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I am replacing the rear quarter panels with stock quarters for more of a stock look. This EB will not be stock when done but I want it to apear stock from the out side.
First thing I did was to drill out the rivets in the flairs and remove them. Next I trimmed back the quarter panel to get closer to the factory attachment pionts. But DO NOT cut to close to the rear body seam because you can not just seperate this body seam like the rest due to it being in between two other panels. So this area you will end up trimming the new panel and but welding them together. Also down by the rocker panel you will find the quarter panel is between two other panels. Do this area the same as the rear section.
You can just trim a new quarter panel to fit what was cut out for the flair but I felt replacing the entire panel was a better way to go. Once you trim close to the seams you will need to wire wheel the back side of the seam to expose the sopt welds. Once this is done I center punched each spot weld I coud find and then drilled it with an 1/8" drill. I did not drill all the way through the spot weld but went just enough to create a counter sunk hole. Then I went to a 1/4" bit and drill a bit more but tried not to drill all the way thru the body.
Once this is done to all the spot welds you are now ready to start seperation of the seams. For this I recomend using a 1/2" wide cold chissel and a small hammer. I used a body hammer so not to put to much force on the chissel. If you do use a bigger hammer and your spot welds are not all drilled you are more prone to cause damage to the body. When drilled correctly the spot welds do not take much force to pop apart.
Now that the seams are seperated and parts are removed use a light sanding disk ( I used a 120 grit flapper wheel) to remove any spot weld pieces that may be left behind. Now it is time to test fit the new quarter panel.
I found they fit good but will need some hammer and dolly work to get just right. The seam at the top of the panel was not folded over enough and it has a slight bow to it. This will all be worked out before final assembly. For temperary attachment I like to use Kleco fasteners. They are a spring loaded clip used to hold and fit body panels together. Then once every thing is fit and trimmed I replace the kleco's with metal screws because they pull the panels together tighter for spot welding and I dont want the heat or splatter to get on the kleco's. Also before you weld new panels on you will want to spray the seams with a weld through primer to help prevent any rust down the road.
Well this is as far as I have gotten because I need to order the primer and get my welders out of storage then I can finish it up. But to get to this point I have about three hours into it . I figure I will have about ten hours more before it is ready to paint. (This time is for one side only.)
First thing I did was to drill out the rivets in the flairs and remove them. Next I trimmed back the quarter panel to get closer to the factory attachment pionts. But DO NOT cut to close to the rear body seam because you can not just seperate this body seam like the rest due to it being in between two other panels. So this area you will end up trimming the new panel and but welding them together. Also down by the rocker panel you will find the quarter panel is between two other panels. Do this area the same as the rear section.
You can just trim a new quarter panel to fit what was cut out for the flair but I felt replacing the entire panel was a better way to go. Once you trim close to the seams you will need to wire wheel the back side of the seam to expose the sopt welds. Once this is done I center punched each spot weld I coud find and then drilled it with an 1/8" drill. I did not drill all the way through the spot weld but went just enough to create a counter sunk hole. Then I went to a 1/4" bit and drill a bit more but tried not to drill all the way thru the body.
Once this is done to all the spot welds you are now ready to start seperation of the seams. For this I recomend using a 1/2" wide cold chissel and a small hammer. I used a body hammer so not to put to much force on the chissel. If you do use a bigger hammer and your spot welds are not all drilled you are more prone to cause damage to the body. When drilled correctly the spot welds do not take much force to pop apart.
Now that the seams are seperated and parts are removed use a light sanding disk ( I used a 120 grit flapper wheel) to remove any spot weld pieces that may be left behind. Now it is time to test fit the new quarter panel.
I found they fit good but will need some hammer and dolly work to get just right. The seam at the top of the panel was not folded over enough and it has a slight bow to it. This will all be worked out before final assembly. For temperary attachment I like to use Kleco fasteners. They are a spring loaded clip used to hold and fit body panels together. Then once every thing is fit and trimmed I replace the kleco's with metal screws because they pull the panels together tighter for spot welding and I dont want the heat or splatter to get on the kleco's. Also before you weld new panels on you will want to spray the seams with a weld through primer to help prevent any rust down the road.
Well this is as far as I have gotten because I need to order the primer and get my welders out of storage then I can finish it up. But to get to this point I have about three hours into it . I figure I will have about ten hours more before it is ready to paint. (This time is for one side only.)
Attached Files
I like the look of uncut stock EB's. I was out working a little in the heat today too. Man...it was hot!
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