Rear Quarter Panel Repair [Merged 11-8]

[Psycron]

Got it! I think I know enough to be dangerous (to myself, not others ). I will take some pics along the way and show the results...this might take 2-3 weekends, though. I will head to the junk yard as soon as I get the Cut-Off tool. By the way, how much should I spend on a spray gun? I've seen some going for as high as $600 for a very fine nozzle (HVLP) one. Again, thanks for the tips.

 

[ddavisaf]

Goto Sears and get a gun there. They're about 200 bucks. It'll be good for what you're going for.

 

[Dr3wStx]

I'm in the same boat you are. I don't know if you need to weld a spot like that, I repaired my rust spots with just an angle grinder, sandpaper, body filler, spot putty, fiberglass, and 2 cans of whatever the name of the color of you car is from autozone.

Eveyone is giving good advice, it all boils down to a process close to this...
Grind off all the rust, fill the hole you're going to make with fiber cloth and resin. Grind that down when it drys, then go to filler...sand..more filler...sand..more filler, spot putty, prime, sand, paint, clear.

Don't forget to coat the back with something, that rubber stuff sounds good, I used the ashfault stuff for fender wells.

I took a few pics...
The first one is after fiberglass
Second one has sanded filler on it
Third is the finished product
Forth is a close up of the tapeline...I still have to sand that down and blend it with the rest of the paint.

 

[Psycron]

Dr3wStx while you're at it you might as well re-paint the cosmetic trim too, it looks a little faded

I hesitate to use fiberglass mostly because I hear the "proper" way to do body repair is by replacing the affected area with metal since welding is the best way to bond two surfaces that are alike. Even so it's probably less work to use fiberglass. I wonder what caused my quarter panel to start rusting like this when it probably could've been prevented in the first place

 

[Dr3wStx]

Haha yeah, I had that thought for a moment. It was quickly erased by the idea of pulling 11 year old plastic bits off the car, without breaking them. Then getting them to fit properly after I break all the other plasic snappy things that used to hold it on.

 

[ddavisaf]

Dr3wStx while you're at it you might as well re-paint the cosmetic trim too, it looks a little faded

I hesitate to use fiberglass mostly because I hear the "proper" way to do body repair is by replacing the affected area with metal since welding is the best way to bond two surfaces that are alike. Even so it's probably less work to use fiberglass. I wonder what caused my quarter panel to start rusting like this when it probably could've been prevented in the first place

Water and air. I owned a 3g eclipse for about 2 years. They don't come with the luxury of under coating in the wheel wells so every year before winter I could spray some on (After a real good cleaning). Road salt is hell on a car's paint. Dirt can do the same thing. Doesn't the environment suck?

 

[Psycron]

It's called "Rubberized Under Coating" by: 3M

After hearing this nifty little nugget of info I am going to take a bit of time to spray behind all the wheel wells (quarter panels, fenders) just to be sure this doesn't need to be done again. Michigan winters have rusted pretty much every car I've owned

 

[blkTsiWitPsi]

i am about to replace the rear panel on my 96 and i was jsut wondering if anyone has replaced thier's and how hard is it? .. i have done this past work at a body shop and my good freinds do sheetmetal. so i was wondering approx time it takes to remove it and also and helpful hints ... thanks mike

 

[HighPsi92GST]

You have to cut out the entire peice, then find a donor car to cut the peice out of. When you cut the new one, it must be cut at the same spots so it all lines up. Then weld it back together. It's a ton of work and will take a while to do. Most insurance companies would total the car before paying to have the rear 1/4 panel replaced.

 

[mckc]

My talon has a few big dents in the drivers side rear quarter panel. I am looking to find a cheap way to repair this. Is removing the rear quarter panel hard? What tools would it take? What would it cost usually to have this panel replaced at a shop? Also, what do I need to prep my own car for a new paint job? How much money am I looking at to prep it myself? thanks alot!

Dustin

 

[Redline165]

how bad are the dents? any Creases?

If not, id try dent masters or somewhere similar. you dont need to remove the panel to fix if it is repairable. most repair work can be done with the panel left on the car.

