1966 Dodge 440 Build - Build An Affordable Street Car

Steve discovered the worst damage as the last of the paint and Bondo removal process revealed this carnage around the right rear. Entire quarters are difficult to find, so Mopar Flats will supply a better quarter-panel that will be carefully welded in place.

The Dodge exhibited several trim holes in the fenders that Steve wanted to eliminate to give the car a cleaner image. There was also this nasty CB antenna vent he discovered in the right rear quarter-panel only after removing all the Bondo. The larger hole will require a welded patch, but the three smaller holes can be repaired with weld.

The old-school way to fill trim holes in sheetmetal was to braze them shut. This requires some two-handed skill with a torch and brass fill rod but does work well. The more modern approach is to use a nonferrous backing plate (like this brass block) placed behind the hole (when accessible) and use short bursts with a MIG welder. Steve prefers welding from the back side since this leaves the exterior smooth and eliminates all but minor grinding.

Once the hole is filled with weld, the excess metal can be leveled with a high-speed grinder and followed by a 100-grit disc.

The final step treats the area with a light skim of body filler sanded smooth. None of this work is necessarily difficult, but it can be tedious. Just keep telling yourself how much money you're saving and the work will be much more rewarding.

The Dodge also suffered from a crack in the leading edge of one panel that also required minor welding similar to the repair on this fender.

After realigning the bent metal, he drilled a small hole at the end of the crack to prevent further damage later.

After welding the crack on both sides, he ground the repair to make it smooth. It's ready for sanding and perhaps a touch of body filler to fill in the minor imperfections.

After the panels were repaired, Steve covered everything in Sherwin-Williams etching primer to protect all the panels from corrosion. The new-generation body filler can now be used over the top of the primer.