Guest Joe017 Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 So as you can see i just got smashed into by a frickin tank! it was a saberban. just a lil black mark from my bumper. not scratches or dents. as u can c i have a little dent to care for. so i just want to know what i must do to remove the rear quarter. do i basicaly just cut it off and weld a new one back on? or do you think the subtle z fenders can fit on it with that much damage? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Z-rific Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 That's a nasty spot to get hit in. As you know, the rear quarters are part of the unibody. I haven't had to deal with this area of the car as far as body damage, so here's a stab at it. There is a slim chance you can pull as much of that out as possible. But it looks pretty smashed, so I'm thinking it will need to be cut out and a new quarter (or portion of a quarter) welded in. Take it to a body shop for an estimate and see what they tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I've seen worse pushed out and reworked, but if you need a drivers side replacement I have a new one from the body line down, still in the box. PM me if interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Because you asked, yes. The SubtleZ fenders will cover all of that damage. You will still need to filet the wheelhouses to take advantage of the wider fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe017 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Dan, how much of the rear quarter do i need to put the subtleZ fenders? Or how much can i cut away from the existing fender? ive seen people leave some of the quarter panel in tact for structural support, i was thinking of runnin ribs along the inside of the subtleZ friberglass quarter to give it more suport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe017 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 spot you have a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 You don't remove your rear quarters. That would seriously weaken the car. The fiberglass bonds over them. The SubtleZ rear fenders cover from the door seam to the rear corner and from the top of the fender at the crease line just below the window all the way to the bottom. So all of your damaged section would be covered. The wheelhouses get cut open and folded back and reattached to the outer fender to make room for larger tires. There is no need to reinforce the fiberglass. It is plenty strong enough. Since it is bonded over your steel fenders it doesn't carry a stuctural load. Well, yes, technically it does. But it is such a small fraction as to make it insignificant. John's fiberglass is beautiful and made to a high quality but it is not a cheap substitute for bodywork. You'll pay $600 plus shipping for a set of rear SubtleZ fenders plus the bodywork to install them plus paint. Then you will want wider wheels and tires back there to make it look right. I'm almost certain you can get that damage professionally repaired for less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 BTW, my wife drives a Suburban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe017 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 let me tell you one thing. Your wife if perfectly safe and will never get hurt while driving that TANK. Just make sure she is onna lookout for our lil Z's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkube Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Here are a couple of pics from my rear quarter replacement. Its quite a lengthy and invloved process to do this type of repair. Don't tackle it yourself unless your good with welding equipment. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&si=jkube&page=3&sort=2&perpage=12&password=&ppuser=&stype=1 If you are still wanting to tackle this job send me an email and I'll write out the steps for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Thats the exact type of left rear replacement quarter I have for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240hybrid Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Another Tip for welding in a 1/4 panel, is don't go to town and run a continuous bead of weld. You will heat up the panel and cause a lot of metal distortion, that will haunt you later when you go to smooth everything out. I patched in the very corner of my 240z and found that laying down about 3/8"-1/2" of weld in a alternating locations keeps the heat down. I tacked/welded the piece in about ever 6"and when coming back to tack/weld in that same area after it cools, start where you left off. This will make the entire job look much nicer, than if you were to jump around starting welds everywhere. Also, use "Play-doh" and put it on the backside of the panel as you weld it in. Yeah, the stuff kids play with, it absorbs a good bit of the heat from the welding. I think that putting a flange on the metals where they come together, will make the patch stronger too. Theres some pics of the patch I did in my webpage by my sig. if you wanted to take a look. Not a total 1/4 panel replacement, but it was hard enough being that it was the corner, it was a PITA to get it to fit just right. Good luck and hard luck on getting hit. Chase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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