BODY, a patch panel from start to finish

[Tinbender]

I see that some good information on patch panels has been posted. This piece is kinda long, so I thought I’d start another thread. First, understand there are many ways to do this. This is one of the procedures I use for simple panels like this 63 Impala fender. It’s what works well for me.

In the first picture the area to be replaced is marked. There is a brace behind the rust out that is still in good condition. I marked my cut lines in areas where I could get to the back of most of the weld to hammer it. I also like to use curved corners, rather than 90 degree corners in the open areas of the panel. This seems to help keep distortion down.