Back to work on the 64

[IneedAnotherBeer]

The year was 1987. I was 19 years old when I purchased this 64 convertible. Being that young, I had little money, and not much experience to take on the body work that was needed. That didn't stop me from trying. I removed the rotted left rear quarter, and patched it with a part of a quarter removed from a 64 belair four door, and a patch panel. Well, that inexperience resulted in panels pop-rivited, and bondo. Now that I have the tools and the experience, it's time to start over and do it right. Here's some pics of the begining of the process.

Rear of the trunk will need some attention also.

 

[bobs409]

I just saw my future! :eek:

I'll have to do the same to my '63 but am STILL waiting for the inner wheelwells to be repro'd. (turns out the ones Hubbards listed for '63's are actually for '64's!)

I just went through this for both quarters on my 72 Chevelle and wouldn't touch another for at least 2 years! Whew. Lots-O-work!!!

P.S. if you need that rear trunk panel, Hubbards has them for about $89. I installed one on my car and it was a perfect fit!

Oh well, below is what Chevelle looked like "in progress." Shown with the lower part of the wheelwell and left trunk & drop off installed. Both sides are now completely done and in primer so I'm almost there. Good luck with your '64!

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Where to cut?

How do you guys decide where to cut when you remove an old crusty qurater panel?

For example, suppose you have a full replacement quarter (skin only like from Harmons, not a full factory piece), but only the lower section of your vehicle is corroded. Do you cut at a body line, behind a trim line where the brightwork goes, or some other place?

I need to do this someday on my '62 BA and I was thinking to ask a local body guy who will likely get the task of cleaning up afterwards. For now I've just cut enough to get the nasty stuff out, the rest seems solid. How far do you go, and how do you hide the butted seams?

Thanks!
TomK

 

[IneedAnotherBeer]

How do you guys decide where to cut when you remove an old crusty qurater panel?

For example, suppose you have a full replacement quarter (skin only like from Harmons, not a full factory piece), but only the lower section of your vehicle is corroded. Do you cut at a body line, behind a trim line where the brightwork goes, or some other place?

I need to do this someday on my '62 BA and I was thinking to ask a local body guy who will likely get the task of cleaning up afterwards. For now I've just cut enough to get the nasty stuff out, the rest seems solid. How far do you go, and how do you hide the butted seams?

Thanks!
TomK

Tom,
It's only metal, you can cut and weld anywhere, but, if you plan on overlaping metal, it gets harder to cover the repair. Using body lines help to keep things lined up. With my project, I used the top edge because the side lines weren't straight and I needed to include the taillight area. On your 62, if it's just the lower quarters, I'd use the lower body line cut clean and straight, butt welded to the repair panel.

Dave.

 

[bobs409]

I suggest triming the new panel in an area that will be easy to grind the weld. (a flat spot, not in some curvy focal point that's hard to work in) For my Chevelle, I cut it about an inch above the crease. The panels I used are just "patch panels" and not full quarters so I trimmed top and fronts to where I wanted them.

Once done, I set it against the car and lightly scribed it. I then cut about 1/2" away from that line leaving some material to fine cut later. Once the bulk of the old panel is off and out of the way, the new skin will lay on better. Then just scribe it carefully and trim the rest away. (being careful to stay with your lines)

You could over lap but it's best to use a butt weld. By doing the method I just described, you'll get an almost perfect joint that will weld up nice.

For the backside in the trunk, I'm using some brush on seam sealer which I will prime over then spatter paint but I suppose you could smooth it with body filler to make it invisible.

One other thing... I've been told many times to use only the amount of the patch panel that is needed. If you only need the lower 12 inches, use just that. In my case with the Chevelle, I needed to replace the outer wheel house so had to go up as high as I could. In fact, since it didn't go all the way up like a full quarter would, I had to cut and weld in only 1/2 of the wheel house as I could not get to the top to drill the spot welds out and reweld which made ALOT more work! To do this again, I'd get the full quarters. "live and learn"

Here's what it looks like all done and a few coats of high build urethane primer.