them or repairing the damage on the existing panel and using filler to smooth out what little is left.

McNord

iTrader: (1)

No offence but if you have to ask you probably shouldn't be doing it. I would try to straighten the existing quarters out & then use body filler to finish it off. Even if you do swap the quarters they will still need filler anyway so you are one step ahead of the game if you use what you have on there already. (Unlsee they are totaly unrepairable)

67goatman455

iTrader: (14)

yep, same. it takes me about a full 8 hr day to take a quarter panel off and replace it with a new one. there are probably about 45 6mm spot welds holding it on. it is definitely a job for a skilled body man and no less. if the damage isnt that major, then you should probably fix the dents instead, but do not just fill with them with body filler. Really you should let someone skilled take on the task.

BradsLS1

Goatman is right you don't need to replace the quarter if it isn't that bad and yes you should not just fill it with filler. The only thing I don't agree with goatman is that he should let someone else do it. I think that you need someone that is skillful enough to show you how to do this. The only reason I say this Goatman is because we have all been new at this once. To learn you have to be taught. Taking something this small to someone does nothing but put money in somebody's pocket. Nothing wrong with that but if you really want to learn and you know somebody that can help you that knows what they are doing then by all means have them help you learn. But if you don't have anybody to teach you then Goatman is right big time don't do it yourself you will make problems worse and it will cost more in the long run. I don't know if you have it around you but around here we have a guy that does paintless dent removal for cheap. If the dent is small enough. You might want to look into that.

67goatman455

iTrader: (14)

i completely agree, i guess i should have thought before i typed, i guess i meant dont try to do it completely by yourself. my apologies. if you could get someone skilled to assist you then you could learn at the same time, while also fixing your own car yourself. I have a feeling this is a rather large dent that the OP has, maybe some pictures or a guess of how large the dent is and location.

ryle

iTrader: (19)

aside from being dirty, this is what I am trying to fix.



I guess it's not that bad, but how should I go about fixing this?

BradsLS1

Yeah that. You are going to need some help with that. I was thinking you had a bunch of small dents. Don't do this one yourself unless you have somebody that knows what they are doing help you.

McNord

iTrader: (1)

You should be able to get to the back of it through the fender well, there is a plastic panel that unscrews and tap it out as straight as you can from the back side. Make sure you don't go too far because the metal will stretch and you will end up with humps instead of dents. You will need some filler to smooth everything out afterwards.

Just remember you have to learn sometime and why not start with a panel thats already screwed up, you have nothing to lose by trying.

ryle

iTrader: (19)

Good point!
I have a couple friends that have used body fillers in the past and their work didn't turn out too shabby, so I guess It's off to the store to pick some up.

bdyman

like someone else said you askin how do i fix this ya you shouldnt be doin it your self, sorry but what we do isnt as easy as it looks, even something that minro does take skill to repair
iam sure all us body men on here can never teach online it just wont happen

BLULS1Z28

iTrader: (1)

i agree with all the guys that are saying its not as easy as it looks and unlike auto repair its harder to learn because every hit is different . in 25 been in the business since i was 15 with a short break for 3 years and am just starting to do straightening work unsupervised on customers cars. to the original poster if you know some one in the business hang out and watch them for a little you can really learn a lot

BradsLS1

Bdyman is very correct. It takes years to do what we do. Unlike being a mechanic and not is degrade anybody here no offense. But unlike a mechanic you can't just read what to do and do what we do. You have to do it and do it hands on to get the hang of this. Every single dent is different. I have been doing this for years and I still learn new ways of doing things day to day. Everybody has there own way of doing things. It may work for them but not for you.

67goatman455

iTrader: (14)

that looks like a very complex dent to me, and would definitely take a long time to get straightened out. you will at least need some help with it.