What did GM put between the joints at the wheel wells?
It almost looks like a foam of some sort?
Looks to me that when I replace my quarters the water will get into these joints and rust.
What do you guys use to seal around the wheel and behind it along the bottom?
thanks in advance T.C.

Por-15 the panels before you put it on and then use a seam sealer after you put it on.

3M makes a number of things for this. I would use a panel adheasive and not even weld the wheel well. Or if I did weld it would be very few welds and let the adheasive do the job. The great part is the adheasive also will seal the well too. All you do is scuff the primer that is on the new piece and make sure all the bare metal is covered on the well with epoxy primer and/or the adheasive and it will be water tight, and very similar to what GM did.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TC:
What did GM put between the joints at the wheel wells?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
It's called seam sealer. Any bodyshop supply place will carry it. You may even have luck at some auto parts stores.



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Mike
99 Regal GS 13.52@100.36
72 Chevelle SS Clone
http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/99RegalGS/

Thanks for the replys!!!
Let me see if I have this correct and we are on the same page?
What you are saying is that I should "glue" not weld the wheel well opening lip and along the lower rear quarter bottom edge of the replacement pannel?
Or if I do weld, do so onlt in a few spots?
Wont the welding burn the glue?
I had thought of using seam sealer between the two parts before I welded them and thought the welding would just burn the seam sealer.
Trying to get to the seam from the inside after it has been put togeather would be imposable especially around the wheel well.
I didnt think of glueing though?
Would you glue before or after you welded the rest of the pannel into position?
This is a 1/4 pannel skin on a 69.
thanks for the input!!
T.C.

TC, the thing is you don't put the sealer or glue in the same place as the welds. In your wheel well the seam sealer was up where the quarter skin just about hits the wheel house. This is above the or right at the area behind the wheel well chrome trim is. The welds are under the wheel well right about where the wheel well chrome trim screw on. So you have a distance between the two. Not much but if you don't heat it up too much you can do it. The thing is GM used a foam type "weld thru" sealer. I am sure you could buy something like that, but I have never used it. If you seal it where GM did, above the weld with a large bead (about 3/8 to 1/2") you can then put the outer skin on squishing the sealer providing a great seal. After you welded the wheel house to the skin in the "pinch weld" area (where the wheel well trim screws in) you can seal the two panels together with seam sealer on your finger, pressing it into the seam between the two panels. This will seal off both sides and NO moister can get between the panels.
There are some great urethane sealers that you can use for the large bead. Get something that won't shrink much (high quality) 3M foil pack, sorry I don't remember the number is very good. Kent makes a good one that I use every day. If you have access to Kent, I'll post the number. Most stores sell 3M so that is probably what you will find.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TC:
I had thought of using seam sealer between the two parts before I welded them and thought the welding would just burn the seam sealer.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's why you wait till after your done welding to apply it. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Trying to get to the seam from the inside after it has been put togeather would be imposable especially around the wheel well.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm not too familiar with the body on a 69 Chevelle, but I just finished applying seam sealer around the wheelwell on my 72 yesterday. All it takes is some stretching. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif



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Mike
99 Regal GS 13.52@100.36
72 Chevelle SS Clone
http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/99RegalGS/

By the way, watch out with the "common" seam sealers or "Drip check sealer" they are really old technology and shrink very badly. You want something that will fill a void and stay there.

On "glueing" the panel in, I recommend it, at least in the wheel well area. These adheasives have been tested to be stronger than a bunch of spot welds. I use them all the time and they really make the job much easier. To make a good spot weld you need the two panels to fit perfectly together and in the wheel well, this is a MUTHA. Under the best of circumstances with two new parts made by the original manufacture they still don't fit that well together. When you have repro parts......forget it. You can fit the areas where you have relatively straight lines and the two pieces will clamp together nice. In the wheel well, they don't match and you just can't "force" them to very easy. That is the perfect place to glue. Again a nice fat bead right were the original welds were. Then weld in the rest of the panel.

To anyone who questions the strength of these adhiesives, most every car uses them in some way today. And they pass some pretty demanding crash tests. I am sold on them and will use them in custom and resoration work.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

BlownGS, in some areas you can't get to it after it is welded in. So you have to apply it first. With all the body braces and things the wheel well is one of those places.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

Thank you for the replys!!
I think I may try the gluing method, MARTINSR
can I get the part number of the best product to use?
I may also roll the inner fender lip for more tire clearance, would this glue hold up to that kind of abuse or should I do this first? I bought a tool for doing this that is a 4" bar with a slot cut in it mounted to a steel handle that you slip onto the inner lip and bend it upwards. Then you gently hammer it the rest of the way.
I like the glue idea because I dont really like welding upside down, and this method seams like it will seal better than the other. I guess I can allways weld it if I dont like what I see. There is alot of force trying to pull these part's apart though?
Thanks again T.C.