Body guys, need advice

[downwardspiral]

I woke up to this this morning (the Ides of March)

I am planning on fixing it myself by cutting a section from a new quarter panel and patching it in.. the wheel arch is destroyed and I couldn't see reshaping this without an assload of filler. My only concern is that it is close (2 in or so) to the gas filler neck. Our cars don't have a proper gas cap, and I am wondering what other people have done to prevent a fire. I don't want to drop the tank and it seems like most people dont. I should be OK with a full tank of gas right?:fm:

 

[188slo50]

Are yu worried about starting a fire while cutting and welding? Ive always taken the cap of and put a baggy in the opening then stock a water socked rag in it. Every so often Ill soak the rag again as I work, also keep a fire extinguisher handy.

 

[downwardspiral]

Are yu worried about starting a fire while cutting and welding? Ive always taken the cap of and put a baggy in the opening then stock a water socked rag in it. Every so often Ill soak the rag again as I work, also keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Yeah, I'm picturing a Nicholas Cage movie style explosion.. But I feel like I should be safe if I don't smell gas. I've heard the wet rag method works, good to hear it from a different source.. thanks

 

[stang910]

If your gonna weld in a quarter replace the whole thing cause it makes no sense to section it. If you don't want to replace the whole quarter pull the damage out and put some body filler on it. You'll have more filler on it if you section it in.

 

[BUCKET]

See above, if your questioning any of it...... Not questioning your skills. But if you have to ask.... Let someone else replace whole 1/4

 

[grnenvy]

Since it needs to be fixed go with a wide body kit in the rear. then u can run a 14in rim in the rear.

 

[cobra199711]

No way I'd cut the quarter off, fix it. I hate seeing cars cut apart when the structure can be repaired.

 

[Graboid]

Pull it out...not even close to needing a quarter....and patching a quarter is really wacko!

 

[downwardspiral]

Thank you all for talking some sense into me, waking up with a clean slate today I realized how much work welding in the patch would be. I get into crazy pro-active modes when shit goes wrong and don't always make sense. I'm going to pick up a stud welder in a little to try and pop the dent out, and put a little filler on it to see how it looks. What do I have to lose anyway, it looks like shit now. :beer:

 

[stang910]

You may not need a stud welder for that repair. A hammer with the right punch (I have a cut axle that I use) some pry bars, dolly, and a pick hammer will get the metal straight since the damage is accessible from the trunk. Something you might want to consider is you might cause more harm then good. You get to stretching that metal too much and it'll cause a lot of headaches for someone that goes in behind you.

 

[92hatchlx]

Full coverage? Deductible? lol

 

[DEADLY FORCE]

I had similar damage to my car on the exact same spot with my car being yellow blaze. I was able to get a quote for repair for $700.00 after searching for a few. So I just paid out of pocket for the repair instead of a 500 deductible for insurance. Looks perfect now. No need to replace the quarter or weld in a cut piece. Unless you are a professional, I would leave it to the pros. Good luck, estimate was in NC a couple years ago.

 

[downwardspiral]

You may not need a stud welder for that repair. A hammer with the right punch (I have a cut axle that I use) some pry bars, dolly, and a pick hammer will get the metal straight since the damage is accessible from the trunk. Something you might want to consider is you might cause more harm then good. You get to stretching that metal too much and it'll cause a lot of headaches for someone that goes in behind you.

I didn't go nuts with the stud welder.. I'm a very hardheaded person and learn things the hard way. I think it came out pretty good so far.. I'm still figuring out how to use it properly, but the major creases are mostly out.. better than I expected. I had to stop because it started to snow. I have a dolly set, I'll try from the trunk tommorow if it's not too bad..

Full coverage? Deductible? lol

My car was deemed a total loss in hurricane Sandy, the only real problem I couldn't fix was the airbag light. I bought it back from the insurance company as a salvage title, and cannot have full coverage any more for that reason. I'm pretty much going to drive this car to the ground, and will fix everything I can myself.

I had similar damage to my car on the exact same spot with my car being yellow blaze. I was able to get a quote for repair for $700.00 after searching for a few. So I just paid out of pocket for the repair instead of a 500 deductible for insurance. Looks perfect now. No need to replace the quarter or weld in a cut piece. Unless you are a professional, I would leave it to the pros. Good luck, estimate was in NC a couple years ago.

Yeah, I'm going to cancel my order for the quarter after playing around with it today. I have a big compressor and all the tools to fix it myself. I went out and bought a stud welder from Harbor freight, so this should cost me $400 inculding the welder (I don't factor it in as an expense though, it is an asset). If they charge me a 20% restock fee on the quarter it'll be another $100, but shit happens.. better than $500 for something I don't need. I will also have leftover paint for future repairs. I'm a DIY kind of guy, even if I screw it up a few times.