New Quarter panel

[GoMangoBoys]

Just finished installing a new AMD quarter panel on the RH side.

[Cuda Cody]

Nice job!  Exciting times.

[kawahonda]

Love seeing good work

[6Pack70]

Very nicely done

[anlauto]

Coming together nicely 

[JS29]

Vary good, Doesn't look like you will need a lot of filler. I like to use Evercoat Duraglass for my base, Better build of the low spots and stronger. 

[fireguyfire]

Nice job!
Just about to tackle the right quarter replacement myself.
Any tips since you just did it?

[GoMangoBoys]

Thanks for the nice comments.  As for tips on installing the quarter panel, here are a few.
1. I tried to make the weld close to the corner so the panel is more rigid and less prone to warping.
2.  I cut away all of the old panel except the about 1" of overlap.
3.  The new panel has about a 1" wide edge that wraps over the top.  I left that on until the panel was all fit in place.  Then I cut off about half of it while the panel was clamped in place.  I used the 0.045" thick cutting wheel and cut through the new panel and the original.  This leaves a small gap between the old panel and the new panel for the butt weld.
4.  I cut a 1/2" wide strip and tack welded it to the back of the new panel to create a flange.  Once the panel is clamped back in place, the small strip / flange will overlap under the old panel.  This leaves the gap created by the cutting disc with a small strip under it.
5.  Welding the two panels together, the weld fills the gap and fuses all 3 pieces of metal together.  Once the weld is ground down, the weld will still be thick and strong.
6.  Make the weld in 1/4" segments, jumping around to keep the panel cool.  I had my son with the blow gun cooling each small weld I made.  Do this until all the little 1/4" welds touch.
7.  Using a grinder to grind the weld can make a lot of heat and warp the panel after it is welded.  Instead, I used a burr cutting bit on the die grinder to mill the weld down without creating heat.
8.  Once the weld is cut down most of the way, I finished it off with the grinder disc and then the sanding disc.
9.  When the panel was mostly welded in place, I discovered that the door did not line up right.  It was a big screw up to not check this earlier. At that point, I had not welded the front edge of the panel to the jam, so I was able to recover.  The root cause of the problem was that the panel was not quite the right shape.  It was tight at the top and bottom, but the center of the panel was not touching the jam.  I was able to use a clamp and a 2x4 to clamp the center of the panel and pull it in until it touched the lip on the jam.  Then I welded it in place.
10.  Places that were originally spot welded I welded with the "plug weld"  Drill thru one panel and not the other then fill in the hole with weld, thereby welding the 2 panels together in that spot.

I did not take any pictures of the strip welded to the back side of the new panel before I installed it, but I did reach under with the camera and took a picture of the underside once it was done.  It is not a great picture, but I think it shows enough.  See the attached.

[larry4406]

So these are skins vs full quarters?

[anlauto]

So these are skins vs full quarters?

Exactly

[GoMangoBoys]

I think this was actually a skin.  I was not sure what the difference was between a skin and a full quarter.  I saw that the full quarter extended up onto the roof some, but I did not know what else was different.

[anlauto]

I think this was actually a skin.  I was not sure what the difference was between a skin and a full quarter.  I saw that the full quarter extended up onto the roof some, but I did not know what else was different.

The full quarter goes up to the roof and right over to the trunk gutter...it uses all the factory seams.

[JS29]

@GoMangoBoys    I couldn't have said it better than you did. I have a pneumatic flange tool, but you can't always gain access. I have seen people do fine on the welding, just to warp it in the grinding phase.  I like to use Duraglass filler for my base as well.   

[jimynick]

@GoMangoBoys    I couldn't have said it better than you did. I have a pneumatic flange tool, but you can't always gain access. I have seen people do fine on the welding, just to warp it in the grinding phase.  I like to use Duraglass filler for my base as well.   

Yep, what the man said. Before the fibreglass filler came out, we used to take FG matting and using our snips, we'd cut the strands an 1/8" wide and mix them into the resin when we were replacing Corvette panels so as to full the groove where the bonding strips were. I can tell you, we were very happy when "Tigerhair" first came out! Good stuff all around. 

[xx88man]

Very informative. Thanks!