I'm replacing the rear corner on my '81 and I'm at the point of needing to remove the body from the inner fender of the car?

How can I do this without tearing things up? it seems that the area in question is spot welded but I could be wrong.

Thanks,
Eric

 

Holy crap dude!!!! I have a complete '80 I'll sell you for a couple of hundred bucks to save you that much work. But seriously, I think they are spot welded.

 

How about some pics of the area you are doing.

 

Here's the only pic I've take thus far showing the area.

 

damn. and i am getting another one cause my 81 has a 6 inch rust patch in it!
Good luck. yea its spots. never tried to take those off.

 

Sorry never tried to cut that section off.

 

There is a seam along the wheel well lip. Both pieces of metal curl back under to form the lip that is about 3/4" wide. Just cut the outer fender skin right above the flare and you will see the seam better. Be careful cutting because the two pieces of metal are very close in this area. If you are using a sawzall just angle the blade up and in as you cut. Once you get the major part off you can gring the welds from the outer skin side and slowly seperate the seam.

 

Could a person use a chisle(sp) instead of cutting?

This is my first attempt at something of this calliber, so I'm a little hesitent to just start cutting. thanks for the help though, I'll pick up a sawzall blade tomorrow.

What style of blade should I get? and how long?

 

If this is you first attempt at this, you are already way over your head. Sorry to be a wet blanket. The rear 1/4 piece that you are working on has 2 brazed seams. You've almost found the first one, the other is in the roof. The rest of that panel is spot welded. The entire panel goes from: inside the door jambs, down under the rocker panel to the pinch weld, around the wheel well, back down under the rear panel behind the wheel, inside the tail light, across the seam, the pinch weld around the 1/4 glass frame, to the roof seam.

Head for the local autobody paint store and buy a spot weld drill bit. You will tear up less if you can properly drill out the spot welds. It will also be easier when it comes time to fit the new panel.

There are some good how to's on replacing body panels and rust repair, out on the net and Sat and Sun mornings on Spike tv, during thier powerblock of automotive shows. Before you go much farther, I suggest you upgrade your knowledge base a bit. What you are attempting can be a major project for journeyman bodyman, let alone a novice like most of us.

 

don't think you need a spot well drill bit...any sharp titanium bit will work fine...that part is a bitch to get off...I replaced the rear quarter on the drivers side but not that far back to the lights as that though...but it was welded to the inner fender still not fun none the less...make sure you use a drill that will cover the entire spot weld the use a flat headed screw drive and just tap it incase anything else is still attached...

 

I really wish I didn't have to take it back as far as it is, but there's som much cancer up under there from all the water and ****. If you look closely you can see a split in the metal from just above the marker light all the way to the to the fender flare; well it was that way when I removed all the bondo, basicly it rusted all the way forward and all the way through.

I'm pretty confident in my work, and I have many friends in the auto body/restoration business.

 

A spot weld bit is designed to cut around the weld and not leave a big hole. The new panel is then drilled and the old spot weld serves as a base to tack the panel back in place. If a spot welder is a vailable, the old one is ground flush. Welding thin body panels around the hole hole left by a standard bit can be a pita.

 

Well guys its off, both of them.

Those spot welds under the rear deck are a serious PAIN IN THE ***.




More to come.

 

The pannel is in place and I've started prepping the upper section and getting it smooth.

Still have to finish under the light and behind the bumper but I'm not too worried about that area as I've desided to mold the bumper so I'm just going to get the area looking nice and make sure it won't rust.

I'm getting anxious about this but I need to keep from half assing this so it'll look factory when done.

 

Here's the update photos.

 

Looking good. If I tried that, with my welding skills, not, I would have heat wrinkles all over the place.

 

I had one right up by the window because i had a gap.

 

Good work man, well done, glad to see someone prepared to have a go at it.

 

So far, so good. My only advice at this point is, make sure you can get to the places you have welded on the inside to put some sealer on the metal. If you know someone who is good with lead, stay away from the Bondo to cover the welds. Use only minimum filler to make it smooth. I think you are going in the right direction though.

 

Thats the plan,

I'm thinking about turning this car into a test vehicle and I'm going to pick up another '81 soon to make into a nice ride.

 

wow good work, that would be tricky

 

Looks good. You'll be glad you did it yourself: lots of satisfaction, and it's a useful skill even if just to know how to deal with a bodyshop later on.