i have been working on a 59 el Camino for the past week and the quarter panels ( or bed sides on a el Camino hell i don't know) were completely gone probably the worst ive seen you couldn't even tell what the original shape was. luckily i had a replacement quarter for the driver side ( swapmeets are great ) unluckily both sides were pure shit. so i had to make the passenger side from scratch. and i did it at our farm not my shop so all i used was a dolly ,a body hammer, my air shear. it looks ok but still needs some bending to do on the body to make it nicer.
One method of making the flare or wheel house character line is to first make this shape in squared steel rod, or steel tube, vice grip or clamp this to the quarter panel around the wheel house opening. Now, use this clamped part to shape the metal over (hammer form) with hammer, dolly and wood shaped calking tools. The more care you use to make the form tool with, the better the finished part.
well it helps alot when you have a replacement sittin there on the bench to look at, in stead of trying to look at it on the car and get the radius right. as far as how i made the lip or the (roll and step) after i had the wheel shape cut out i took my dolly and went around the edge and just beat a 1/4 inch bead around it so that i had something to weld the 1 inch strip of lip to, it took some time but thats how it needed to be done, you can just butt the edge of the lip up to the edge of the quarter and weld it because it will be a 90 degree angle and wont look right.
Desperation is the best teacher..........If ya aint got any it has to be made from what ya got!!Good Post- Casey'sC'....
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