I am currently under going a body off on a `69 convertible and am looking for opinions regarding rear quarters. For starters mine are very bad and should be replaced. Here is the question.... Are the replacement skins any good? Year One rates theirs a 4 which is almost the poorest grade. and I believe all the other parts dealers have sheetmetal of equal quality. No one offers full quarters for the convertible. Has any one of you adapted hardtop quarters to convertible? I'm leaning towards doing this and would really like some input from anyone else who has done this. Also would appreciate input on the skins, not patch panels but skins.
Thanks guys, dont be shy let me have it!
Bob

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Have read several resto articles where the shop utilized a full GM hardtop quarter on a ragtop. Sounds like the way to go for a top-notch resto.

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Rainer Seitz
Vancouver, WA
Team Chevelle Gold #50
ACES #3784

'68 SS396
'70 LS3 400 Malibu
'70 Malibu convertible 350/300hp


See them all at Rainer's Hot Rod Shop! (http://rseitz.homestead.com/main.html)
rseitz@chevelles.com

Bob, I was in the same dilema as you several years back. I had even purchased a pair of GM coupe quarters with the intent of chopping off the sail panel. After much deliberating and himming and hawing I dumped the coupe quarters for a tidy profit and went with aftermarket full skins. The two main reasons were I couldn't see hacking up a good pair of GM quarters and turning them into big patch panels and the main reason was the guy installing the quarters.
After eyeballing the two side by side with my body man, we decided that the coupe quarter would have to be cut too far down; meaning my guy wanted to make the new seam within the top 1" (in that little concave area) where the quarter meets the trunk lid deck. When you see the two side by side the coupe quarter swoops up to form the sail panel where the convertible quarter remains relatively flat, making the seam lower down on the quarter panel(I remember it being about 3" down) Confused yet? I don't know how well I am describing it?
Anyway we went the full skin route with new inner fenders (that is a whole nother modification story) and everything came out just fine, at least from my perspective. From inside the trunk the seam is well hidden. E-mail direct if you like.
I have heard of people modifying the coupe quarters with good succes, for my situation I felt the full skins were a better option. A lot depends on the guy doing the work.
As far as the quality of the skins they are thinner metal than the originals, but so are the aftermarket coupe quarters.
Hope I helped?

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TC #364
Aces #4309
Jeff's 69 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/daytonajeff1.jpg)

I too was going to use a pair of coupe quarters for my covertible, but for the same reasons as Daytona Jeff decided not to (they'll be put to good use on my coupe). I bought one quarter skin at the Carlisle swap meet that when placed side by side with the full quarter looked pretty darn good to me. The only things I'll change are the lower forward edge that would go over the rocker (I'll trim it and make an "L" bend as on the original) and I'll trim the front and rear vertical edges as the skin has too much of a radius where it should have a sharp corner bend to match up to the rear extension and door.
Rich

I just finished my quarters on my conv. I had full GM hardtop panels but decided to save them and had the panels put on. The top seam curve is different on a conv and a hardtop. That is the body ridge at the top. I had these panels put on an all though they where full panel they shop cut then at the door seam and at the quarter extension because that is where they are a poor stamping. I could send you some pictures of were mine were cut and welded if you like. I haven't fill it in yet. I don't have a digital camera so i would hav to send it in the mail to you. Mine came out very nice. Don't overlap them. Butt weld them.