Oh the pain, the pain!

jerry S

New Member
Sep 3, 2003
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52.22N 5.12E
My car is at the body shop right now getting fixed. After replacing the frame rail, they replaced the passenger's side door with a dynacorn shell, (which was a total POS in terms of fitment, BTW), they moved on to replacing the rear quarter panel.
Here is what the damage to the 1/4 looked like after the accident

14paneldoor.webp


this is what they found underneath when they pulled the old 1/4 off. It turns out that the car had been whacked good in the rear quarter once, a long time ago. Rather than repair it, the PO simply welded a new 1/4 panel skin over the top. The original was left to rust and fester over time.


View attachment 380535


Here is a pic of the new panel. There is still some fitting to do and then a lot of work after that.

replacementqtr.webp


The shop has grave concerns about the salvageability of the driver's side door because of rust.

The bummer of it all is that I paid a lot of money on an inspection. I think I am going to hire some homeless guys to work that inspector's lower body over with some crow bars and claw hammers.

This is my car as it sits on life support. I have shelled out $10k in parts and labor so far. I am sure I have a lot more to go.
 
I feel your pain, Jerry! My brother found some PO shortcuts when he restored his '70 Barracuda 2 years ago. Not fun at all. What was supposed to be a quick re-spray turned out to a full restoration, costing 3 times as much. All I can say is, hang in there, It'll be worth it in the end!
 
I had the same problem with the quarters on my '67 plus a hidden patch in the firewall using galvanized sheet, still bright and shiny next to the corosion it was causing. Also, he/she/it decided to plug/caulk every drain hole, I guess because PO thought that all the water is getting into the convertible from below.

Best of all PO "solutions" pop up when you least expect it. Found one last month, after owning the car for 18 years.