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55 chevy repairs

2K views 22 replies 7 participants last post by  MARTINSR 
#1 ·
Ihave A 2 dr sedan i have been working on.I can't bring myself to spend $900.00 at this point in the build.for.........one quarter per side.My lowers need repair ,So!!what i am looking for is any repair pieces od these two panels l+r sides . I can piece And level out some smaler pieces i tthink. If you know of some sheetmetal like this laying around some where please contact me ANY THING at all may help at this time.
If i look long enough .....no particular time shedule-- i have right now.I can come see....go look.... retrieve , anything, longs it not just plain junk.:) thanks for looking bob s


quick thought!does anyone know how to get these steering box pics taken off my page????????
 
#3 ·
55 chev body repairs

Ihave A 2 dr sedan i have been working on.I can't bring myself to spend $900.00 at this point in the build.for.........one quarter per side.My lowers need repair ,So!!what i am looking for is any repair pieces od these two panels l+r sides . I can piece And level out some smaler pieces i tthink. If you know of some sheetmetal like this laying around some where please contact me ANY THING at all may help at this time.
If i look long enough .....no particular time schedule-- i have right now.I can come see....go look.... retrieve , anything, longs it not just plain junk.:) thanks for looking bob s
here are some pictures i hope they will help my case
 

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#6 ·
The lower halfs of the quarters are the worst .wavey wavey wavey the tops are bad~~~ but they i think could be worked on.. and maybe saved .Filler isn't a option! with to much of it in the car, Some fillers is definitely needed.What would anybody else do with them in your opinion. I can't spend the money for the black quarers ,I won't sleep for amonth with $1800.00 and not even any paint showing.
This why i look; for a bodyman, or used, or smaller non-used panels. to get this job on the road i'm abit lost on this.I can do bodywork, this scares the p*** out of me for some reason help!!!1:(
 
#8 · (Edited)
if you set the cup on the car it will always spill,go into the jambs and be sticky if its a soda it has phosphoric acid in it witch also causes problems later on....First day on the job at my first bodyshop I got yelled at for doing this and wasn't even there 5 min....I stuck with me for over 35 yrs. Now I'm the one yelling at the new guy at my shop....

BTW ,Your 55 don't appear to need any panels or patches the one that they always need is already in there (below the trunk) of coarse pics don't show a lot it looks pretty darn good to me.I think you should strip those 1/4s to the metal and hire a bodyman to to come over and straighten them out..500.00 sounds about right for the labor on two 1/4s but do one at a time just to be sure he knows what hes doing and if he works out call him back to do more...
 
#12 ·
I used half quarters on my 55. I sliced them right along the trim line. When I sliced it the middle caved in Because I didn't bother to brace it causing me untold grief. Be sure to brace the top half of the quarter so it stays exactly where it's supposed to be. Other than that, it worked out good. The metal was of good quality.
 
#13 ·
So you cut it all the way thru front to back on the side molding holes?Iam trying to decide on panel to get.Why/how did you lose control of the top panel the outer wheel house should have kept the top half out strait??? what do you think> help me out if you will please, I am antagonzing over buying a full quarter panel at thanks bob s $900.00
 
#14 ·
You would think that the wheel arch would have prevented that, but it did not. Surprise to me. If I remember correctly, I got the panels from JC Whitney. They were made in Canada When they were delivered the driver was standing on the box, they were a bit bent up. I sliced just below the holes and flanged that. A suggestion ,reverse flange the patch it will add structural strength. I didn't bother to do this to my regret.I glued it and tack it around the door frame. I then used my primer on both sides which also glues the hell out of everything.I wish that I had went for the full quarters, I just might. Whether you just put half the patches on front and back. Make sure your brace it from behind So you don't get A surprise.
 
