OK.... I'm new here, but I have been watching this board for a while now. Here is my dillema: I have a 1971 GS-350 that I purchased in 1990 (I was only 17 at the time) from the original owner. It was a special order car and is nicely equipped with buckets, console, ralley gauges, tach, N-25 bumper, bumper guards, power windows, A/C, power steering, and power brakes (drum). It is Cortez Gold with a white vinyl top (rare combo??). I still have the original AM radio for this car. I drove this car for about 2 years then parked it (in dad's back yard ou: ) when I went to school. After graduation, I got married, bought a house, raced at the local short track, had a child, etc. The car was put in dry storage a little over a year ago. The time has finally come to bring this car back to it's former glory (even if it is only a 350 car). It is in very rough shape and will need a trunk floor, quarters, floor pans, and I'm sure a lot more. As everyone knows, nobody makes a "full-factory" quarter panel for our cars. Lets face it, we aren't like the mainstream and own Chevelles and Camaros (no offense, guys). The prices for NOS parts are outrageous. I have heard good things about the Rolling Steel/TABCO quarter panels (and even got to see one at Parts-A-Rama this past October). Now I am in a battle with my body man (read that as DAD) over how to install these panels. What is the preferred method.... 1. Create a flange and lap-weld the panels on 2. Butt-weld the panels on I realize that butt-welding will cause warpage if you are not careful, but I really don't want to see a seam when you open the trunk. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I would lap and plug weld in most cases. Never tried to hang a non factory quarter, so I'd have to see the part and the car to make that call. Maybe patch work would be ok for some of the outer sheet metal. Would save money on parts to.
unfortunately, patchwork is out of the question. The quarters are too far gone (the side marker lights even fell out) and the rust is up into the subtle body line above the wheel. That would be very hard to recreate with patches. Is there any chance that The Parts Place will make "factory style" quarters?
No Tabco seems to be the favorite. There are some pics of the install of some Tabcos on the Board. Look at this install pictorial http://www.trishieldperf.com/72_stg_1_convert.htm
If they are that far gone, you will most likely need outer wheel houses too...possibly inners as well. I hope you are ready for some real surprises.
Buy some Cleco pliers and about 30-40 cleco pins per panel. They work great. You want to flange your original panel and then weld the new skin. You can use a 3/16 punch to make your holes on your new skin and then use a drill to make holes in the existing panel. As for the outer wheel well lip, you can use 2 or 4dr wells provided you only need the outer 2-4" of the lip. Contact Mike at mike@mrbuick.com He has 3 or 4 parts cars that should have what you need for fenderwell patching.
If Tabco is out, try Sherman. Looks like they just started carrying them. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970...ewItemQQcategoryZ34204QQitemZ4616440895QQrdZ1
yep...thats twice in 2 weeks they put them on ebay...last week ones sold for an average of about $130 a piece....not 2 bad ..plus adding in shipping ou: maybe i get a set for my next restoration of mmmm maybe GSx anybody know about the quality of these sherman ones....?
Doing a lap weld, either with or without a flange, will be the easiest method of attaching the upper, front, and back of the panels. Some will argue that the panels should be butt welded instead. If your father is a good bodyman, then he may be able to do the butt weld without an overlap. This requires VERY careful measurment and plenty of skill. The only negative asociated with the lap weld, is the potential for rust between the panels being joined together. Good prep with weld through primer and proper sealers will minimize this. Either method of repair will produce proper, long lasting work if done right. You will have a seam in the trunk with either method. You can either live with it, or metal finish the inside like the outside to hide the repair. You will have less filling to do with a butt weld, but more work up front in terms of measurment and fitting. Hope that helps. Thanks, Rudy E
Buy a rear clip Rick, Although I currently live in Southern CA, I totally understand the rust issue having lived half of my life in Maine. I believe the best and most cost effective option is to be patient and locate a rust-free car or rear clip that you can use. There are so many rust-free 70-72 Skylarks out there that, IMHO, it would be a waste to try to use the replacement panels currently on the market. If you put in a little time, you can find a rust-free Skylark for under $1000. Sure, it may cost up to $900 to ship to PA, but if you buy a complete car, you can easily sell the parts you don't need to offset the cost of the car. Bodywork costs can quickly add up and before you know it, you could have 5K invested in the shell! Hope this helps,
No matter what you do you will have to adress the inside of the panel as there is no way the 1/4s can be replaced without noticing it from inside the trunk.Not sure of your skill ...but overlap is far more forgiving than trying to learn butt welding .
Thanks for everyone's input. I guess there is no "magic" answer on the topic. Everyone has there own way of doing things. However, it is nice to hear about these different methods because it might open the door to a thought that I hadn't considered. At any rate, I have a few options. I am currently looking at a '71 Skylark with a nice rear clip and I still have TABCO in the back of my mind if I opt to go that route. It's funny.... the reason I didn't buy a Chevelle back then was because when I was in high school, there would be about 10 of them in the student parking lot (and no Buicks). They were everywhere and I wanted to be different. NOW.... I almost wish I would have bought a Chevelle. They are easier to restore because there are much more options for sheet metal. Here is the quote for the day (again, sorry if I offend anyone).... "Chevelles are like puppies. At some point in your life, you've probably had one." Again, thanks for the input.
