AMD quarter panel question

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halfafish

halfafish

Damn those rabbits, and their holes!
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I got my delivery of quarter patch panels from AMD yesterday for my 69 Dart. They look good, but much to my surprise there was no hole for the reflector. The panel looks like it's for a 67 Dart with just smooth metal. I've never done sheet metal before so I have no experience in this area - is this normal? If so, do you have to cut out the old reflector area and patch it into the new one or ??

I'm going to contact them in the morning to see what AMD says about this. Maybe they sent me the wrong ones?
 
Their website says the patch panel is for 67, 68, and 69. So, looks like that is all that is available for that application.
The quarter panel skin is available with the marker light cut out. It's currently on sale for only $15.00 more plus freight than the patch. It may be one of their discontinued items.
 
Your other option being yours is a 69, is to cut out a rectangle section of your OEM quarter that has the 69 marker cutout, and graft it into the new panel. If labor cost is an issue, I'd buy the panel that's $15 more with the hole already stamped in it.
 
Thanks for the tip on the quarter panel skins. They were not on sale when I put in my order. You're right, it would be lots simpler to order them but the shipping is $200. Plus I'd have to pay to get the patch panels back to them so overall we're pushing $300 to make the change. I guess I will have to fab in the markers when the time comes. Boo-Hiss...:(
 
I've seen the patch panel done by an amateur it turned out hideous.. on the other hand I've seen an entire quarter panel I mean not a big huge patch panel but the entire quarter panel from back of driver's door to tail light to roofline done and it turned out excellent...
 
I made press pieces out of dense MDF (has to be the dense or use solid wood) and remade waterfall panels for my 36. As long as the support panels are shaped correctly and larger than the press panel. They can come out great. I challenge anyone to identify my replacements from factory. It was not exactly easy and my first attempt was a horrendous failure. I think I show them on my wordpress page under "Reveal the Waterfall". Try it with a piece of scrap or if you're close to me????

WordPress.com
 
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Blind Squirrel said:
I made press pieces out of dense MDF (has to be the dense or use solid wood) and remade waterfall panels for my 36. As long as the support panels are shaped correctly and larger than the press panel. They can come out great. I challenge anyone to identify my replacements from factory. It was not exactly easy and my first attempt was a horrendous failure. I think I show them on my wordpress page under "Reveal the Waterfall". Try it with a piece of scrap or if your close to me????

WordPress.com
Click to expand...
I think he is...
 
Mine didn't come with the cutouts either for my duster. I cut my panels half way through those holes so I have a location, just need to cut out the other half.
 
Yeah, I called AMD they only make one patch panel for 67-69. It was too expensive to stock 67-68-69 panels so one size fits all now. If you want to buy a full skin (with the idiotically expensive freight) they have 69 specific but I don't see that happening. I will make this work within my budget one way or another.

Blind Squirrel said:
Try it with a piece of scrap or if you're close to me????
Click to expand...

Will shoot you a PM to see if we are neighbors or not.
 
I’m waiting on my full size AMD quarter panels to arrive for my 73 Dart Sport. Never done metal work on a car but have welded and fabricated in the past. I’m giving it a whirl though. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
 
HossMattis’1973DartSport said:
Any advice would be appreciated.
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Sadly, advice will have to come from elsewhere - I'm in the same boat as you. I've never done sheet metal work but it looks like I will have to learn how sooner or later. I bought all my panels so I would have them available when the time comes.
 
halfafish said:
Sadly, advice will have to come from elsewhere - I'm in the same boat as you. I've never done sheet metal work but it looks like I will have to learn how sooner or later. I bought all my panels so I would have them available when the time comes.
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Got some AMD panels for my 73 Dart 340 Sport also. And I think I was instantly addicted to the new sheet metal. Now I just keep thinking up reasons to buy more.
I also plan on the DIY approach. To me, learning and figuring out how to do things is a lot of the reward.
 
I bet a search will turn up lots of suggestions. I guy could write a book on how to.. but like you guys I figured it out mostly on my own.
My contribution. You ain't probably going to butt weld that whole panel, leave just enough overlap, less likely to rust there. Use weld thru primer. OK, thats 2 suggestions!! Take your time, you can do it!!
 
barbee6043 said:
I bet a search will turn up lots of suggestions. I guy could write a book on how to.. but like you guys I figured it out mostly on my own.
My contribution. You ain't probably going to butt weld that whole panel, leave just enough overlap, less likely to rust there. Use weld thru primer. OK, thats 2 suggestions!! Take your time, you can do it!!
Click to expand...
barbee6043 said:
I bet a search will turn up lots of suggestions. I guy could write a book on how to.. but like you guys I figured it out mostly on my own.
My contribution. You ain't probably going to butt weld that whole panel, leave just enough overlap, less likely to rust there. Use weld thru primer. OK, thats 2 suggestions!! Take your time, you can do it!!
Click to expand...
I’m drilling out the spot welds going up under the trunk lid toward my rear window. It’s looking like I have to take out window or maybe just cut panel around window frame. Thanks for the suggestions
 
I can say to some extent. You guys are so much luckier today than years gone past. We mostly bought up four doors cars and used what we could. There were no replacement panels. The panels you could find were crap. Nothing lined up. Body lines weren't crisp. Radius's were all off. Full floor pans. Ha Ha ha ha, yeah right, what were those. I know lots of people overlap and it's fine. Heck panels overlap all over the place. I was just never one that could bring myself to do it. That's why I'm not a paid professional body guy. I'd go broke. I either replace to the factory panel lines or sneak up slowly on my cuts till it fits just right and it all gets butt welded and painstakingly ground flush (both sides if I can get to it) and I don't hide welds with seam sealers. And sadly it takes years for my vehicles to get back on the road.
 
^^ The average guy here trying to do a full quarter probably dos not have the skill to butt weld all that or a good enough mig.
 
Used an AMD panel on my scamp, It fit like a glove and it wasn't too hard to get the old one-off, also did the factory sound deadening before putting it on

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HossMattis’1973DartSport said:
I’m waiting on my full size AMD quarter panels to arrive for my 73 Dart Sport. Never done metal work on a car but have welded and fabricated in the past. I’m giving it a whirl though. Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

The fit for the Duster & Dart Sport panels are a little trickier that the Swingers and Scamps. Check your door alignment with he original panel first. Check the hinges and pins. Measure and write it down. I use a taylor's tape as the quarter is a big curve in every direction. The gap along the rocker is usually the largest. Check the vertical lip into the doorjamb. Sometimes the stamping slips and the flange bottoms out on the jam at the striker pin, makes the quarter stick out too far. The rocker section of the AMD under the jam might need to be trimmed. The top of the quarter at the quarter window by the jamb might pull the jamb corner back, making the gap big. Measure the old one & write it all down.
 
barbee6043 said:
Wow! A full quarter! Looks great! Too bad AMD got out of the Mopar A body sheet metal business.
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Yeah, it really sucks that they stopped making them, took me a month to just find that one, I got the very last one from Year One.
 
I'm in the process of building a die that can form the recess for the marker light. "Idea phase". Not sure if one will cut the opening and bolt two parts together to form recess. Or drill two holes in the panel and bolt together dies to form recess and then cut out opening (I'm leaning this direction). Concept says the more metal I have to stretch the more chance for warpage (of the replacement panel). But a hitch in the giddie-up says - trying to pull/form metal from a soft edge creates deformity and lacks symmetry for the final opening in the end.

Oh, I could use some very accurate measurements if someone gets real bored. Thanks


Identify the problem - fix the problem.
 
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