[Pecosbill]

Some idiot showing off plowed into the pickup parked next to us and knocked the pickup into our 64 Lemans. We are in need of a new "full" quarter panel. I don't care what it costs (the moron's insurance is going to have to pay for it). Does anyone know where I can find an NOS passenger side rear QP? Does anyone know of a good hit man?

Save yo Confederate money, boys, the South is gonna do it again!
Pecosbill

[Barrier Blue]

That's good to hear. Hope it turns out as well as expected.

[Pecosbill]

I've got a really good body man who has looked at the car. His opinion is that he can repair it with a "skin", but that the most ideal repair would be to use a full quarter. He doesn't feel that the quality of the metal in the skins is as good as that of the original. I've heard both good and bad opinions on the skins.

I wish that the existing panel could be pulled out and repaired, but unfortunately is looks to be crushed beyond that. Maybe the quarter could be removed and pounded out and reinstalled? So far I'm not having any luck finding a good used or new 1/4 so we may have to try something like that.

[urhere2]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pecosbill:
That would be extremely nice of you, urhere2. The guy's name that I talked to is Joe. He may have already cut and shipped it, but I don't know how fast they work (I talked to him around 11:00 a.m. yesterday). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I work all day tomorrow but I can head out there on sunday. I need your name so I can tell him who I am looking at it for.

[PetesPonies]

I can't tell for sure from the pics, but it looks fixable. You need a GOOD metal man, not a bondo buddy. A person experienced in metal repairs can straighten that quarter. I would check with high end auto restorers, Mercedes, Ferrari,old classics etc. You need a good body man who can really bump and shrink metal. It really looks salvageable to me. It would be really worth the expense to have that original quarter fixed.

[kidgoat]

That core support is for a non-AC car. The bottom U-shape will open down for a non-AC car, and open up (i.e. collect water) for an AC car. -Jesse

[Pecosbill]

I think I've found my guy. He used to work for Jeff Lilly here in San Antonio, which is a high end total restoration outfit and he was their "metal man" before opening his own shop. The shop is spotless and seems to have all the latest equipment. I took the car over to him today and left it with him to go over. He says he can straighten the quarter no sweat and will probably spend a solid week on it to get it right. He's going to get back to me tomorrow with an estimate.

[fdplatt]

Soon!

[PMDRACER]

It's really sad that guys like your body man are going to become extinct here pretty soon. People just don't learn the trades like they used to. Now it's simply slap an inch thick slab of bondo, and go to the spray booth.

I would kill to have somebody teach me how to do real metal shaping.

Congrats on finding this guy. He's worth his weight in gold. Make sure you send him referrals.

[cuz68]

One great repair job looks great.

[Raven19]

Ugh don't you hate idiot drivers?

About 1.5-2 years ago I was in my 72 formula 400 firebird at a stop light that comes right off a highway that turns into a street. On my way to college classes, waiting at a red alight along with about 30 other cars (heavy traffic). Some idiot in a honda civic comes flying off the highway going 50-60 mph, prolly wasn't paying attention to the fact that everyone had stopped, and plows into a ford F-150 (yea one of them big ass lifted trucks) who then plows into me. The Civic slammed his brakes at the last second, and I saw in my rear view mirror a bunch of tire smoke and knew what was comming, so I braced the steering wheel and prepaired for the hit. It's too bad that it was heavy traffic because both lanes on either side of me where backed up, otherwise I woulda quickly pulled into one of them to avoid the hit. I was boxed in more or less.

Totally crunched my rear end, sent the bumper about a foot deep into the trunk area, also the passenger side body crumpled up due to the fact that It had bondo body work done years prior.

Car wasn't show quality or anything but it was worth about 6k in the condition it was in, and I loved it. But the thing that pisses me off is the fact that I just had the engine rebuilt not more than 1-2 months earlier. And now I had a totalled car. Repairs woulda been well over 6k, and I'm pretty sure the frame got bent. So I had to sell the car to the insurance company. Luckily I saved all the receipts for work I had done so I almost broke even on the car. But it was just a waste of a new engine, that they prolly just trashed.

I woulda liked to have keept the engine since it barely had 1,000 miles on it. But it woulda taken too much time to find a donor car, transplant the engine, and fix anything else wronge with the donor car, ect.. ect.. In a time when I needed a ride ASAP, so I just took the cash.

And I guess it turned out for the best because soon after I found a 400 firebird in the LA area for only 3k on ebay. I snatched it up quick and drove it home. And talk about a steal, this firebird had 55k miles on it and it hasn't even turned over. First owner was some old lady who never drove it, 2nd owner was some guy in LA who keept a car cover and a club on it and let it set in the driveway. The interior was amazing, paint was starting to chip, but other than that it was a clean ride. Better condition than the 72 formula, but definatly far less horse power. But I look at it like this, I traded the 72 for a 73 and got to keep 3k for myself.

[karl emerick]

you need to post pics of the process. love seeing an artist at work

[superdutydave]

Haven`t looked at PY for a while so am late to post-but- you are 3rd party(if you were just parked or uninvolved) and if you have the money can have car repaired and then bill(or sue) ins. co. for legit. costs. Lots of hassle, but can be done. Will never make it right but what can U do? I have shop and could fix this-so-I think that there must be a shop local to U that could do repair?-If you get a new 1/4 there would still B bondo so a repair might actually be better/less invasive.

[paulkx807]

Bill,I have a 65 gto hardtop I am parting out I will take pics of the 1/4 panel and get them to you.It does need a lower patch,but the upper structure is good.Paul

[Pecosbill]

Got the estimate from the body guy and Farmers has agreed to pay all. Includes, in addition to fixing the quarter and door and repairing or replacing outer wheel well, stripping clear coat off the decklid, both doors, both quarters and roof and re-applying to make sure it all has same sheen. Also includes a rear end alignment. Metal guy estimates over a full week just to stretch, shape and shrink quarter. Even though car was hit on passenger side rear quarter, the driver's door somehow got misaligned in the accident, chipping some of the paint when it was opened. This was in the area of the purple flames. Farmers has also agreed to fix that. They seem to be being very fair so far. Work begins on the car tomorrow (3/25) and is estimated to take three weeks. I'll be checking on it quite frequently and will post pics.

Thanks to everyone for their sound advice and help.

[PetesPonies]

fabulous!!!!! I know there was a lot of pain involved, be at least the end result will allow you to forget about it ever happening )

[Pecosbill]

I don't know the answer to that, Pete, but I will find out.

[Pecosbill]

And another.

[Marty Phipps]

Looks really good.

[Pecosbill]

Many thanks to everyone who felt the pain of a wrecked Pontiac. This has been a real pain, but the finished product seems to be as good as new.