Rear Qtr Panel. Fix or Replace?

[Machspeed 219]

I've been sitting on this repair for awhile now. Not sure how I want to approach it and desire your thoughts and recommendations. Left rear quarter has some issues. Back portion of rear qtr had incurred some damage before I bought the car back in 76. I did not note it until it was recently media blasted. It had been hammered out with minimal filler used. Was a good repair, I'd say.  There is some rust in the lower qtr behind the wheel and a dent in the wheel lip. Also has a protruding outward ding in the middle of the picture. I have the lower patch panel for the rust fix but I'm hearing that it is not a very good panel and will require some work to get it to fit appropriately. I could fix all this but am wondering if I'd be better off to buy a partial qtr and replace? Also, I need to replace the tail light panel. Thoughts and comments please?  Thanks!!!   

[Kris 90]

I would replace it and do a full quarter just the skin. It’s a little more expensive but looks way better when it’s done. 

[latoracing 256]

You can patch the lower portion of the quarter and butt weld it back in place. A little finishing of the weld inside and out, it will be good to go. The body line makes for a great place to install a new lower part. This happens to be a convertible, it doesn't have the sports roof body line.

If you're not into this type of fix, I'd replace the entire quarter, so there would be no seam at all on the inside. This would also go well with your tail light panel replacement. Do not get the one-piece quarter fill in part, (quarter to tail light panel)  they are a pain and do not line up good. Stick with the two piece. 

[barnett468 418]

you could not pay me enough money to change your original quarter with a pos repo one.

1. you loose the factory date code when you replace the quarter.

2. you loose the factory spot welds when you replace the quarter.

3. a new quarter will not properly line up with the door, or trunk lid etc unless you work on the quarter to make it fit.

4. it will be a bazillion times harder to make a repo quarter fit than it would to put the lower section in like latoracing shows.

 

 

[mustangstofear 608]

If the bottom of the qtr is fine, then just do a small patch and butt weld it. We don't have to  much trouble  making some of the  aftermarket parts fit. I certainly  wouldn't be  worried about a date code on a qtr panel even if  you could  find one. Factory  spot welds are easy to  replicate. I  would  replace the  tailpanel .

[barnett468 418]

Some people like myself do care about date codes, because cars are only original once, and I for one do not want to own a Taiwanese made Mustang.

Also, if you have a high value car like a cobra jet or boss 302 or boss 429 or shelby etc, i guarantee you with 100% certainty that nearly every single potential buyer is going to care a lot about whether it has the original sheet metal with the date codes on it or not. I know this for a fact because I have been repairing, restoring, and selling these for a living for 45 years, and if you have 2 mustangs that are identical except that one has all original sheet metal and the other has mostly crappy taiwan sheet metal, the taiwan car will be worth much, much less than the original sheet metal one, unless of course you find someone that just happens to prefer crappy taiwan sheet metal with no date codes that is mig welded to a car, instead of original ford sheet metal with date codes that has the factory spot welds etc.

Also, if you want to replicate the original spot welds, you will have a hard time doing it yourself unless you have a spot welder with the right tips like the one I use, and this is only going to cost you even more additional work and time, as opposed to just replacing the lower section if that is all that is needed.

The 68 mustang dynacorn had at the sema show several years ago was nice, but it cost them a ton of money to have someone make all their aftermarket pieces line up together.

 

 

 

 

 

[mustangstofear 608]

We have a  resistance welder which works excellent,  but it  doesn't  exactly replicate the  factory  spot welds. You can made factory  spot welds with a  punch made with the same diameter.

[aslanefe 333]

If the only rust on the quarter is the area seen on the picture, I would only patch that area extending a little bit outside the rusted out area. Then hammer and dolly the other damages.

If the only rust is at the bottom of the cut outs for the taillights, I would make small patches for those areas. I made a forming tool from 1/4 inch thick plate to bend patches to fit the shape/flange of those cut outs.

Like some other folks, I like the original spot welds and date codes and  keep as much of the original metal (eventhough it sometimes takes longer) instead of replacing a big piece with a repro part just for a minor damage (in my opinion) like in your pictures.

[Machspeed 219]

Thanks fellas!!! Per comments here, I'm going to fix the left rear qtr rust and bank out the rest of it. I have a patch panel for the rusted out area that I bought from CJ Pony a year or so ago. I've read that is it a poor fit and will need some modifications. I'm going to mess with it and see if I can make it work. However, if it becomes a mess, I've noted NPD has a couple of options, one being a patch panel made in Canada. Anyone use it?

As for the tail panel, I have a high end piece I purchased through NPD. I will probably just replace the whole tail panel. 

Thanks!!!