rear quarter patch panel replacement for my TA

[WS6]

so has anyone here done this before? i have the typical rotting in the lower rear quarter panel of my TA. im thinking about doing this myself. i figure if i screw it up i can just pay my friends to fix it for me. it doesnt look very hard to do honestly. im wondering if anyone can give me some pointers or even a how to page if it exists. id like to protect the new panel and the rest of the quarter panel from rusting again or anymore. i know about coating the inside of the panel with POR 15 before welding it on, but what about using an epoxy primer such as DP90 from PPG? which would be better to use in this instance?

what tools will i need to complete this? i have a mig welder and a cutoff wheel. i think ill go out and get a spot weld cutter for my drill. the biggets thing i am worried about is the outside panel welding. im not worried about the spot welds really. i figure ill take the outside face of the panel nice and slow so that it doesnt warp or burn through. how do you join the patch to the old panel? do you cut so that they butt together? i thought i saw one time a tool that bends the current panel in such a way that it leaves a lip that the new panel can rest against the old one. you then weld the seam together. im not worried about this being a show car finish. i dont mind using a small amount of bondo to smooth things out. i figure i need to start somewhere since i want to be able to do this. so why not try on my very own car.

thanks for any information guys.

[JoshStratton]

Since I am apparently not allowed to have an opinion, these have been removed.

[WS6]

thanks for the tips. i have this stuff called ospho that will convert rust to a phosphate primer basically. ive used this before and have been pleased. i sand the area down as best as possible first. definetly want to get rid of the heavy stuff. i then just wipe the panel down or brush it down with ospho and let it dry for a day. i dont know what it would do to the area being welded or painted over with auto paint. i know spray paint is no big deal. it covers it right up. i would only use the ospho on the inside which is where the rust starts and is anyway. thanks

[JoshStratton]

Since I am apparently not allowed to have an opinion, these have been removed.

[WS6]

thanks i planned on taking pics. it seems though that my pics are always too large to post on sites like this. so ill have to figure that out later as well.

[68protouring454]

you are a hard on
"take the opinion like a grain of salt"
then what the hell are you even asking the question for??? if you already know?? or are going to do it your way anyway, you have no idea about bodywork. the saying, just go back and fix it later, the key is to fix it once and be done. you are a know it all, that does not do bodywork for a living or never will, i do and others here do, we have to fix **** that goes bad, so we know how to do it once!

ws6, replacing the 1/4 i would cut old 1/4 out staying about 1 inch away from door jamb, rocker, wheel well and tail panel, stay abounbt 1 inch down from main upper body line, now you can drill out , outer whel well spot welds, if you want to get crazy you can go after the rocker welds to, but i would cut new 1/4 to over lap the old, overlapping it about 1/2 inch or so, the tail panel you can i beilieve just run the new one into it as the taillight bezels cover it, i am not sure ,as i do not have a 78 here, then go and stich weld everything jumping around till everything is solid weld, also get the 1/4 lined up everywhere and line up outer wheel house last, flange the old part of the 1/4 and lay new 1/4 on top, this way moisture etc on the inside of panel will run down panel rather than into the overlap, although being solid weld it would take ahwile for it to rust, hammer dolly the warpage you get and get body working.
as for the inside of the panel i would spray with epoxy primer 2 coats, will protect it for a long time
goodluck

[JoshStratton]

Since I am apparently not allowed to have an opinion, these have been removed.

[68protouring454]

kul, stay the **** out of the paint section, you dfo not voice an opinion on something you do not know if it works or not, go buy all the right stiff you can get and your little true value scrapers and go to town doing **** the wrong way cause you do not have a compressor or the brain to do it right, i am not stalking nothing, but when i see someone say take what people say on this board with a grain of salt, do it how you think it should be done.
don't waste any of us who do it daily or know how's time .
you are a ****ing hero, you should open a bodyshop up and have right stuff on your shelves .
**** you

[JoshStratton]

I am sorry. You are right. I will do what you say from now on. Thank you for showing me the way and making me feel like a real human being.

[68protouring454]

i never said my way was the only way, my way works and lasts, you stated yourself , you do not know if your way works or lasts, so why the hell even waste your breath
re-read what i said and you said

[WS6]

well i looked at the panel some more and looked at the panel i was planning on using from Goodmark. i dont think their patch panel, which just replaces the lower rear section where the rust is common, is big enough to cover everything i have. i tried calling them for some more info but didn't get through. if i have to go more than just the patch panel i am just going to have to wait and let a friend do it. i dont have the guts to go after the majority or a large section of the whole quarter panel by myself.

the other thing i have working against me is i have a dent right on the body line which is above this rot i have. i had figured i would hammer the dent out as best as possible, then replace the rot, and then smooth it out with bondo. hoping to use as little bondo as possible of course.

flanging the old panel. isn't there a tool that is just a simple hand tool, looks like pliers that will allow me to do this? i could have sworn i saw a tool like this. you just squeeze the panel with it and it masically makes it step in. so that you lay the new panel onto it and they are flat with each other.

does anyone know of another source possibly for a patch panel other than goodmark or better than goodmark, if you feel goodmark can be topped? ive always heard good things about goodmark, but then again i dont have any experience in this area.

thanks yall i do appreaciate the input. just please dont bicker on my post. id rather it not get locked or something. thanks

[WS6]

ok i take that back. i looked yet again and the rot is not that bad. i think the goodmark patch panel will be more than enough. i tried posting some pics in vbgarage but i guess i was not doing it right. the pics are big, 1600x1200, and i have no idea how to post pics or make them smaller. if someone really wants to see what i have for damage, then i need to know how to post up a pic. thanks

[907rs]

ok i take that back. i looked yet again and the rot is not that bad. i think the goodmark patch panel will be more than enough. i tried posting some pics in vbgarage but i guess i was not doing it right. the pics are big, 1600x1200, and i have no idea how to post pics or make them smaller. if someone really wants to see what i have for damage, then i need to know how to post up a pic. thanks

If you send your pics to me, I'll resize and post them for you.

Email addy is in my profile.

[WS6]

well i guess id didnt post the picture correctly

[907rs]

Here is the pic of Treys quarter panel.

[WS6]

i have since hammered and dolly the dent to the best of my ability i believe. i certainly am no metal worker. i just have to do the rest with bondo i guess. i will see after i strip the paint from the metal. i also have cut the rot out as well. i cut straight back right above where you can see the rot and basically made a square the rest of the way. glad i did this too as the inner panel was beginning to rust as well. ill need to treat that asap. does anyone happen to know how the water and dirt and everything gets into that section of the panel? i would really like to seal it up so that it doesnt occur again. this also has me worried about the other side which is perfectly fine as far as i can tell. it also appears that that quarter has been replaced before even though i can find no signs of it being replaced. thanks for the help and thanks for posting the pic Bill.