I thought I was going to knock out this quarter panel patch this morning but things got a bit more involved. Looks like the bottom of the B pillar is rotted. It's no surprise. I searched but didn't find much for my year. Anyone have pics of what this area should look like? Seems like some of the bottom of the quarter panel is missing. I'm using an EMS patch which seems close enough just not long enough at the bottom. I used the deep shrinker to pit some curve in the bottom and the english wheel to add some shape to the top. One might thing if you're going to the trouble to make dies to stamp out panels adding the correct curvature wouldn't be much more work. I'm still grateful they are available. Also don't see much to weld to at the rear of the inner rocker. Thinking of welding a length of 12ga bent at 90° welded to the inner rocker for strength as this is where I jack up on the body to lift it off the frame. Can the B pillar be repaired after I weld up the quarter panel? That seems logical to me as once it's cut there's nothing holding this area together.
I would think it would be better to fix the inner rocker and the bottom of the B pillar first. Adequately brace and support the B pillar using the still installed door as reference, doing one side at a time. Although mine is a 53, the repair is very similar. EMS makes good panels, but usually require "tweaking" to fit a particular car.
The Jalopy Journal
