1/4 panel skins

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Longgone

Longgone

John/68 Barracuda & Dart
Joined
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Newport News, Virginia
Has anybody used a 1/4 panel skin as A 1/4 PANEL SKIN and not a 1/4 panel replacement? A body man I was talking to at a recent car show said the 1/4`s available for our cars are meant to be used over the existing panels not in place of them, that`s why they`re lighter gauge. Has anybody actually installed a 1/4 this way?
 
That body man needs to start using a respirator because his brain cells are going fast. If one was layered over the other can you imagine how fast it would rust out because of the moisture that would be trapped between the layers?


Chuck
 
I agree with 340MOPAR. Can you imagine how tough it would be to get the doors and trunk lid to line up flush with the quarter. Yeah that body man has snorted one to many cans of sealer. Makes me wonder how many cars he has actually done that the people driving them are unaware of.

The reason the panels are thinner is because of the crap that's available out there for us to by.Almost if not all of it is from overseas and we all know the kind of quality you get from overseas. Just check out the toys and the toothpaste that's being recalled. Quality control. They never heard of it!
 
My fathers 68 Coronet R/T had skins on it. They look okay, but the dead giveaway is that the simulated vents stamped into the side arent as "crisp" as a factory quarter would be. You can also look in the door jamb and tell. They are a lot cheaper than an entire quarter but the original look just isnt there.
 
The body man I was talking to had just done a 1/4 replacement on a 67 Barracuda using those stamped Taiwanese panels ,cutting out the old ones of course but he mentioned that they are skins, not true 1/4`s and designed to go over another panel. I have never worked with one myself. Doesn`t the term "skin" imply that they are not meant for replacement panels? Anyway you slice it ,I`m going to have to use one, as they are the only thing available. I`m just going to cut pieces from one to use around the rear wheel.
 
If he is calling a "true" quarter panel a panel that includes the sail panel (C pillar) I would call that a complete quarter panel. I would call a quarter panel that he calls "skins" a partial quarter panel because it doesn't have the sail panel (C pillar). A factory replacement panel for a door is called a "door skin" but it doesn't get put on over the original panel it replaces the original panel. Even it a panel was supposed to go over the original I wouldn't because of the problems stated earlier. The factory sheet metal could be called it's skin because it covers the car and if you take it off you will be able to see the guts.

Chuck
 
Ive seen them done that way before. It wasnt pretty. The old 1/4s will continue to rot out underneath the skins and destroy them.
 
My body man had told me the same thing about the skins ...... that they were made and meant to go over the existing one BUT he never used them like that way because of what was posted earlier........trapping in the old rust would eventually come thru. It takes a little extra work to make the skin fit like it should but as you can see in this photo the whole old quarter was removed to a safe cutting place and fixed correctly and it really turns out looking GREAT!! a couple of before pics and one with primer on it:

DSC00608_small.JPG



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DSC00188_small.JPG


Other pics of the progress are at the link below.

http://www.armentroutsurveying.com/1973Duster/Restoration/

mtn_jake
 
The body guy was right. Thats why everyone complains that the don't fit right. They are slightly larger then the old quarter
 
I've been taking a lot of pictures of the progress. Got a few more of where the car finally got some orange 'misted' into the interior and trunk area. Not had a chance to post them to my site. I try to go over to the shop every afternoon a couple hours before he quits to get the latest news on what's happening.
mtn_jake
 
greg340 said:
The body guy was right. Thats why everyone complains that the don't fit right. They are slightly larger then the old quarter
Click to expand...

Yeah, you are right! the quarters have to be trimmed esp. the lip in the wheelwell, If you cut the rust out and put them over top they fit good, I would never do that, I've seen some guys do that, so be aware! With careful trimming and some creative fitting they look good installed. They saved a lot of cars, so maybe we should be thankful that they are available, even if we cut out patches and use what we need, they're still a bargain as opposed to the hand formed ones we had before! :-D
 
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