Air Punch Flange Tool

MattR said

and here I thought I had my decision made. I don't know how to weld yet and was going to get someone where I work to spot weld the panels. I don't know if I can convince them to spend that many hours on 4 panels, front and back of the rear wheels. $1000 plus freight is not in the budget for full AMD panels. Partial panels are still $600 plus a lot of welding time. But on the otherhand, I don't want rust a year from now. There must be a way to do the job right removing any future potential rust issue. If I punch holes, use weldable primer on both panels, spot weld and putty, put seam sealer on the back, plus undercoat, shouldn't that take care of the potential rust issue? I live near Washington, MO

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Flanging does not mean you will automatically have rust problems down the road. There is a greater potential for rust compared to butt welding, but it needn't summarily be dismissed. I certainly wouldn't do it where you can't get to the back side. And, a rookie welder doing butt seams in sheetmetal can quickly end up with a warped mess.

What can't be argued is the necessity to remove cancerous metal (corrosion that goes all the way through the metal - even if it's not readily visible). Covering that up will result in bubbled paint and more rust in short order. So whether you replace an entire quarter (which is not always the best thing to do) or simply cut and patch the damage will depend on time, budget, and the value of the car.

The only reason I replaced the one quarter is because someone had replaced it once already years ago following a wreck! They cut out the damage, lap welded the seams, them beat them down before lathering bondo on. The wheelhouse was still crinkled and no attempts were made to seal anything so water got in and rotted it. I cut out some rot behind the driver side rear wheel and butt welded a patch in.

Panel bonding or a combination of bonding and welding is worth considering. There is the potential for bond-only seams to ghost through the finish as it expands and contracts though.