Rust sucks. Plain and simple, body cancer has its way with our beloved metal. Sure, there may be a weight savings with rust holes, but sooner or later, that fender is going to fly off on the highway. This '71 Buick GS has been afflicted for years. Eventually, these things require attention, which brings us to the body shop Slicing off the quarter-panels can be a harrowing experience. Always seek professional advice before hacking on your muscle, especially if it is a rare bird like this '71 Buick GS convertible.Slicing off the quarter-panels can be a harrowing experience. Always seek professional adv Replacing a quarter-skin is a scary thing. While the more common models have readily available aftermarket quarter-skins, the owners of less popular cars must deal with modifying panels from other models or searching the boneyards for a quality donor. Fortunately, Year One offers a full outer skin for GS hardtops; convertibles are not so lucky. For this repair, we cut the quarter-skin 6 inches above the wheel opening, where the hardtop and convertible begin to differ. The outer wheelhouses also required some repair, but this time there was no easy aftermarket solution. To replace the outer wheelhouse lip that welds to the quarter-skin, we cut up and modified a set of wheelhouses for a '70-'72 Chevelle to fit the new quarter-panels. There are a few unique tools that simplify this process. An air hammer with a body-ripper attachment, available from any body shop, cuts sheetmetal like butter. A flanging tool, either air powered or manual, adds a recessed area that allows the panels to sit flush and makes them easier to line up. So read on and build up the courage to filet your classic and repair the steel the right way. The new Year One quarter-panel reproductions are actually made for a hardtop. To make them fit the convertible, Toby Ramsey of Ramsey Auto Body measured 6 inches from the top of the wheelwell opening, marked the panel front to back with a felt-tip pen and a straightedge, and cut it with a body ripper.The new Year One quarter-panel reproductions are actually made for a hardtop. To make them Next, Ramsey held the new panel to the car and marked the car with a felt-tip pen. It is important to trim the car to the new panel and not the other way around.Next, Ramsey held the new panel to the car and marked the car with a felt-tip pen. It is i The old panel was removed by drilling all the factory spot welds with a spot-weld cutter. Available from any paint-supply shop, these bits cut the outer skin, leaving the inner panel intact.The old panel was removed by drilling all the factory spot welds with a spot-weld cutter. Ramsey again utilized the body ripper to cut the top and front edge of the old quarter-panel. Note the 11/44-inch notation on the panel; this is done so the old panel will overlap the new panel, making for a stronger repair than a butt-joint seam.Ramsey again utilized the body ripper to cut the top and front edge of the old quarter-pan Unfortunately, the outer wheelhouses were worse than the quarters. The entire outer lip was gone and had previously been repaired with filler. This created a challenge, as reproduction outer wheelhouses are not available for these cars.Unfortunately, the outer wheelhouses were worse than the quarters. The entire outer lip wa Our solution was to use a set of Year One's '70-'72 Chevelle outer wheelhouses and modify them to fit the GS. Ramsey first used the body ripper to remove the outer lip we needed for the car, then the new lip was held up to the car and the old panel was marked for cutting.Our solution was to use a set of Year One's '70-'72 Chevelle outer wheelhouses and modify The new lip was welded to the old outer wheelhouse. Note the bottom rear of the panel is much larger, replacing the entire lower portion of the wheelhouse where it was rusted out.The new lip was welded to the old outer wheelhouse. Note the bottom rear of the panel is m Before the inside of the car was once again sealed up, a wire brush on a right-angle die grinder was used to clean up the surface rust on the original sheetmetal. An ounce prevention is worth more than a pound of cure in this case.Before the inside of the car was once again sealed up, a wire brush on a right-angle die g Ramsey sprayed the outer lips of the car and the new panel with some weld-through primer. This high-zinc primer keeps the welds from rusting on the backside of the panel where they can't be reached to paint. The rest of the inner sheetmetal was sprayed with some 3M undercoating to further prevent rust. Note that the window regulator and the body line are taped and covered so they don't get sprayed.Ramsey sprayed the outer lips of the car and the new panel with some weld-through primer. Using a flange tool from Eastwood, the new skins were flanged with a 11/416-inch recess so they would sit flush with the old panels. This step cuts down on the amount of filler used and makes for a nicer repair. The tool also features a hole punch, which was used around the wheel openings and the lower quarter-panel lip to re-create the factory spot welds.Using a flange tool from Eastwood, the new skins were flanged with a 11/416-inch recess so Ramsey aligned the new panel from the front first, sliding the flange under the old panel and in between the front doorjamb panel. This helps position the new skin and hold it in place.Ramsey aligned the new panel from the front first, sliding the flange under the old panel With the wheel lip clamped in place, the spot welds were re-created using the holes punched by the flange tool and the MIG welder. After the tack welds were made, the panel was stitch-welded. This was done in sections so the panels wouldn't warp under from the heat.With the wheel lip clamped in place, the spot welds were re-created using the holes punche After the welds were ground smooth, the surface of the new repair was hit with a high-speed sander and a 36-grit pad to prep the metal for filler.After the welds were ground smooth, the surface of the new repair was hit with a high-spee We laid down a heavy coat of Dura-glass, a waterproof fiberglass-reinforced body filler. This seals any pinholes in the welds and makes for a strong bond. The Dura-glass will also flex more than regular body filler, making it last longer on a large repair like this.We laid down a heavy coat of Dura-glass, a waterproof fiberglass-reinforced body filler. T Once cured, the Dura-glass was roughed out with a DA sander and some 36-grit paper; the entire repair was then given a layer of body filler. A DA sander starts the process of smoothing the body filler.Once cured, the Dura-glass was roughed out with a DA sander and some 36-grit paper; the en Ramsey then moved to the board sander and increasingly finer grits of paper. The board sander keeps the filler level and smooth across a larger area, eliminating waves in the panel. Hand-blocking the entire panel with 220-grit finished off the repair. The entire surface was sanded to feather the filler out to the old paint.Ramsey then moved to the board sander and increasingly finer grits of paper. The board san Once the car was cleaned up with some lacquer thinner, Ramsey mixed up some Rubber Seal epoxy primer and sprayed the panels. Notice how the body filler soaked up the primer. This coating needed about 15 minutes to cure. He should be wearing a safety respirator.Once the car was cleaned up with some lacquer thinner, Ramsey mixed up some Rubber Seal ep While the epoxy was curing, Ramsey mixed up a batch of Rubber Seal's primer-surfacer. This primer gives the car a solid surface to paint and protects the panels until we are ready to paint the whole car after it cures for 48 hours. As soon as the rest of the car is complete, a new paint job will be in order.While the epoxy was curing, Ramsey mixed up a batch of Rubber Seal's primer-surfacer. This Sheetmetal PART PN PRICE Quarter-panels BN161LHRH $407 pair '70-'72 Chevelle outer wheelhouse WH43LHRH $205 pair SOURCES Eastwood 263 Shoemaker Road Pottstown PA 19464 1-800-345-1178 www.eastwoodco.com Rubber Seal Dayton OH Ramsey and Son Auto Body Stillwater OK Year One PO Box 129 Tucker GA 30085 800-932-7663 770-496-1949 www.nextgenparts.com/mustang By Jefferson Bryant Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
