Want to cut the quarter panels, please help!

Doc · 03-11-07, 09:52 AM

I removed the mud flaps in preparation for my bumper install, and this is what I found.

If I cut the entire area off at the level of that first body line, is there anything behind there I need to worry about? I could just cut out the rot, but then there's a big hole there collecting dirt and water whenever I drive. By cutting the bottom off it should let that stuff fall out. The bumper wings should cover all of this up, so not to worried about that.

Any ideas? What's behind that metal if I take a sawzall to it will I be cutting wires or anything else important? Any better trimming ideas.

I'm going to try to keep the flair attachment point.

DanKunz · 03-11-07, 10:03 AM

If you remove the inner panel you can see all the way to that seam. I would pop the inner panel on that side and inspect to see what is down there...I have some wires that wander that way...

Would be a simple task to chop and box it once you did move everything.

Doc · 03-11-07, 10:33 AM

Instead of boxing it (which I'd have to pay someone to do for me) can I just cut it, clean it, primer/paint and leave it?

DanKunz · 03-11-07, 10:44 AM

If you don't box it it will be open to the interior...that seam at the bottom seals out the elements...

Doc · 03-11-07, 12:28 PM

Well, that's not good, is it?

DanKunz · 03-11-07, 12:37 PM

Depends, do you want mud and dirt shooting up behind your stock subwoofer and amp, rear light wiring, etc?

I would think a friend with a welder could box that very easily...cut a piece of sheetmetal to match the resulting gap flat across and have someone tack and weld that sucker in there. rattle can it and be on your merry way!

toylndcrusr · 03-11-07, 01:51 PM

Dan is right. Don't leave the open hole. Cut it, but I would suggest using an angle grinder with a cutting wheel. Cut slowly and easy to control, and you don't have to contend with the blade jamming into metal behind what your cutting. The wires and stuff back there are easy to get to. Just carefully pop the panel out and everything is clearly visable.

Also, this is not a difficult repair to do in two or three steps. Since this is not a visible part of the body (like filling a hole in the hood for example) you can mark off you section to remove, with ease of cutting a replacement pannel in mind, and fill in the hole with one, two, three or more pieces. Finding the sheet metal in the proper gauge shouldn't be too difficult. Just bring them a piece of what you cut out so they get you the right gage (or thickness) of metal to put back in. Then use what you cut out as a template to cut the replacement panel. Try to make it match the other side (assuming it is in better shape), and when your done, thouroughly clean the inside of that part of the truck, and coat it with some POR-15 or rubberizer or bed liner. Good luck!

elhombre · 03-12-07, 03:20 PM

You really need to close up the hole completely. I made a small hole on each side to facilitate my home made ( George's ) sliders and quickly discovered that road dust migrated into the passenger compartment. My rear windows were all dusty after driving around Big Bend. Fixed it with some silicon.

knorrena · 03-12-07, 03:34 PM

You could cut it work up the pieces yourself and use autobody "glue/adhesive" to box it in. I dont recall the name of any such adhesives, but I do know they exist. You could also work up the pieces youself and take the pieces and you truck into a welding shop or a mom and pop autobody shop and get them to weld it up. Jeez, now you have me wanting to go home to check out my truck.

Karl

Walking Eagle · 03-12-07, 03:45 PM

Or, if you can't weld, don't know anyone that can weld, and will never sell the truck to me, there is a way to do it yourself.....

1. Cut out the rusted metal.

2. Clean out the inside as best you can.

3. Shoot rust inhibitor on the inside.

4. Shoot Ruberized undercoating on the inside.

5. Shoot some "Great Stuff" expanding foam (see your local Lowes) to fill up the area. What works pretty good is to put a second really dripping layer of undercoating on right before you shoot the great stuff, then the great stuff will push the undercoating in all the crevis's.

6. After the foam has harded - cut off any excess - hacksaw works o.k.

7. Grind down to bare metal all around the repair.

8. Get a fiberglass kit from auto store or I think even Walmart may carry the Bondo brand.

9. Cut your glass to fit, put on some latex gloves, (you can also coat your hands and forearms with vasaline to keep from getting it stuck to you, I'm not real fond of it), mix up your resin, and fiberglass the whole area in.

10. Repeat step 9 after the fiberglass is hard. I've never been able to get more than one or two layers of glass down at a time, but I don't glass very often.

11. Once it's all solid, sand down the edges - tapper them to the body, shoot some duplicolor filler primer, and then hit it with some paint.

12. Forget that you've done it before you sell the truck so you can honestly tell the person buying it "nope, never had any rust or body work".

13. Don't sell it to me.

Actually it'd be a fine repair, and you'd probably never have a problem with it, but somepeople really shy away from fiberglass and body fillers.