[telmxp1]

I had my fastback taken down to metal last week and am now trying to decide what to do with the drivers rear quarter panel.

The guy at the body shop suggests leaving the panel on and repairing it (a little more bondo shaping) instead of cutting it off and putting a repro on. He said that the repro panels are so soft that he would build it up with bondo anyway to build a little strength.

Opinions?



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[69 scj coupe]

Wait till it's striped completely to decide. Just cuse the last guy used gallons of bondo dosen't mean it needed it.

Larry

 

[obsidianspider]

+1

Don't make any decisions until you really know what's under there...

 

[RTM]

I would keep the orignal panel. If you install a skin it will have just as much bondo as it does now. I haven' had the chance to install a full panel on a 67 or 68 yet so can't speak on that. Either way i would keep the orignal metal if i could.

 

[James67]

Both quarters on my 67 were full of holes drilled for a dent puller and covered in bondo, in some places as much as a 1/2 inch or more thick! My first thought was to replace them but at that time there were no quarter panels available for the fastbacks. So I decided to repair the existing panels. It took a lot of metal pounding and shrinking but the results were worth it.

 

[lesnchlsn]

I faced the same dilemna with my 66. In the first picture, you can see the quarter after media blasting. It had been hit above the wheel well where they had to grind/sand all the bondo off. Even after extensively working the metal, they would have still had to use a lot of bondo to get it right. My body shop recommended replacing the quarter which they did (see second picture). They did a great job and the alignment and gaps for the door turned out better than the other side (original from the factory). I don't know if there is a difference between the quality of the quarters between a 66 and 67. If you have confidence in your bodyshop, particularly if they specialize in Mustangs, I would go with their recommendation.

 

[jmoffett]

He said that the repro panels are so soft that he would build it up with bondo anyway to build a little strength.

Opinions?

This statement makes me question your choice of body shops.

 

[JDraper]

I would also wait until it is stripped...However..metal is ALWAYS better than bondo, and the factory tooling panels that are available are quite good. We used factory tooling replacement panels on our '66 with excellent results.

unless Bondo is put on only as a very thin skim coat, it will eventually crack. Even when prepped properly and sealed it will crack sooner or later. Because it is brittle (compared to steel)and hygroscopic, vibration and moisture will eventually get to it, and you'll be back in the body shop again.

 

[PraireBronze]

I don't do bodywork, and don't know much about it, but I do know a good bodyman can work wonders. The right rear quarter on my fastback had been hit, pulled, bondoed and then hit again. I assumed my guy would replace it, but he decided to repair it instead. I saw it after it was repaired and still bare metal, before any bondo or primer. It was perfect! I couldn't believe it was the same panel.

 

[lleno]

I would also wait until it is stripped...However..metal is ALWAYS better than bondo, and the factory tooling panels that are available are quite good. We used factory tooling replacement panels on our '66 with excellent results.

How can you tell if you have purchased a factory tooling panel?? I didn't think there was a way to tell the differances in repop panels?? Please tell me if there is a source for factory tooling panels...thanks, Lenny

 

[JDraper]

How can you tell if you have purchased a factory tooling panel?? I didn't think there was a way to tell the differances in repop panels?? Please tell me if there is a source for factory tooling panels...thanks, Lenny

Original tooling panels are available from several sources, including NPD and CJ Pony Parts. Once you have a standard repro panel and a OE tooling panel side by side, it's pretty obvious what the differences are. The OE tooling panels usually are made of a thicker gauge steel, and the fit on the vehicle is much better. Our '66 had a repro front fender on it when we acquired it, and the fit was poor, along with it being very light gauge.

 

[classicdoug]

I second the statement by bighorse. I would never add bondo to "strenghten" something, and a good bodyman should never suggest it.

Doug

 

[70_Fastback]

I second the statement by bighorse. I would never add bondo to "strenghten" something, and a good bodyman should never suggest it.

Doug

+2

 

[yelostang]

The new Dynacorn 1/4's are supposed to be good. Can't buy the "too soft" statement either. Never forget the 1/4 on a 65 cv. It just looked funny and running my hand inside trunk as far foward as possible, could feel Bondo spaghetti's. When removing the 1/4, counted 50 some holes drilled in 1/4 to pull out a large hit. Think I'd go with a new 1/4.

 

[Cobra6]

I have stripped a couple of panels before and found tons of bondo - once I spent the time to rework them, I probably used less than 1/4 of what the body shop had used - remember time is $$$ to them.

I agree with bighorse - using bondo for strength is not acceptable.
This reminds me of an acquaintance from years back - he got an old Challenger out of a junk yard - the quarter panels around the trunk were practically gone from rust - you could literally look around in the trunk without opening the deck lid. Anyway, he got a big appliance box (washer, dryer, or fridge) at the furniture store for a backing, attached it to the car and added bondo (probably 4 or 5 gallons to shape the quarter. I remember us laughing at him, but he was focused on doing this.
I think half his quarter panel caved in the first time and old lady opened her door against it in the Wally World parking lot........