I need to fix this. I've been practicing with my MIG welder. Where can I get panels and the wheel housing? Is the junkyard my only hope?

There is rust in the lower part of the panel from the door to the rear bumper and of course above the wheel opening. I was going to do the overlay and cut method but I think I want to cut out the lower 3" inside the door opening down to the rocker panel. Is that panel spot welded inside the door opening and I just can't see it or is the door pillar part of the 1/4 panel?

 

The rear 1/4 panel goes from the b-pillar, curves up over the roof 3-4 inches, wraps around the rear coner and into the tail lights, then down under the rocker. The 1/4 glass frame is also included in that 1 piece.

As far as cutting the bottom of the door off and replacing it, don't, it's easier to replace the door.

If you haven't done this kind of body work before, I suggest you look into taking autobody classes at your local tech/trade school before you get too deep into this project.

How is the rest of the body? Bins and wheel wells. Those usually rust out before the kind of damage that shows on your car.

 

The lower half of the wheel housings are gone. The bins seem sound or at least repairable with a small patch. This will be the autobody class... enrolment of one.

Looks like I'll need to get junkyard pieces and butt weld the panel on a line just above the wheel opening.

The quote was lower if I cut them out myself. I didn't think about it at the time but what do you run your sawzall on in the middle of a junkyard?

 

how bad it the door? is it just the door bottom and the lowerskin?. if so call Keystone 314-298-7766 and buy a lower door bottom part# rrp 951. this panel is 60in long and 5.5 in tall with a "J" lip.

 

 

photo, website for keystone? thanks

 

Hahahahahaha... LMAO... nice Wankelguy.....

 

Instead of all that work, just bring a pickup and trailer and come for a vacation to Oregon or Washington next spring. You can get all the 1st gen RX-7s you want just for hauling them away. I have parted out and scrapped about 10 of them myself over the past ten or twelve years, don't recall paying more than $200 for any of them. None of them had any noticeable rust. They just don't rust out here because we don't put salt on the roads. The only ones that rust out here are those that have come from back east.

Someone tried to interest me in a car project that required some rust repair like yours, and I said I would never do that again unless there is an emblem on the front that says Deusenberg or Ferrari. I did learn to weld and do bodywork when I was in college long ago, but I always worked on something that had some value when I was done. Fixing a car that is going to be worth more is not likely to be more work. Indeed, cars that have serious body rust are likely to have rust issues with every nut and bolt you try to remove. It just isn't worth it.

www.cardomain.com/ride/646433

 

WWW.KEYSTONE-AUTO.COM