My son got into an argument with a guide-rail a few weeks ago and this is the result. Blew out both tires. Bent the lower control arm and strut spindle (got that repaired). All that is left to do is the body work along the passenger side. As you can tell the guide rail rolled the lip of the wheel well up. Can this be repaired or should I replace the whole rear quarter? And if so, who is a good manufacturer?

 

Not a body expert but I'd try to get that fixed but looks like it's gonna take a little more than bondo and a suction cup to fix that rolled lip as opposed to the other little dents on it.

My Nissan has the drivers side fender rolled and creased a little worse than that from some drunk fool in a SN95 mustang convertible that decided to crash into it when it was parked on the street. I'd like to fix the fender but if the lip is too badly damaged and will cost too much I'd sooner go find a new one at a junkyard and replace the whole fender but of course that should be an easy bolt in and out fender but yours since it's the rear quarter will require cutting it out and welding the new one in.

But I believe a good bodyman might be able to bang that out with a mallet, maybe some bondo/sanding and buff.

My 2nd gen T/A also has the right rear quarter smashed in and I know that will probably require cutting it out and welding a new quarter panel skin in place because it's creased and a little rusty on the surface, Classic Industries sells them but they're kinda expensive. Maybe you can find a cheaper one on ebay or craigslist.
If you want I can get two pictures up later of the damage on both my cars just for reference.
http://www.classicindustries.com/cam.../c2397535.html

 

That would be helpful as a point of reference. Thanks....


This car is completely original and solid. But if it needs a new quarter I will bite the bullet and put one on. Just want pursue all my options.

 

The most damaged area appears to be of the wheel arch. Being that the 1/4 panel yields little structural rigidity, I would see if you could section out that wheel arch with that off another car. The rest of the 1/4 panel appears clearly repairable. I would avoid sectioning the entire 1/4 panel in efforts of maintaining the original corrosion protection, if/when possible.

 

It's almost impossible to provide decent advice from one picture...

Based on what I see, I would use the different attachments on a slide hammer to pull out the wheel arch. The rest appears to be normal minor bodywork except.......

That dent on the quarter near the top edge of the door might be a problem. I would have to see other pictures looking down the side to hazard a guess. There's a possibility that the entire quarter panel is pushed in. If so, it will require some heavier pulling equipment than a slide hammer.

Regardless, I wouldn't replace the quarter. The damage is fixable.

 

From what I see I would buy a new quarter panel then cut out the section on both and replace.

 

x2

 

I would also replace it but I would replace it with a full panel

 

Its hard to say from one picture, but I would rather replace it. A skilled bodyman could probably fix it but thats not always whats best for the car.

 

Yeah and not to mention that the outer wheel housing is also bent

 

In terms of a good brand of panel to buy, if you go that route, Goodmark is a trusted brand. I would look for a partial panel off of a junkyard car though if possible.

 

Replacing the whole quarter is a difficult job on these cars, even sectioning a panel is difficult. Lots of interconnected panels.
I think that one could be reshaped.

 

From and hours standpoint, it would take me (personally) longer to re-shape that than to section in a new piece. Time=money. I say replace it.

 

Sorry If I'm late, I couldn't get better shots but I took what I could since I was strapped for time and my HTC EVO phone is old and it's the only one that can post these since my Apple device cannot copy bb code to paste and post.

From top to bottom

My 1990 Nissan Sentra XE
Pic 1 Passenger side Fender is perfect.

Pic 2 Drivers side is not from being struck by Drunk SN95 Convertible Mustang Cobra/Saleen Driver

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

Pic 6

Pic 7 - Top view


Pic 8 - Top view looking down at it towards the front bumper which took a little bruise on the impact too but repairable. It's mostly just the fender that took the force. .Thank god the fenders are steel, if they had been hard rubber like the front bumpers are then the force of impact wouldn't have resisted the 30mph Hit from the Saleen/Cobra and the damage would have far severe and gone well into the engine bay and rendered the car useless and totaled. The Car drives like nothing happened, except for that ugly looking Cosmetic bruise on the Fender wheel well and the part of the front bumper that wraps around the side and connects to it.

 

Good news! That honestly looks like something you could build yourself out of some sheet metal and weld back onto the car. Use your other side as a template, and it shouldn't be too bad.

 

I know I had dozens of detailed pics of the rear quarter on my 2nd Gen T/A to perfectly show the creased damage on the right rear quarter like in your situation on the Camaro but the original micro sd card on my HTC EVO crashed/failed and I couldn't recover the pics. And I tarped up the car to prevent the elements from rusting it any, as it will be awhile before I get into a situation where I can have it restored.


So I couldn't get better pics than this since I tied lots of string around it tight the last time I replaced the tarps but here's the best I could do to illustrate the damage on the right rear quarter panel of the T/A.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6. Still got the Set of Genuine Firestone S/S Radial Tires on it that my father bought for it NEW back in 1985/1986 Fat meaty looking 225/70/15s On the Original 15 X 7 Rally ][][ wheels.

7. What the Rear looks like.

8. What it would look like Restored to it's full Glory.

9.
What it looked like when New.

What it looks like now after not being driven or touched since 1986.
10.

11. Original Splitter Exhaust tips.

12. Original California Pontiac 400ci Damn Gas Guzzler.

 

Being in the industry for 15 years now, I still say its a tough call. More pics would be very helpful.

However, any time I can avoid replacing the quarter, I do. There's no substitute for factory welds, seams, sheetmetal, and corrosion protection. I'd lean towards repairing the area. Even if it meant going on the frame rack with some clamps to pull the lip back into where it needed to be. Doing that would most likely bring the inner wheel well along with it.