Finally got that Chevy quarter panel to line up after 4 hours of fighting it

Turns out the replacement panel was off by a quarter inch from the factory and I should have just trimmed it from the start instead of trying to stretch it, anyone else run into aftermarket parts that just don't fit right?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_jones9925d ago

Oh come on, 4 hours? That's not really that bad for a quarter panel. I've spent whole weekends fighting worse. Half the time with aftermarket parts you're gonna have to shave or trim something, that's just how it goes. Bought a fender once that sat an inch high on one side, had to cut and weld it anyway. Nobody makes these parts perfect off the shelf unless you pay dealer prices.

alex30725d ago

Man tell me about it, I picked up a reproduction quarter for a Fox body once and the trunk lip was rolled under like a quarter inch on the passenger side. Had to notch the inner structure and weld a new bead just to get the weatherstrip to sit square. What kills me is people who think they can just bolt these panels on and walk away, nope, you're going to be making friends with your grinder and welder for a while. Have you ever had to cut out a patch from a donor car just to get a flange right?

scott.miles25d ago

Yeah man, I feel that. Aftermarket sheet metal is basically just raw material you gotta beat into shape yourself, my last quarter panel needed the wheel arch opening filed down a solid quarter inch just to fit right. Four hours is actually pretty quick if you're doing it clean and not just globbing filler over everything.