Well I took the chance of driving in this horrible rainstorm today and about ten minutes into my ride I lost control on the highway. I hit a puddle, spun out of control and side swiped a tree. Luckly I wasn't going to fast so the damage is minimal. Anyway, the tree hit in between the back part of my passanger door and rear fender. I'm going to need to replace these parts but I have two problems: one, I don't know what you call the part that comprises the two rear fenders and top between the roof and rear hatch (it's all connected in one big piece), two I'm not sure how hard it's going to be to locate these parts. My car is an '82 trans am. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Without seeing a picture, I think what you're looking for is the right rear quarter panel. I don't know if there are aftermarket parts or not (try a google search). Otherwise call some JY's in your area.

 

Ok heres a pic: The part circled in red is the part im trying to find and figure out what its called. The green circle represents where the damage was done to my car.

 

That's the quarter panel in red.

If the damage isn't too massive, you might want to consider repairing the damaged area only - unless you're really, really good with a cutting torch and welder.

 

ok but (correct me if I'm wrong) isn't it connected to the top and the other quarter panel or can I replace just the passanger rear quarter panel?

 

You can replace just the quarter panel - you have to cut out the old side and weld in the new panel. It can be a royal pain getting everything to line up properly.

 

ok but since the body panels are part of the structual support, will that make my car dangerous to drive?

 

Quarter panels get replaced all the time without affecting the structural integrity of the car. If you're really worried about it, year one sells the quarter panel "skin" for $82 on their website (yearone.com), last time I checked.



Here's a link to the site
YearOne Online Shopping

 

I went to the site and all the parts were for 1st and 2nd gen firebirds. I'm trying ebay right now and when the rain stops I'll try some junkyards. I can't weld so I'm going to need to bring it to a body shop. Does anyone have any idea what that might cost me?

 

YearOne Online Shopping

Go to "Home" then click on 64-02 pontiac firebird, then "Body" on the left side of the screen.

 

Ahh I found it on the site. Hmm it might do the trick, I need to take another look at the damage on my car first. Thanks.

 

I took another look at the damage and the skin wont be enough. The dents go up to the sail. Has anyone found what that entire part is? Not just the rear quarter panel but the whole piece including the roof part.

 

I'm not sure but I don't think anyone is currently offering a full quarter panel (with the sail) the best option would be to visit a boneyard and use a sawzall to cut a good one from a donor car, just be sure to cut larger than you need so whoever does the welding has what they need to blend it into the car. It should be pretty cheap too.
it's not usually a big deal to replace the quarters for body shops, most can do it for relatively low cost.

 

You wouldn't happen to have an idea of what a low cost would be would you? Like maybe under $1000?

 

I would guess under $1000 but on Long Island, who knows. Call a couple of body shops and tell them you're looking for a "ballpark" range of estimates. You'll probably get the old "bring it in and we'll take a look" answer but be persistent. If you can find a shop that will give you a free estimate, take it there for the estimate only (don't sign anything).

 

Cool, thanks a lot. Yeah I guess I'll shop around. At least the damage is just visual and I can still drive around in the mean time. Thanks for the help!

 

One thing to keep in mind on the repair - you've got an '82 that will be 25 years old next year (collector plates!!) and looks to be in pretty good condition, if that picture you posted is your car. When you're shopping around, check the quality of the shops body and paint work - you might want to spend a little extra instead of taking "low bid".

 

This is the actual picture of my car: http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/2...transamws0.jpg

Minus the ground effects and hood (I switched it with the original power bulge one)

Unfortunately it is also my daily driver and in New York you need a second car registered and insured to have a registered classic car.

 

Still - damn nice looking car for any year, let alone '82.