ATTN body gurus. Help needed.

[aussiewannabee69]

Hey fellas just about to get back started on my project and gonna get cracking with the panel work.
Looking for advice on what sort of tools I would need plus what way to go about do a job like this. It's on a 69 Coronet. In front of the rear left wheel one of the POs has done some dodgy work and I wanna fix it. I've picked up some tools, basic panel hammer and dollies, english wheel and a bead roller. Haven't really used the wheel yet but looking forward to the day I do.

 

[radical rob]

Cut off wheel, small welder

 

[CarolinaCharger]

Grinder too

 

[1967coronet]

Am I seeing pin holes on up the wheel arch ?
Rocker area is damp and rusty inside.
Filler is pretty deep, you just popped the top on the old worm can.
Get it up in the air some, cover the glass, pull the wheel and check the inner tub lip.
Keep grinding until you run out of soft spots and filler.
Take more pics then and post them.
Sorry but your not even 1/2 way to seeing what you have to fix yet.

 

[eldubb440]

keep cutting, let us know when you get to this part

 

[aussiewannabee69]

Am I seeing pin holes on up the wheel arch ?
Rocker area is damp and rusty inside.
Filler is pretty deep, you just popped the top on the old worm can.
Get it up in the air some, cover the glass, pull the wheel and check the inner tub lip.
Keep grinding until you run out of soft spots and filler.
Take more pics then and post them.
Sorry but your not even 1/2 way to seeing what you have to fix yet.

Yeah I will clean more off this week and post some more pics. Was more asking what sort of tools, dollies etc.

 

[aussiewannabee69]

keep cutting, let us know when you get to this part

View attachment 1581755

Bloody hell I hope not! Haha

 

[1967coronet]

Yeah I will clean more off this week and post some more pics. Was more asking what sort of tools, dollies etc.

At the place your are right now, a pair of good grinders 3" and 5" , also a 3" cut off tool. I prefer the long handle ones with the inline mount.
As you go on a decent body hammer with a flat pick on one end.
Heal dolly.
A decent 220 mig and gas bottle.
Just looking at the picture that patch area is going to be the tip of the ice berg.
It looks like the original qt. With a patch.
Question is how far do you wish to go. If you keep grinding and hunting you most likely will uncover things you do not want to see.
Over the wheel, behind the wheel ect.
Right now your at patch panel and few hole on the lip.
These old mopars , I'm sure you can uncover enough to justify a qt panel or perhaps the bottom section of one.
It's up to you from here on you can fix that and blend in the color or dive down the rabbit hole.

 

[threewood]

Metal shears, a few different dollies and hammers, sheet metal attachment tools, such as Klecos.

Are you ordering new panels or are you fabricating?

Can of worms opened is correct. Hopefully you don't follow that mud vein up into the roof or cowl lol.

 

[aussiewannabee69]

Th

At the place your are right now, a pair of good grinders 3" and 5" , also a 3" cut off tool. I prefer the long handle ones with the inline mount.
As you go on a decent body hammer with a flat pick on one end.
Heal dolly.
A decent 220 mig and gas bottle.
Just looking at the picture that patch area is going to be the tip of the ice berg.
It looks like the original qt. With a patch.
Question is how far do you wish to go. If you keep grinding and hunting you most likely will uncover things you do not want to see.
Over the wheel, behind the wheel ect.
Right now your at patch panel and few hole on the lip.
These old mopars , I'm sure you can uncover enough to justify a qt panel or perhaps the bottom section of one.
It's up to you from here on you can fix that and blend in the color or dive down the rabbit hole.

Cheers, got a Mig just need some dollies I guess. Yeah Ive done under the wheel arches so they are fine, just the curves in this panel worry me a little.

 

[1967coronet]

Th

Cheers, got a Mig just need some dollies I guess. Yeah Ive done under the wheel arches so they are fine, just the curves in this panel worry me a little.

If you were in the US I would suggest a cheap qt. Cut off your panel and stash the rest.
I'm not aware if that section being sold as a patch panel.

You can build it , making a pattern with some light gauge late model car steel would help. Salvage yard fender ect. 24ga. Find one with close to the same body curve.
For that job I would suggest you terminate the panel at the upper body line, then build a second patch for the smaller repair at the top edge.
When you are happy with the fit of your pattern reproduce it with new 18 or 20 gauge.
A old drive shaft clamped in a vise is a good concave form.
For your sharper bends a break would be nice if you hav access to one.

 

[WileERobby]

Remember the famous quote by WileERobby uttered many, many years ago: "Where there's rust... there's more."

 

[eldubb440]

Remember the famous quote by WileERobby uttered many, many years ago: "Where there's rust... there's more."

post 5 is closer to reality than he realizes

 

[aussiewannabee69]

So I've stripped it back and have found some old repairs. Made a tape template and bent up a new piece to go in. Cut that piece out and found that some grub had just stuck a piece of metal over the top of the old rusted bit. Man was that an absolute pain to remove. Found more rust behind it so I have to make another panel up for it. Don't know what panel that is, the one with the beads in it, lower portion of the boot/trunk.

 

[Llamaback]

Once you cut out the lower quarter in front of the wheel you will probably find that the outer rocker is rusted out and will need repaired. The quickest easiest way to fix all of this is with new AMD quarters, either patch the areas or do the whole quarter. Patching the quarters just above the body line works well. Also, what are you stripping the car to bare metal with? You may want to use something that is gentler on the sheet metal. These cars don't have any metal left on them to give, it's best not to make the panels any thinner.

 

[aussiewannabee69]

Once you cut out the lower quarter in front of the wheel you will probably find that the outer rocker is rusted out and will need repaired. The quickest easiest way to fix all of this is with new AMD quarters, either patch the areas or do the whole quarter. Patching the quarters just above the body line works well. Also, what are you stripping the car to bare metal with? You may want to use something that is gentler on the sheet metal. These cars don't have any metal left on them to give, it's best not to make the panels any thinner.

View attachment 1597548

View attachment 1597549

Yeah I would like to get a few AMD panels, just the shipping makes it hard.
I'm using paint stripper and clean and strip discs.

 

[440 4 speed]

Doing our car, we found quarter patches had been brazed in. That’s were it was bubbling. Done right now.

 

[Llamaback]

Yeah I would like to get a few AMD panels, just the shipping makes it hard.
I'm using paint stripper and clean and strip discs.

For sure, I bet it would be worth the wait and cost if you can the AMD panels. Yeah ditch the strip discs, I use 80 grit and 120 grit discs and I keep them moving as to not chew on the metal too much on the edges, etc. These cars have thin and wobbly panels and it can be difficult to get them nice and tight again after welding on them. (I can speak for a 70 Coronet and Charger is all)