Quarter panel outer wheelhouse fitment issues

[Rcodenewf 44]

Just in the process of trying to install a new Dynacorn rear quarter and outerwheelhouse on a 70 convert.

 

Problem: I can get the quarter to fit very well with the alignment slots at the top, excellent gap at the door and at the sill. Decent fit at the trunk next to the lid edge.

But, when i put the outer wheelhouse on it lifts the quarter up at the bottom sill.

It's still in alignment with the sill but raised up about a 1/4 inch or so.

 

I took the quarter off and laid the wheelhouse inside it and tweaked it to make the arch of the wheelhouse match the quarter.

 

The lip of both the quarter and the wheelhouse fit near flush except at the top of the arch. There is an area of about 6-8 inches where the lip of the wheelhouse sticks in further than the quarter Almost like there's too much metal on the wheelhouse and it is coming in contact with the skin of the quarter.

 

Anyone run into this?

 

Thanks...John

[Mike65 476]

 

When I did the outer wheel houses & quarter skins on my Coupe I had to re-bend the bottom of the quarter skin where it meets the rocker panel between the door & the rear wheel because it was bent in the wrong spot not allowing the quarter to sit properly & the body lines on the door would not line up with the body lines on the new quarter skin. I also had an issue where the wheel arch of the outer wheel house would not let the quarter skin sit in the proper place so I had to push up the whole wheel house 1/4-1/2 inch so it did not line up with the what I would call the alignment hole on the inner wheel house if that is making any sense. Look at the second pic & you can see where the arch of the new outer wheel house doesn't exactly match the arch of the old inner wheel house. I had to put some sheet metal screws in the lip of the inner to outer wheel houses & finesse them to get the best possible outer wheel house wheel opening arch to the quarter skin wheel opening arch. In some spots the wheel house matched, others the inner was higher, & others the outer was higher. The process was time consuming & I had the quarter skin & the outer wheel house on & off more times then I can count, but I am happy with the fit I got by doing it this way. Once you do one side the other goes a lot easier. I personally do not think Ford cared this much about the fit of the body panels when they were building these cars. With all this repo stuff not being perfect I had to message the panels to get the best possible fit I could. I hope this helps you out.

Mike.

[Rcodenewf 44]

Thanks Mike65. I'm actually replacing the inner as well so i have more room to move there too. I actually have the arch pretty darn close but it appears that there is too much metal on the outer wheelhouse itself to allow any space beteween the quarter and the wheelhouse wall...if that makes sense?

 

Between the door and the wheelhouse the fit at the bottom of the quarter is great with the crease lining up perfectly . It's only when the wheelhouse is put on that that portion at the sill lifts up exposing a big gap.

 

Thanks again for the pics.....John

[latoracing 256]

I am currious, is this on the driver's side of the car? I installed Dynacorn full quarters on my 70FB, the pass. side went on perfect, the driver's side was another story. Are you using Dynacorn wheel houses as well? I used the outters (installed Goodmark mini tubed inners). I ended up reworking the outter wheel house off of the car, to reshape the arch and puch it inwards and forward. I didn't cut it, but it took a bunch of hammer and dolly work. Keep fitting them, I feel for ya.

[Rcodenewf 44]

It's the pass side Lato racing. My next step is to use my contour gauge and make a template of the lip area of the wheel house and see how it fits that area of the quarter panel. I'm not defeated yet...lol. Thanks for all the responses guys.

 

John

[69NC 21]

John,

 

I just installed the Dynacorn quarters on my Convert. I had a issue like yours, but after working it a lot I got it to with in 3/16 of an inch. I then filled the gap.

 

The way that I fix was two fold:

1) I had to move the the convertible frame drip rail out a small amount about 2/16 to 3/16 I did this with a come-a-long attached to the center area where the convertible frame and quarter overlap.

 

2) the dynacorn fenders seem to have too much bow (Curvature) in them, so I had to push them slightly in, in the middle. This causes the two ends to move outward. Alternatively you can attach the top portion with clamps, and then pull down on the lower section, this will also move the middle inwards to meet the wheel well.

 

Not sure if that helps, I did a write up in my blog too, if you want to read and see the photos.

 

http://www.theracg.com/2013/12/install-the-new-rear-quarters/

[Rcodenewf 44]

Hello 69NC. I just spent the last hour surfing through your blog. Nice work!

 

The issue i'm having is sort of similar but i have an excellent fit at the top at the drip area and an excellent fit at the door gap and the gap at the bottom between the door and the wheel area is great.

 

The problem arises when the outer wheelhouse is installed. If not installed the quarter fits 100%.

 

Somehow the fit in that small area in the wheel well area where the outer and the rear quarter meet is not compatible.

Even with the outer pushed up temporarily about 1" the quarter does not fit well. Remove that outer completely and the quarter fits down nicely in that area and with no puckering or anything at the top by the drip rail area.

 

I'm going to do a template of the outer first and see , once i cut it out of cardboard, if there is a noticable interference between the two. I think the problem area is limited to a small 6-8 inch area at the 12:00 area of the outer wheelhouse lip/contour.

 

Looks like you and i have done very similar repairs to these cars.

 

Thanks again and i'll keep you posted on my results.

 

John

[69NC 21]

Good luck John!

 

These cars are all a little different. and the repo parts are also not the best for all cars.

 

Did you check the wheel house to see if it is the same curve as the original? Maybe it's not the right shape?

 

Wish you the best. I know you'll figure it out!

 

--Rod