 

[JSt86]

i have a 2g (to give you a rough idea even though you have a 1g) and my panal has been hit 3 times by:

1. a drunk driver failing to stop or even slow down at a stop sign and ramming my passanger side
2. someone backing into my driver side panal and taking the liberty of driving off
3. a teenager coming out of a stop sign that "didnt see me"

anyways in most cases it is alot cheaper to repair a panal then replace it. it was near 2000 to replace the panal through insurance and it was like 1300 to repair it but the damage was pretty bad. it was a really big dent about 2 feet high by a foot and a half wide, about 6-8 inches deep.

your best bet is to drive to a local shop that you have worked with or you have heard good things about and get a quote. it takes about 15 minutes to get a quote and there is no obligation to having the work done.

also removing the panal is very time consuming i belive the shop told me it would take 10-15 hours to pull it off and put a new one on. but do not quote me on it because this was a while ago... either way it is cheaper to just have the panal repaired in mose cases.

 

[mckc]

i'm pretty sure its creased! Dang, I will just take it to a shop to see what they will charge. Thanks for your input.

Dustin

 

[GonePostal]

It snowed last night and to cut it short, I had a little too much fun after 4+ years of accident free driving. Got overzealous, went wide, and nailed a 6" diameter tree right in the quarter panel/bumper. Vehicle was liability only, so insurance won't be helping me out. I have a stripped parts car chassis that has no title, with pretty much all the body parts I would need. But then again, it is an accident free unibody. I would be doing all the work possible, but it looks like the unibody will need some repair since it is a little bent, and some weld seams have split open. You think I should get the unibody repaired at a shop, or get a title for my accident free stripped parts car?

I apologize for the shitty quality. It's a cheap digital camera, batteries are low (no flash), and I can't hold it still enough.

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[gthompson97]

get it repaired professionally, you could probably make it "look good" by fixing it yourself, but in order to do it correctly and re-gain strength back in it, get it done at a real bodyshop.

 

[tkrPerformance]

I do it all the time but then I am a body tech if you dont know what you are doing. I would bring it to a shop to get it fixed

 

[GonePostal]

I do it all the time but then I am a body tech if you dont know what you are doing. I would bring it to a shop to get it fixed

What would you charge just to straighten out the quarterpanel/unibody? Want to get an idea before body shops start quoting me something rediculous.

 

[HighPsi92GST]

Its going to cost something rediculous

 

[GonePostal]

Its going to cost something rediculous

Well yeah, . Gonna take it to a body shop my friend knows, and see what they say. A lot of times I'd rather buy a beater than repair this thing.

 

[napkinthief]

Throw some bondo on it and call it a day.

Just kidding, you could call the police and claim a hit a run and hope someone has blue paint on thier front of the car and an unfiled accident report.

Just kidding again...that would be cool though. My friends econoline 350 got side swiped by a 18 wheeler and it messed up a lot of his van. Had a 2'x2' dent in the rear right by the taillight, rear door fell off, and the chasis was bent. He got quoted around 3500 to fix it, so he tried to fix it himself, wasted about 200 in supplies then junked the van.

 

[napkinthief]

Ok now both of my rear quarter panels have dents and its pissing me off. Do they come off or do they just have to get bondo and repaint?

 

[Sinner]

The dents need to be pulled out, filled, and repainted. The quarter panels do not unbolt they are part of the cars structure and can only be replaced by cutting them off and welding on new ones which would cost a lot more and you would still have to repaint.

 

[flacopower]

I have the same problem, but on one side, and i got quotes to fix from 800-1800 just to fix (not replace) the damage.. It isn't cheap. But nothing that we can do since we have unibody cars

 

[brygsx95]

i am looking for a quarter panel for my 1990 talon tsi. Does anyone know where i can begin to look to get one. I've called a few junkyards locally, and still no luck.

 

[1gcrazy]

i am looking for a quarter panel for my 1990 talon tsi. Does anyone know where i can begin to look to get one. I've called a few junkyards locally, and still no luck.

WOW...literally a 32 hours too late. I JUST sent my 90 talon to her final resting place...
I haven't been in the garage since she left. It was her time though. I was kind of sad...
R.I.P.