Ideas on Rear Quarter Replacement

[T56MaxTorq]

Hello all, looking for some ideas on the rear quarter replacement on my duster. I need some tips on where to start cutting. The rear quarter had a decent size dent down low and some rust. I ended up taking off a LOT of bondo, 3/8" in some places. I don't know how it didn't crack off because a lot was behind the dent. I'm unable to perform a good patch job to fix the dent/bondo/rust because dents and bondo have made their way into the wheel well area (marked blue in pic) The whole area in yellow is completely screwed up. I decided to buy a replacement rear quarter panel from AMD. Any tips on where to start cutting?

Thanks,

Phil

 

[va58]

Are you talking full quarters? if you are, I would not cut anything. I would clean paint off and drill spot welds out to remove old quarter. If you are talking partial quarter, i would not cut anywhere until I had the replacement quarter in hand. looking at the photo, you might not need a outer wheel well
but if the lower quarter was that jacked up, i would bet the trunk extension is also needed....

 

[68383GTS]

Yes do not cut anything until you have your replacement panel,you don't want to cut off too much.If you are replacing the area in the yellow it is best to stay away from the body lines if at all possible,in case you warp the panel some.Do not weld any long
beads just tack it and keep skipping around until it is all welded up.Keep your panel cool by using your air nozzle and blowing on it after each weld.The main thing is to measure many times and cut once and take your time...


Jim

 

[T56MaxTorq]

Thanks for the tips guys! I won't cut anything til I have the new sheetmetal. It's a partial rear quarter. The trunk extension isn't too affected, I could probably save it and cut forward of that body line. My main concern is the area in blue. Trying to line that up perfectly with the new metal is going to be difficult. Is cutting vertical in that area a common practice? I prefer not to cut and replace the entire body line just above the gas cap from the drivers door jam to the trunk extension just to fix the lower rear quarter. But I'd hate to screw up the wheel well.