I want to skin my car.

[TriDawgn]

Well, after a long break i'm back at it. I have some moderate rust issues, but nothing i think i can't fix. Unfortunately i don't have the budget to do the whole car atm but I have seen pictures around of the rear quarter panels taken off by cutting out the spot welds. What i would like to do is take off the outer panels, including door sills, dog legs, rear quarters and tail of the car below the tail lights. I want to do this so i know im not just painting over rust and have a solid base to build from. This brings up a couple questions.

1, do these provide any structural support, will i have to do them one at a time, as is suggested with floor pans?

2, If anybody knows, could you quickly sketch out where the spot weld seams are that i would need to remove?

CZCC id be lost without you.

[kenz240z]

Sounds like pretty extensive work. Does the rust damage on your car truly warrant removal of all the panels you mention? Unless you have good welding & body work skills, lots of time & money, you may consider repairing the rust with patch panels. When the old metal is cut out, you should be able to determine the extent of any rust in the inside spaces and deal with it with POR-15 or something similar.

As for where the spot weld seams are, the seams along the dog leg, wheel well and back panel are pretty easy to see. Hit the seams with a rough grit sand paper (36 or 80) and the spot welds should stick out as "dimples" or small depressions. On the rear 1/4 panel, there is a seam above the rear 1/4 window, near the top of the hatch opening. There are also spot welds in the channel for the rear hatch weatherstrip.

[TriDawgn]

I know this will be quite extensive, but this is more or less a complete tear down and rebuild. Engine is coming out, full suspension rebuild, new disc brakes all around, and floor pans/rails. I have a MIG welder on order and have taken classes at the local college and it seems to be something that comes rather naturally to me. As for time.. my current work contract ends oct 29th, so unless i get signed to a different site ill have all the time in the world for it.

Ive already cut out a good amount of rust on the sill above the tail lights and on the hatch where a whale tail spoiler was mounted (poorly) and rusted.

Theres a couple holes in the very back corner of the dog legs where i can see into the "frame". But as i said before, i want it clean. As for the rear i want it off cause the PO let the bumper brackets rust half off so ill need to mount something there and make sure there's not any extensive damage.

Thanks for the tips kenz!

[kenz240z]

Will you be replacing the various panels, or patching the original pieces? If you make your own patch panels, do you have the tools you need? I've found I can make most everything I need with a cheep bending brake and throatless shear I bought from Harbor Freight. I also have their shrinker/stretcher and english wheel. Plus an assortment of Martin hammers & dollys. Tabco has most of the standard patch panels, doglegs, rear wheel arches, wheel houses, etc... Do you have a spotweld cutter? There are a few different type out there, I like the Blair tool, which is like a tiny hole saw. It cuts a "circle" around the spot weld, separating the two pieces without cutting through the bottom layer. Then use a punch to punch holes in the replacement piece and weld it back together in the holes. Kind of duplicates the original spotwelds.

Good luck and post your progress!

[TriDawgn]

I don't think i'll need to replace any of the panels. I'll take them off, and poly x disc the inside of the panel and car side. I put in a small order to Eastwood for metal prep, rust converter and rust encapsulating paint. Also with that i ordered a spotweld drill bit. Anything that needs a small patch i have a decent size sheet (3'x4' ish) of steel in the garage i can use.

This is the drill bit ill try using

http://www.eastwood.com/spotweld-drill-3-8-pro.html

[vercingetorix]

Tried the drill when I removed my roof skin, it gets dull mighty fast.

My 2C

[geezer]

Tried the drill when I removed my roof skin, it gets dull mighty fast.

My 2C

I wore those spotweld cutters out pretty quick also. Maybe I didn't spend enough on them and there are better ones available, but I have better luck using a good quality countersink cutter like shown in the upper part of the pic. The spot weld cutter like shown lasts for a dozen spotwelds if your lucky but a good countersink cutter will drill out hundreds and hundreds without wearing out. A few good thin steel chisels will be indispensable also. Have fun disecting her.

Edited October 21, 2010 by geezer
forgot pic