legacycentral bbs

Hi,
My first post and may I say what a great website!!!
I picked up a SS sedan that had rolled back into a tree
crumpling the right rear quarter panel. But also, the body/frame rail where the bumper mounts. I would say it's been pushed towards the the back seat an inch or so. I've banged on it attempting to straighten without any luck. My question is this. I have a parts sedan in excellent condition in the rear. Just a small amount of rust in the wheel well. I'm curious about your thoughts, experiences with cutting, welding the body structure of this vehicle. Would you repair the outer cosmetic problems only or would you take it to the next level and cut out all the bent metal. The bent metal stretches into the spare tire well.
I want it to look good, however I don't want to compromise the structual integrity. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
http://www.myphoto.com/7Subbies_N_Climbin/5951

Brian

Pictures so we can give a better opinion>?

Man, that thing must have been "rolling" at a pretty good speed.
I'm a professional collision technician and I'm afraid you might be in over your head unless you have more experience with this sort of thing than you original post would suggest. That being said, if it were mine I would definately be looking at cutting a used section out of that parts car. The quarter panel surely needs to be replaced and the rest could probably be straightened out but if you've got the donor car, well I guess it's a ton of work either way. Maybe step back and take a fresh look at what you're up against. Might it be easier to swap the SS drivetrain, etc. into the other body?

ya I agree. I would find a shop that can straighten things out as best as possible just see how much they charge. They can use chains and such to pull the chassis perfectly straight. Then from there repair as much accessible rust as possible and rust spray the car car very well. I am assuming the car does drive straight correct?

I wouldn't bother with trying to repair that, especially if you are a novice. Strightening that isn't a practical option if you want to keep the integrity of that corner. The heating that has already been done has brought that metal back to an annealed state.

You could find a corner from a car to weld in, but you you want to weld gussets over the top of your but welds.



Honestly, it would be easier to swap all the important stuff over to a new shell.

Hey there,

Thanks for the input.
Where I have the donor rear end. I can cut the entire rear end out of it and bring them both to a professional and they'll be able to do what they do best.
Or where the car does run true , do you think a cosmetic repair of the quarter panel would be a viable solution?
I have the tools and the patience to tackle a quarter panel.
The idea of swapping the drivetrain out sounds reasonable, however the donor is an "L" model without the power sun roof.
Allot to be considered,
Thanks again Everyone!
Oh, P.S. I was told the car rolled backwards down a driveway, so I'm sure it was rolling with a substantial amount of momentum when it smacked the tree. I only paid $300.00 for the car!

I'd be concerned with rust afterwards as well as the structural integrity, unless you don't care about that. Not sure a quarter alone would do it unless you monkey things to fit just to make it look OK as it appears that the panels you would attach the quarter to are pretty whacked out of shape. Aftermarket sunroofs are cheap and, IMO, better if you want to swap to the L. Sure, I have to operate it by hand, but it's lighter, requires no maintenance, and hasn't leaked in 10 years.