well im thinking of taking my car back into school this year, and putting a new 1/4 panel on it, and repainting the car, Jet Black.

i was wandering how long it should take to replace a 1/4 panel? that is if everything goes good. this will be installing a 1/4 skin. what all should i look for in doing it? should i go ahead and replace the inner/outter wheel wells while im at it? or can those be done at a later time.
also should it butt-welded, or lap welded? and the object is to use the least amount of filler right?

thanks

aaron

Aaron,

I'm no bodyman, so take my comments with a grain of salt (for sure). If you plan on replacing the inner or outer wheel-well, do it while the quarters are off. As far as I know, you can't replace them with the quarter on. Second, if you are like me, fiqure out what amount of time it's going to take you and multiply it by five.
We estimated it would take three weekends to replace both quarters on a 68, and you know how that turned out. Butt welding the panels on is the best way to do it, but you can also warp the heck out them if you are not careful. Aligning them and welding them should take the most time out of the entire job (in my opinion). Simply, because you need to qet the quarters aligned perfect, then tack them in place. The quarters have to be kept really cool, when you weld them. Whatever you do, don't weld rusty metal, replace all the rust you can find.
I have seen the new 3M glue being used on laps, it seems to work extremely well. If you Lap weld or glue it, it will always show on the inside. That's why we didn't do it on the 68.
If you do decide to butt weld it, several places carry the small clamps you need to use. They will also give you the correct small space between the panels that you need.

Good luck,
Fred

Fred,
thanks alot man. lately at school all we have been using is the all purpose 3M epoxy adhesive. works good, but im not to crazy about it, unless working with plastics. unlike my teacher, or other kids in the class, i try to use the least amount of filler as possible, i just hate it. but yeah, the thought of epoxying it on was their, just i dont want another 10lbs of filler on the 1/4 to level it out.

i will have to think about this alot more. i just might do a few patch's to it, with the new 1/4 i have.

thanks for the help.

aaron

Is the new quarter a half or 3/4 panel? The adhesive sure works nice along the wheel opening and quarter to trunk extension seam. Here's Fusor's recomended proceedure for sectioning panels if you decide to go this route, it has worked fine for me with no ghost line showing on the finished product if the recess is enough to apply a good layer of everglass over the seam.

( http://www.lordfulfillment.com/upload/RP3006.pdf)

Buttwelding this seam would be the best IMO but not the easiest of tasks. For long seams fit the replacment piece so it overlaps by a half of an inch and use screws spaced about 6-8 inches apart to hold in place, then with an airsaw cut along the panel edge for about ten inches, remove any screws in the cut area and pull the 1/2" strip of original sheetmetal away from the seam, now weld about 6-8 inches and repeat the steps again till you've got her all welded up. As you make your cut you will notice the two pieces of metal will naturally come into alignment and the screws will hold it in place as you weld. I weld from one end to the other and use a hammer and dolly to make any minor adjustments as I go. When the seam is completely welded go back and spot weld shut the screw holes. If done properly you'll only need a skim coat of filler to finish it off. The nice thing about a buttweld is it is easy to clean up on the inside and finish for an undetectable repair. And no lap joint for corrosion to start. Take your time, screw your wheelhouse assembly in place and testfit the quarter before welding them in. I've seen people just weld the wheelhouses in then later fight with quarter alignment because they weren't positioned properly. Repop wheelhouses leave alot to be desired when compared to oem, they usually don't fit well and require alot of adjustments to get it perfect. Testfit, adjust, Testfit, adjust, Testfit, install. Bob

You may want to bite the bullet and pickup some clecos and plier. They really help when you can't get clamps in places and hold panels tight. I need to pickup about 2doz for my wagon 1/4s.

i think we have come of them at school, where i would most likely be doing it at.
it is a half 1/4 without the door jam.

thanks for the help guys.

aaron