#16 ·
That could have been the problem right there. when replacing any inner structure (like wheel wells) along with the 1/4 you should fit the 1/4 and using drill screws fasten it...(the holes from the drill screws will relocate the 1/4 perfectly) THEN you go after the wheel well ...If you need to go further you would fit the wheel well ,remove it and go on to the next panel...when your ready to weld you just line up the holes run a few screws in and weld it all back up...if all you haveis a big hole where the 1/4 and all the inner structure was all you can do is guess where it goes and it never works...You should be able to take it apart and screw it all together completely before you ever strike an arc. welding a wheel well in after the 1/4 is welded would be a bit frustrating...
want pics ??
 
#18 ·
Cleco s are probably more useful for building aircrafts that use rivets but they do LOOK cool. I got my first 100 about 25 yrs ago.they're not so good for automotive work or as good as drill screws which are MUCH faster and hold better PLUS you can weld right next to a drill screw ,even you accidently weld one in you can just grind it off and not worry about it...if you have cleco holding a rocker or a 1/4 's jamb in you cant close the door to check the fit ,no problem with screws You also cant completely assemble everything with the Clecos they stick out too much...basicly they're more trouble than they are worth...when I saw Days of thunder and saw the race car with all the clecos in it I ran right out and bought some the next day...They DO look better that's for sure
 
#21 ·
Did the same thing as you with the coleecos ,used once and wasn't crazy about them.I used the self tappers, from the hardware it is the best what to do this job.
I was going to after.... i got the q-panel bought,Plasma cut the quarter, so as to repair the wheel house before hand,,,,,,,and then cut the old panel clear off, and start in new after tracing around, new panel and fitting it.
 
#20 ·
when welding a long 1/4's flanged joint you really don't want to be pushing the two pieces together with anything because the pressure your using will warp the panel as soon as it heats up so screws are perfect for this too, when your done you just pull the screws and weld the hole. The last half 1/4 I spliced was so straight after welding all it needed was two coats of poly putty (no bondo) I just couldn't imagine doing a 1/4 without them...I use them any time I replace steel even in collision work ,,sometimes there a slight bend after the frame work that'll keep everything from lining up perfectly and it all has to come back apart. Man these screws are handy.
 
#22 ·
doing a new complete quarter on this car is a big job going seam to seam. you have a lead seam by the taillight panel bridging the quarter to the tail light panel and another lead seam connecting it to the rocker. You burn out the lead and look for spot welds on the perimeter. There's some in the jamb and in the drip rail under the decklid and under the car and under the lead the seams. The one I recently did had to be sectioned because the body lines for the sail panel did not match so I cut it out below those body lines, which is below the mouldings. Before you do anything, line up your door and decklid the best you can before cutting it out. I often take a cutting bit to my air chisel and cut big portions of the quarter out to gain access to both sides of a spot weld. The wheel house on those cars is easy. It doesn't touch the quarters so you won't have to line it up with the quarter. you can just put it exactly where the old was by using the marks it will naturally leave behind or scribing where it sits. The only thing that touches the quarter is a rubber shield that extends off of the wheel house, which will allow you to just weld it in with no regard to the quarter, although I think it does weld to the quarter at the bottom. As far as quarter fit, expect to have to do some serious modifications to get the tail light to fit. If you can metal fab that means to make a piece with a 45 degree bend and shrink it to fit the shape you need. You can cut slices in the jamb where the tail light goes and pucker out the quarter in that area near the slice. The one I did needed a slice on top with a piece added in the slice to widen it, then I cut slices along one side and bent that area out. A better way would have been to slice it bend it, then cut it out, and replicate that piece by using a shrinker. This would avoid having slices in your metal but at the time we didn't have our shrinker in the shop yet.
 
#23 ·
Why in the world are we talking about replacing these quarters? This isn't a 2010 Honda that we are negotiating with an insurance company over. This is a 60 year old car being done by a hobbyist in his garage. There is no reason what so ever to not repair those quarters!

The repro parts are CRAP compared to the original for goodness sakes. Start studying metal work and how to get that piece filler ready, then study filler work. Start out small, do the rest of the car and come back to those quarters after you have some experience under your belt.

Repairing those are a no brainer if you ask me.

Brian
 
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