....or any A-Body that has similar set-up:

How do you attack the spot welds that are behind all the body bracing around the outer wheelhouse? I can't seem to reach them from inside the trunk and cabin, and it's a real pain from the outside. I'm using a Spitznagel spot weld cutter bit on a basic electric drill and it does an OK job cutting. I'm an ultra-n00b at panel replacement and this passenger side quarter and surrounding panel replacement project has taken sometime already and the lip thats spot welded to the inner wheelhouse and braces is all I have left to remove.

Good question
I am going to start on replacing mine next week
There appears to be a number of welds that are on accessable
Good luck

I've done it.Where exactly are you talking about? Is this a hardtop?

Theres 3 supports: One thats on top of the outer WH, the support that goes all along the lip of the outer WH behind the rear trim panel, and the rocker panel has a spot weld or two attached to where the outer WH.........and all of these have spot welds on the OWH, and then you have to access like 30 more spot welds that attach the OWH to the IWH behind these suppoorts that look impossible to get without moving the support away.

If I had a picture it would help alot.

Do you have the quarter off?

Yes. I've already gotten the quarter panel, truck filler panel, most of the outer wheel house, and a section of the inner wheel house(that I have a patch for) off.......I just need to remove the lip of outer whell house that's spot welded to the inner(behind all the supports).

Ok i think i know what you mean now. I cut the wheelhouse off and grind it flush leaving that flange behind all that bracing. Then i trim the new wheelhouse to go around the bracing and plug weld thru the new flange to the old flange. I'll see if i can find a pic of one ive done.

I left about 1 inch of the old wheelhouse and cut the flange off my new one and overlapped them and welded them.

Thanks so much......I had no idea how to reach those stupid spot welds. Cutting off the new wheelhouse flange around that area and welding it to the old flange makes alot of sense. I almost wanted to get rid of the car cause this projects been frustrating since day 1. You guys just got rid of my huge headache graemlins/beers.gif .