how do u remove the back passenger side panle on a 88 thunderbird, could u put pics of it so i can see what to do with a list of what to do? thx :birdsmily:
Inside or outside?
both, the panle is pushed in the the duel exhaust.:birdsmily:
You cannot remove the quarter panel.
why cant i:birdsmily:
The quater panel (the outside "skin" of the car) is welded to the body and must be taken off and or repaired by a body shop. Unless you are a very good professional body man DO NOT CUT IT OFF.
i know how to do i need to use a spot weld cuter
open pass door
open trunk
remove short section of trim along the top rear pass side of car
locate and chip away factory bondo used on upper left corner where door closes near the seal
hunt down all seams for the rear quarter
remove back side pass window/trim
remove rear window
remove pass tail light
remove all pass side trunk interior
remove gas tank spout and cap off your tank safely
remove pass side rear interior as well as seating
undo and pull back all wiring along that quarter panel
miss anything?????
next, get a drill and start poping holes directly thru the spot welds
locate each spot weld and eventually you can use a putty knife to release the rear pnl. There willl be an adhesive which you will have to overcome besides the tac welds.
use bolts to line up the new quarter by installing bolts thru the holes you drilled. You wanna make sure it fits / looks right by temporarily installing your tail l light as well as with the door closed. Using the bolts will help in the alignment so you can tac weld it back.
once lined up, you can spot weld your new part on.
fill holes with fiberglass or whatever and paint it up.
put all your stuff back on and you shouild be done.
dont be discouraged by the "you cant do it" factors,,,
people seem to forget very quickly one simple factoid,,,,,,,,,,Someone put it together,,therefore it must be possible to come apart. There really isnt any real reason to break out a torch for any of this job unless you are going about it wrong. Using a cutting disc here and there wont hurt,, just focus on the seem. I dono why you were told it cant come off,, that baffles me.
There's also the issue of finding a complete, good quarter panel.
in addition ,, you said your damage was transfered into the interior... best take your time and check out the whole mess by looking at the frame/suspension/axle ect ect. Maybe its not that bad, im not there and you didnt post pics.
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i dont know all the technical names for certain levels of body work but ill make some up and see if im right by the other guys here on the board. I would catagorize this as a level 2 damage. I wouldnt replace the panel for that damage. Its repairale without going through all that.
Im not a professional body man,, never claimed to be but that does not look like that bad of a job. I would expect to pay about 500 or more bux to get it shaped back and primer on. Thats a fair price i wouldnt blink at. That damage was not a high speed hit,, trust me , my car has had several high speed hits with deer and my front end always gets a new header panel. Im currently on my 7th header panel and third grille. My fenders were always reshapeable as long as i took my time. The last go around i got in a hurry, i see my little issues lurking but ill get it next time if there is a next time.
Level 1 - paint , rust , minor dents. Damages aquired by normal use
level 2 - paint , rust ,minor and major dents, low level creasing, body tears, uneffected ajoining parts. Damages aquired by normal use or by a low speed impact on another vehicle or a stationary object.
Level 3 - paint, rust, minor and major dents, high level creasing including body metal folding, rips, gashes, missing metal, frame twisting, effected ajoining parts and subframe assembly. Damages aquired during 20mph or greater speeds involving another vehicle or a stationary object.
I've seen worse put back to looking new without replacing panels. I agree with jcassity it went together it can come apart, but if you're not real good with body panel work as in shaping and straightening I'd definitely check with friends relatives or other people who just owe you a favor and see if any of them have done body work. It's not real real hard to do body work but if you don't know what you're doing you can very easily make it worse then it is to begin with.
My first attempt at body work had so many bumps in it I had to find someone else to fix what I messed up as well as the original problem.
Take it nice and slow on straightening the panel, use proper tools, and don't play He Man with the hammer whacks and you shouldn't have to much problem with it.
The hardest part for me is always that arch over the wheel well. It looks like theres a hole in it as well which I'd just cut that out with a cut off tool and weld in a patch panel. Good luck with it whatever you decide to do to fix it.
Don't change the entire quarter for these "little" damages...
Cut the bottom of Your quarter at the center of the molding trim, and discard, take a corrugated carton and a good marker, ant make a pattern from Your other side quarter panel, cut with x-acto or whatever, now You have a pattern!!!...
Place Your pattern over a 20gage body steel sheet, and mark Your pattern, NOW mark your pattern 1" over the lines of the pattern at the front and rear of the piece for the corners at the borrom and the wheel trim, and around 3" for the bottom...
Next, measure the left quarter to make a bent on Your new panel, after that, bent the rear of Your panel, and the front (wheel side), now You will have a new bottom panel, Before reinstall, take a body hammer and a body block and reshape Your upper side of the quarter (upper the wheel), after that, install Your lower panel, weld, spotweld, or pop rivet it,or whatever, and finish the job with a plastic body filler and finishing putty...
NOTE!!!, NEVER use a aluminium pop rivets in a body job, use a STEEL pop rivets... the aluminium rivets looses with vibrations, and make an oxyde under the plastic body filler, and make a rounds after few months or years...
If My explaination is not very clear, X-cuse Me, it's because I'm so poor in English, but step by step I'll guide You...
The finished job depends of the tools You have, and Your ability on a metalworking...
Hope this help...
Regards,