legacycentral bbs

how tough is it going to be for me to locate and install both rear quarter panels and the rear bumper for a '96 legacy gt that got rear ended from behind? my friend is in a pinch.. title still clear, and car still runs and drives, but the bumper is fallin' off!

also, any expected price, or place to get OEM panels/bumper for cheap rather than used?

it's basically just the top rear corners of the quarter panels that are damaged... could I just cut a piece off of another car and weld it in there?

what are my chances of finding a '96 legacy gt in a junkyard, though, I guess?

Any 95-99 legacy sedan will work if you just want to get the parts off it. The GT was just different bumpers and side skirts and a spoiler.

so I can use the rear corners from any 95-99 legacy, but I'll need an actual GT bumper? crap... I hope this stuff isn't hard to come by

Rear Q panels are welded on. Bondo or weld.

scottzg wrote:Rear Q panels are welded on. Bondo or weld.

right, what I'm saying, is that it isn't damaged past the upper back corners... the damage doesn't go all the way to the rear pillar.. so I can theoretically cut out the rear corners from a 95-99 legacy, and weld them in, but would that screw with structural integrity?

you could use a non-gt bumper, it just wouldnt look the same.

The welded section would be more likely to attract rust so I'd recommend good metal treatment. The structural integrity a small part of the quarter panel provides is marginal.

Steve

unless they are ripped or crushed most shops will pull out that damage and repair the quarter panels. Rear quarter replacement is a huge job and no 95-99 is worth doing that on, it would be a total first.

No matter how good the shop is, expect rust eventually in the damaged areas. it sucks but that's just the way it is.

pound it out and bondo?

if u do find replacement panels like new ones.... instead of welding them look into that Fusor panel epoxy... i used it to shave the door handles on my truck and i've used it for friends cars doing rear quarter work too... you might find it handy to have a welder around as well for tacking the panels in place and then clamping them... the big benefit of the epoxy is that it's just as strong as welding the panels in but you don't weaken the metal by heating it up.... the subaru body shop near me uses this stuff all the time...

good luck

Angus is right nowadays alot of people use expoxy and apparently like said its just as strong if not stronger and you wont get hot spots that will rust. I personally used this stuff on my 91 and its pretty cool, you just need a special gun ( sorta like a cocking gun) You have to word fast and have all metal parts handy. Is used the screw and glue method, so there was no welding at all

Mark

i forgot to say this :
u can get all the supplies from and local bodyshop supplier, i dunno if you have a carquest near you but they have it... alot of the places will sell u the special applicator, but they will also lend it to you. All u have to do is put a deposit down and you will get that back when u bring the gun back...

Is this the same type of epoxy that they use in alloy car applications like the Lotus Elise? If it is, this is giving me another idea ...

Steve