If you live in the northern climes, you are familiar with the effects of salt-covered winter roads. Our Challenger had spent most of its existence in the northeast, and was in dire need of some fresh sheetmetal.
In typical fashion, the lower half of the rear quarters, where salt and water can accumulate, showed the worst rot, and we wanted to attack that before the problem grew worse. Fortunately, the aftermarket has begun to offer some interesting replacement parts for this purpose. To repair the outer wheel housings and lower quarters, we looked to The Paddock. And since we were concerned only with the lower half of the quarters, we had the perfect opportunity to try out Eastwood's PN 31102 No-Weld kit.
In recent years, many body shops have turned to adhesive technology in situations where welding is not mandatory. Lower quarters are one such area. Benefits include the elimination of tin corrosion at the panel joint, the prevention of heat warpage in the panels (a possibility when welding), and an improved safety factor (no sparks when working around fuel tanks).
The Eastwood kit contained most of the tools and enough adhesive material to do a 1x1 square-foot patch; we ordered 10 additional packages of adhesive so we would have more than enough for two 6-foot lower rear-quarters and the outer wheelhouses. Now follow along as Jeff Cox gets into the sticky business of panel replacement.
Here's what the damage looked...
Here's what the damage looked like once we had carefully cut off the OE quarter. This is where you want to practice cutting. Care needs to be taken so the new panel will overlap and adhere properly to the original sheetmetal.
Here are the contents of Eastwood's...
Here are the contents of Eastwood's #13302 No-Weld kit, with everything you need to install a patch panel without welding. The kit includes compression pliers for the 20 panel holders, dimpling pliers, a 1-inch panel flanger, and a caulking gun adapter for the supplied adhesive (which is enough for a typical lower quarter patch panel).
We acquired our new lower...
We acquired our new lower quarter-panels from The Paddock. Although E-Body sheetmetal can test your wallet, if you've got the coin, fresh panels are the way to go.
After measuring and marking...
After measuring and marking the area, cut the old quarter-panel approximately 2 inches below the bodyline, then use the supplied flanging tool to add a lip for the new panel. With a careful hand, you can create a flush fit and eliminate the hassle of additional bodywork. Obviously, all the original paint must be stripped from sheetmetal contact areas to provide clean metal-to-metal contact.
We trial-fit the new panel...
We trial-fit the new panel several times to make sure it fit, then carefully trimmed it to eliminate any material that did not perfectly fit our flanged area. Once we had it right, the backside and flanged areas were slightly roughed up to provide a suitable surface for glue adhesion.
We used approximately a half-dozen...
We used approximately a half-dozen Vise-Grips to line up the panel; then we drilled several holes for the panel holders. Once secure, we drilled holes at 1-inch increments for the pop rivets.
The panel is then removed,...
The panel is then removed, and all the drilled holes finished with dimpling pliers. Dimpling provides a recess for the rivets so they fit flush.
The No-Weld glue/rivet kit...
The No-Weld glue/rivet kit was first used to install our new outer wheelhousing and strengthen the trunk extension panel. Although this car's days of salt-road wandering are mostly over, we covered everything with Eastwood's Corroless Rust Stabilizer to prevent future damage.
Using the epoxy-style glue...
Using the epoxy-style glue in a caulk gun, both the car's panel and the replacement receive a liberal glue application to all contact points. The adhesive eliminates corrosion problems at the joints. We used four to five #31087 Adhesive Packs on each side of the car.
The rivet gun needs to come...
The rivet gun needs to come from your own tool box (or you can order one from Eastwood). As each rivet is installed, it pulls through the glue, which in turn enables the new panel to be pulled flush against the stock panel. The rivets essentially become welded in place. Not shown here is the lower section of the panel, which is held in place with about a dozen Vise-Grips and sheetmetal screws. Once the glue sets up (about 24 hours), the Vise-Grips and screws can be removed.
This is how the glued-on panel...
This is how the glued-on panel looks before the finishing procedure.
Here are the Evercoat products...
Here are the Evercoat products (available from Eastwood) that we used to finish the panel installation and other bodywork. The Euro-Soft glazing putty is used to fill sanding marks and pinholes, but won't shrink like traditional Nitrostain. Metal-2-Metal body filler has finely blended aluminum particles, which make it non-porous, strong, and heat-resistant. The Z-Grip body filler is an easily sanded lightweight polyester product with additives to promote adhesion.
Our new quarters were sealed...
Our new quarters were sealed with a light coat of Metal-2-Metal. All told, this proved to be a simple fix for a common problem that most anyone can do in their home garage with minimal tools or bodywork experience.