Sheetmetal gurus help me get started

[Jocigar]

Thank you, I was trying to find out if the 5/8 lip that attaches wheelhouse to trunk extension just sandwiches where inner and outer meet or if there is some overlap.   

[soundcontrol]

Here is a closeup of mine before I changed the outer wheelhouse and trunkfloor. There is a slit in between there, and it's covered up with big chunks of seam sealer in original cars, a rust trap if you ask me. I welded mine shut, since I'm not restoring mine to original.

[soundcontrol]

And there is an overlap of the lip, as seen in this pict, the inner wheelhouse lip overlaps a bit. Another pict of my passenger side, fixed the rust on the inner, skipped the overlap, will weld it shut later, still have to change the whole outer wheelhouse.

[Jocigar]

Perfect, Thank you !!

[Jocigar]

Back for more guidance. 

I have patches made for wheel wells and trunk floor is also ready to install, but while evaluating the sheetmetal I notice that the speaker deck will need some patching once dutchman is removed and it sure would be easier to do the work without the trunk pan in place.

So question is;  could I replace dutchman first and fit that to original quarters, then plug weld trunk pan, then move on to replacing the quarter in that order ?   this would give me much more room to work in that area before the truck pan is in.

Also what do I do with the trunk lid support brackets ?   do they come completely off, or leave lowers attached to wheel well and just bend out of the way.

Thank you ! good weekend project.

[jimynick]

I'd just de-tension the deck lid torsion bars and trim off the upr body panel, or dutchman if you prefer. That way the hinges should remain positioned as req'd and will also serve as a guide when installing the upper panel. The KISS principle comes into the equation time to time and this may be one of those times. Otherwise, I'd do it pretty much the way you described. Remember! Measure 22 times and cut once and you'll be a much happier lad at the end of it all. You've got this! 

[anlauto]

Can't you drill off the trunk hinge brackets from where they meet the deck filler panel ?

[Jocigar]

Yes Alan you are correct but down the road the seam between the Dutchman and the quarter panel is not accessible with spot weld remover because the hinge bracket sits in front of it, blocking access.  I can cut Dutchman out and maybe get to the spot welds or billboard cut the old qtr and get to the seam from outside.

Trying to replace one piece at a time to maintain reference with other original panels, entire process is a puzzle requiring brain power and thinking ahead a few steps.  ouch. 

Jimynick.  Thanks for the help and encouragement!   I will cut a strip out of Dutchman to repair speaker deck then go from there.   With trunk floor in all this would be a miserable undertaking. 
I'll try to note measurements as much as possible.

Thx all

[Mopar5]

 There is no need to move the trunk brackets out of position when replacing the dutchman panel. Best to leave them in the original position when RR. The side flanges (dutchman to quarter) are a bit of a pain to weld so having the truck out will help.

[jimynick]

AND, don't forget to tape your sleeves shut and do up your coverall's top buttons, because it's a real SOB trying to flop around in the trunk until the hot coal that went up your sleeve or down your neck cools enough to stand it! LOL Guess how I know this? 

[Jocigar]

progress report, patches done over weekend.   

I might use 3" cutoff wheel to remove the old dutchman to quarter flange rather than trying to drill out spot welds in tight space.

Need to figure out next step...   install trunk floor/rear cross member, or replace dutchman, or start with a quarter.   

[anlauto]

Patches look great...how much do you charge per hour ?

You might want to get rid of all that old paper laying around as you're welding and grinding....sparks and paper don't really get along...sparks tend to win 

[soundcontrol]

Yes, great looking repairs!
I think to start with the dutchman is best, but I'm not an expert.
I'm doing the quarters last.

[Jocigar]

Thanks the kind words!  feels rewarding when they turn out well. 

I did have a few small fires Alan, trying to protect original fk5 on speaker deck with paper 

Late night but I removed old Dutchman and dry fitted the new one.  Pass side is too wide by 1/8", drivers side looks good as does the overall length ~ 47".

Next question then:  where should I make the cut to shrink the pass side panel width and how long should cut be ?  Thx!

[anlauto]

Are you keeping track of your hours ?

As per our previous discussions about how many hours things "SHOULD" take, it would be interesting to see how one guy with little experience in his home garage can do it, compared to a group of guys in a  big fancy shop...It appears like you're making great progress.

It would be nice to go back and say "hey, did it myself and it only took 100 hours" ...