quarter skin replacement advise

[Casperfast]

thanks guys, I'm thinking a dark blood metallic red

 

[basstrix]

I would butt weld it. It's a little harder than overlap but when done right makes for an invisible repair. I just did this on the 71 I'm working on. First trace with a sharpie how high your new panel is up the car. Then cut with cutoff wheel few inches below your line. Do this all way around. Fit the panel again and get it where you want it and hold it in place with self tapping screws. I then use a air powered body saw and cut through both panels at same time. This will make for a perfect seam. Remove panel and punch holes at front, back, and wheel well. Grind and prep for weld. Make sure you move around a lot so you don't warp the panel. I even keep a wet rag with me to cool the welds. Bounce around a lot or you will warp it. Same thing when grinding. Move around and don't overheat the metal. That's biggest mistake most people make. I even climbed inside of the trunk and ground the weld down on inside and you would never know that quarter panel was replaced. Let me know if you have any questions. There's lots of ways to do this, but this way works for me. You can also check out my build thread for all the pics of replacing the panels. https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-new-project-for-this-winter-71-mach-1

Kevin, 

When you align the panel to cut both simultaneously, do you offset the panel downward slightly to compensate for the width of material that gets cut away (kerf)?  

I'm finally working on the sheet metal on my mustang and find your post, and those like it, very very helpful.

Thanks,

BT

 

[turtle5353]

I would butt weld it. It's a little harder than overlap but when done right makes for an invisible repair. I just did this on the 71 I'm working on. First trace with a sharpie how high your new panel is up the car. Then cut with cutoff wheel few inches below your line. Do this all way around. Fit the panel again and get it where you want it and hold it in place with self tapping screws. I then use a air powered body saw and cut through both panels at same time. This will make for a perfect seam. Remove panel and punch holes at front, back, and wheel well. Grind and prep for weld. Make sure you move around a lot so you don't warp the panel. I even keep a wet rag with me to cool the welds. Bounce around a lot or you will warp it. Same thing when grinding. Move around and don't overheat the metal. That's biggest mistake most people make. I even climbed inside of the trunk and ground the weld down on inside and you would never know that quarter panel was replaced. Let me know if you have any questions. There's lots of ways to do this, but this way works for me. You can also check out my build thread for all the pics of replacing the panels. https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-new-project-for-this-winter-71-mach-1

Kevin, 

When you align the panel to cut both simultaneously, do you offset the panel downward slightly to compensate for the width of material that gets cut away (kerf)?  

I'm finally working on the sheet metal on my mustang and find your post, and those like it, very very helpful.

Thanks,

BT

I personally do not offset the panel. I put it right where I want it, zip screw it in place, then cut both panels. I would strongly suggest getting a good body saw for this because it takes a lot less material away than a grinder with a wiz wheel does. I also like to have a slight gap in my panels prior to welding. If the panel is super tight then sometimes you wont get full penetration and the weld just sits on top of the 2 panels. Then when you grind it flush, most of your weld is removed, making the joint weak. If you have a slight gap, you are guaranteed to fill the gap with weld and fully weld the 2 panels together. Then when you grind the weld flush, most of your weld stays between the 2 panels and makes it stronger. The body saw blade is just about a perfect gap in my opinion, and it leaves a little room to adjust the panel slightly if needed. If you have trouble with burning through the edges of the panel, try using a piece of copper for a backing plate. the weld wont stick to it and it will help pull some of the excess heat from the weld and keep you from burning through the edges. You can have a buddy in the trunk on the backside of the quarter panel holding the copper and moving with you as you weld. There's a ton of ways to do this stuff, but this is what works for me. Don't forget to move around alot and cool your welds with a damp rag as you go. Let me know if i can be any more help!

 

[basstrix]

Thanks Kevin, much appreciated!