Panel Repair/Replacement
If you are restoring a collector vehicle, you will most likely experience rusted
or heavily damaged body panels. Sometimes you can repair the damaged panel,
but other times you are better off replacing it. Several factors to help you
determine whether or not to replace the panel are:
•Extent of damage
•Availability of replacement panels
•Cost of replacement panels
•Quality of replacement panels
•Difficulty to repair vs. replace
Whether you decide to repair the panel or replace the panel, Eastwood has the
products you need to get the job done right. In fact, even if replacement panels
are not readily available, Eastwood has the tools
and equipment for you to fabricate your own replacement panels.
From start to finish, Eastwood has your needs covered. Eastwood carries everything
from sheet
metal, cut-off
wheels, shrinker/stretchers,
metal
shears, welders,
weld-thru
primers, body
fillers, seam
sealers, panel
flangers, panel
holding systems, a No-Weld
Panel Repair Kit, and more.
To install a replacement panel, first, hold up the replacement panel and see
how much it will replace. If the damaged panel suffers from rust, you need to
make sure you cut out all of the rust. If the replacement panel replaces more
then is necessary, trim the replacement panel to replace only what is needed.
By doing this, if you ever have to carry out this repair again, you can cut
up a little further and get to good metal.
Before you begin to cut out the damaged panel, be sure to make reference marks
and take measurements. This will allow you to use these reference marks and
measurements to fit up the replacement panel. Once you have your reference marks
and measurements, cut out the damaged panel. Eastwood's pneumatic
saber saw, pneumatic
cut-off wheel, metal
shears, air
nibbler, or pneumatic
shears work well for cutting out the panel. If you are replacing a full
panel, use our spot
weld drill
bits to drill out the spot welds. Removing the old panel is time consuming
and tedious, but to get the best results, you will want to take your time.
Once you have completely cut-out the damaged panel, trial fit the replacement
panel. Oftentimes, you will have to trim, bend, and hammer the replacement panel
to get it to fit. Our large selection of body
hammers and dollies
work great for massaging the panel's fit. Make sure to use your measurements
and reference marks to properly fit the panel. Now, before the panel is welded
into place, would be a good time to apply Rust
Encapsulator to those hard to reach areas. Once you are happy with the panel's
fit, use axial
pliers, intergrips,
panel
holding system, magnetic
welding jigs, rivets,
vise grips, or sheet metal screws to hold the panel in place.
Before you start to weld, double check the fit and alignment. Only when you
are happy with the fit, begin to tack weld, every few inches, the panel into
place. Take your time, and jump between the welds to fill the gaps. You want
to make sure that you do not heat up one area, or you could seriously distort
the metal. Our Anti-Heat
Compound helps to keep heat damage to a minimum.
Once you have the panel completely welded in, use a flap
disc on your angle
grinder and grind down the welds. Again, do not heat up one area, or you
may distort the metal. Once you have the welds ground down, wipe the panel down
with PRE.
This will remove any contaminants from the surface. Now you can apply seam
sealer
to the seam, or you can use a body filler to blend in the repair. Metal-to-Metal
works well to smooth out the repair, and it also does a good job to seal out
the elements from your repair. Once you have seam sealed or blended the repair
with filler, you are ready to prime
and finish the repair with paint, or undercoating
(depending on the repair).
If you do not have a welder, or do not want to risk distorting the metal by
welding the repair, Eastwood has the solution for you. Click
here to read about panel repair using our No-Weld
Panel Repair Kit. 
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