Fabrication for Rear Quarter Panel Repairs

Here at Customs & Hot Rods of Andice, our team consists of several quality and experienced metal fabricators. This should probably come as no surprise as when it comes to classic cars and vintage hot rods, undoubtedly one of the most common tasks we have is replacing rusted out or otherwise damaged body panels. This includes the complete fabrication of things like rear quarter panels.

Understanding Fabrication Basics for Classic Cars

Any owner of an older vehicle that has rusted rear quarter panels should highly consider the benefit of having a professional install full replacement panels over trying to weld in a partial panel repair. Why? Well, these smaller sections tend to have a higher likelihood of future rust. Committing to a full fabrication replacement now means less worries about bodywork issues coming back in the future.

That said, replacing the rear quarter panel is no easy task as it requires high attention to detail with minute cutting, fitting, and special alignment to ensure the rear quarter panels fit with the other body panels. To do this, our team keeps the original factory trunk lip and uses it as a base to reconstruct and rebuild the new quarter panels so that they will align perfectly with the original.

The Fabrication Process

This fabrication process begins by cutting out the old quarter panels with a special tool that keeps the lines clean. The mechanic making these cuts will leave up to two inches of materials along the edges. A spot welder remover drill bit is then used to remove any spot-welds and a precision air chisel used to remove the final inch/inches of metal. If the model has old lead filler, then a torch and wire brush gets used to remove any such materials and then even out to get the panels to line up as cleanly as possible.

Getting the replacement rear quarter panels to fit in as neatly as if they were the ones originally manufactured onto the model is no easy task and often takes a couple dozen trial runs. This part of the fabrication process requires the machinist to oversize the replacement part just a bit and then to slowly go through a test fitting and re-trimming process until the rear quarter panels are perfectly aligned with the other panels, including the rear window base panel, which can require delicate curves depending on the make and model.

Once the newly fabricated piece is confirmed a perfect replicate with proper alignment with other body panels, final welding can commence. Holes are drilled at the edges to allow the welder in to weld the piece in place. Those welds will then be sanded down and then the whole piece painted over.

Need Specialized Bodywork and Fabrication on Your Classic Car? Visit CHRA

When it comes to fabrication, no one near us can match our team in years of experience and quality work. So when you need work, get it done right here at CHRA! Come visit our hot rod shop today.