[Texasissouth]

I was wondering what you were planning with those bends.
Generally it's best to form all of that on the patch panel before you weld it on. I've probably covered how I did it in Canadian Psychos LType restoration thread. You should be able to do it still with vice grips and a couple careful cuts. Make a cardboard template of the part with the shape and cuts figured out then trace it on.

I cut the wheel well arch where I did (at the peak of that ridge) so that I would only need to do one bend, and for the ridge I can just have the patch welded on at that angle.
I think the folds around the lower part/rocker will be harder, I was waiting to do it so I could hold it up and cut and bend with everything else in place and get it decently close. Either way I'm gonna need to think about it before I do anything hasty.

 

[Texasissouth]

I cut a 1" slit across the foot area to clean up the inside of the front-rail-to-rocker box. I peeked in the frame rail area and it didn't look burnt in there so I sprayed a bunch of Amsoil metal protector inside the front rocker and front frame rail on both sides. I got the rear rocker welded on. The job looks ok. I need to figure out how to get in that box to hose everything down with paint and seam sealer in select areas, and then I need to piece together my QP and slap that on.

I've realized that for this project perfect is the enemy of progress and I just need to go for it. It's gonna be flawed and not 100% perfectly rust-proofed and that's OK for now. If I worry too much about it or spend forever on each tiny detail I'll never ever get it on the road.

 

[Texasissouth]

Made another piece. Kind of funny I bought a parts car for this panel and then between rust and mis-cutting it, I still have to weld three spots onto it. At least none of my patches will be very seen and I can back the seams in sealer.

Also if anyone is following this, I do not recommend cutting the rocker box where I did. The QP attaches right there so you'll have to do way more grinding flat than you want. In addition, even the leftover part of my QP was dented in some (it's supposed to step down at that spot, but instead it sits flush.) I pulled it out somewhat to align it all, but I couldn't get it perfect. I also have to go back and do a bunch more grinding here. I'm not worrying too much on the plug welds at the top, it's pretty well attached and I'm smothering that in sealer.

 

[Texasissouth]

I'm pleasantly surprised how this patched together QP is coming together. Just gotta fold over some stuff on the edges maybe, then cut it to the right size, and add in a third patch where I stupidly cut it too low, in the door jam.

 

[SupraFiend]

Should be a big improvement!

Yeah, I generally cut that piece about 2 or 3 inches back from that.

 

[Texasissouth]

Wrenching on the Mazda dd this weekend which most of you all don't care about. Between a couple old bolts breaking and me cross threading a couple things it's gonna be stuck in the air for a while.
But you might be interested in some of the cars my gracious neighbor with the lift has.

This Morris Minor Woody has the SMALLEST 4 banger.

Some 20's buicks

56? Jag

No picture but there is also a Studebaker Avanti I haven't seen at eye level. At the time the fastest production car in the world.

 

[Texasissouth]

I'm working on this again for the first time in months. Prepping the Quarter Panel to be welded on over this thanksgiving break from work.

I will say I like how much better the UPol copper weld thru sticks to metal than the Plastikote zonc heavy weld thru. Obviously it costs 2x as much, but I was very happy with the one can I have compared to all the cans of Plastikote I've been using before and since.

 

[Texasissouth]

 

[Texasissouth]

Over the course of hours, mediocre welds and plenty of grinding, I got the quarter panel on today.

I ended up cutting a couple holes in the back of the rocker to access part, and then this flap I bent up lets me get both the upper and lower panel for seam sealing.

It definitely is far from perfect, but shouldn't require a literal mound of bondo like the previous owner put on.

Also that inside wheel well looks terrible, and it is, but I'm going to seam seal either side of it later, so I think it should be alright. The issue was that inner piece wouldn't get flush with the wheel well skin so it was just burning through every time I tried to weld it. I finally got it to bite both pieces enough it won't pull apart and didn't want to ruin it. trying to make it look pretty.

 

[SupraFiend]

Thats a lot of work there! Feels good to get a quater panel back on huh? Back from the dead!

 

[Texasissouth]

Thats a lot of work there! Feels good to get a quater panel back on huh? Back from the dead!

I realized it was never gonna be perfect and I gotta just deal with it and actually get it done or it will just sit there forever.

The only part I'm concerned I can't reach well is the "bottom right" area in the side view - below the foot sill, I'm not sure the easiest way to get to the backside of that part of the rocker panel. Everything else I've managed to bush and paint decently.

 

[Texasissouth]

Finally touched this thing again after a long hiatus. I noticed on the inside of the replacement panel, the acid etch primer had flaked some, which isn't promising. I scraped some off, brushed it with a steel brush and wiped it with acetone and sprayed a different primer over it. also gave up on finding a place to dip the rear subframe and painted the outside and sprayed wax on the inside where it was welded.

 

[Texasissouth]

Anyone know off hand the torque specs for the subframe bolts front and rear? I can't seem to find it in the TSRM. I assume it's something around 90-100 ftlbs