Body / Glass: Removing Gran Turismo Rear Quarter

[30seagrave]

Before coming into my possession, someone hooked the front of the left side rear wheel well and scrunched it up pretty good. I figure it would be easier to remove the rear quarter to do the body work, but my shop manual does not seem to cover body panel removal, so what is the procedure for pulling it of??

[(S)]

The procedure is in the rear of the shop manual under 'body'. there will be some body putty holding it firm, even when all bolts are out. Be sure all bolts are out! Use wide pry tools, and a rubber mallet to release the panel from the body. Do not try to do all of the prying and 'bumping' all in one spot. Move around, start at the door jamb, push up and forward, ( you may have to hit it upward, while pulling and moving it around and outward....

The 1/4 panel looks like an easy fix if you remove the rear wheel, . If you do remove the 1/4 panel be sure to get some por 15 or similar rust coating to treat any rusty metal / flanges while you are 'in there'

The 1/4 has a few inner bolts, remove the rear inner panel, arm rest, window crank and seat, you'll see 2 bolts in there, near the 1/4 glass opening. remove the door jamb body plugs to see the front bolts, remove tailight to see rear bolts/ large screws, 2 lower fender stays hold the bottom,rear. and a few along the bottom. Remove the upper body mouldings to see the top bolts hiding under it.

[studegary]

The quarter is a bolt-on, but I recommend making that repair without removing the quarter.

[JoeHall]

Since this is your first time, that finder will probably take you about 2 hours to remove. But then if you had to do the other side, you'd probably be able to do it in less than 30 minutes. The first one is a learning curve.

I'd recommend removal in order to repair that fender. Once you get it off, you may find other problems, like prior repairs, rust starting to go through, or body rot. Also, take the opportunity to repair/treat the underside of the car and fender while it is off, and top off with your favorite concoction of rust prevention stuff, i.e. POR15, Rustoleom or whatever.

Also, depending on your circumstances, replacement may be easier & cheaper than repairing that one. NOS is still available, and fiberglass repros are now available.

[63 R2 Hawk]

My vote would be to leave it in place to straighten. Realigning that panel is not always an easy task once it's been worked on, and it's possible to stretch or deform the fender if it isn't constrained in position. If you do decide to remove it, rough out the major portion of the dent first, then remove it to do the finish pick 'n' filing.

[52hawk]

I'll add another vote for repairing it in place. Much easier than having it flop around on saw horses or whatever,besides reasons already mentioned!

[David]

Are you have the repair done or doing it yourself? A body shop might estimate that at $500 or more just to get it ready for paint. I'd go replacement. New or excellent used. They are out there. In that particular spot on the body, if the repair is not perfect your new wheel well trim will show it! If its a driver it may be fine for you. Just something to consider. If you do go with repair, leave it on. One of the first things they taught us in auto-body class was reverse as much damage as possible before removing a panel, for either repair or replacement. Good luck with the repair which ever route you decide.

[JoeHall]

The forward edge of the dent is along the edge of the baffle, which runs top to bottom between the fender & body. Further, there is only 3 fingers' width between the fender & body, in the forward half of the affected area. So it would be near impossible to get at with a hammer and dolly.

It would probably be cheaper, and certainly easier to replace the fender.

I'd like to meet the person who could dolly that damage it out, leaving the fender bolted in place. Maybe a lilliputian.

[rockne10]

Modern cars with tissue thin sheet metal are not difficult to pull out. Older, thicker sheet metal, a little more stubborn. I would bet, if the repair is done with the fender mounted, you can make it look decent but never as good as you would like. I also think if your sheet metal is solid you may not want to spend the going price for NOS or even excellent used fenders; available but not cheap. Pounding it out can stretch the metal but, it's also thick enough that a good body man can shrink it as well. You may want to contact Matthew Burnette to swap your stainless for something straightened. You will need it to correctly position the wheel arch.
There are arguments for and against all options.

[Warren Webb]

Being a body man I would first make a pull using the appropriate clamp on the wheel opening. Studebaker, if my memory is correct, used 16 gauge steel so you have plenty to shrink & work with. Any attempt must be done with one thing in mind. Always start to reverse what caused the damage in the first place. In this case, using a clamp, pulling in the area of the wheel opening where it's the furthest in, the opposite direction of the impact.

If attempting to straighten the panel is beyond what you are capable of, that's ok. The recent introduction of aftermarket panels makes it a viable option. The ones I talked to last march at the Petersen meet raved about the fit & quality. They are listed as being available for 53-61 C&K bodies but can, with minor modifications, be used on 62-64 K bodies.

[swvalcon]

I would pull the fender then clamp it to some kind of heavy work bench and repair it, should be able to almost metal finish it with very little filler.

[warrlaw1]

LOL, Joe. Lilliput reminds me of the little Vietnamese man who actually went inside my trunk and pounded out a fender on my Acura after it had been T-boned. The car was a write off, but his work let me drive it for a season before I sent it to a body shop for a complete. His sister's son worked for me and said: "My brother fix that for you." ..and he didn't charge me!