Gerahead's 71 Dart

My buddy stopped over yesterday afternoon and we worked out a strategy for getting the old metal off and the new metal attached. Since this is my first quarterpanel replacement, I have been doing a fair amount of 'net research to find information on quarterpanel replacement. In most of what I found, the old sheetmetal had already been cut out. I was really looking for something that would help provide info about what to consider in removing the old stuff.

Well here's what we came up with.........The tape line across the top of the panel in the photo below is about where the seam will be in the final version. I will first cut along the solid red lines in order to separate the bulk of the panel from the edges. Then I'll cut out the center chunk with a combination of plasma cutter and cutting wheel. I will cut the "top" below the dashed line. After all the spot welds have been cut out, I will remove the outer sections of the panel. I will also cut the outer rocker lengthwise down the center, leaving the factory welds at the pinch weld at bottom. Then I will cut the lip off the door jam edge so that the new panel will lie down flat against the remaining original steel. I will then cut the skin across the top in the same approximate line as the tape line so that there is a significant overlap along the tape line.

I should now be able to lay the replacement right over the opening and it should lay down flat across the top, door jamb edge and the flange should wrap around the tail light panel. I have left the doors hung this long because they are currently perfectly aligned so I can use them to ensure the offset at the rocker panel edge of the new panel is a good fit. If it is, I will remove the portion of the original steel that I left initially and use the whole part of the replacement in this area. Once everything is aligned, I will mark the edge along the jamb where the excess needs to be cut away from the original steel for a good butt joint by cutting through both layers at the same time so that the edges match exactly with uniform spacing when I start to weld. I'll pull the panel back off, dress the edges to remove burrs and EDP, mark and punch the holes for the plug welds along the drop off and rocker and then hang it back up in the same location and clamp it in place. Tack some spots along the edge to hold the new steel in place. Then I will repeat the double panel cutting along the top edge and weld a few tacks as I go to get the top edge in place. Once all of the excess is cut away, I will work my way around, completing the welding process. That all make sense? L8r

Jim