The way we handle quarter panel rust has totally flipped in my shop

Back in 2010, my old boss would have us cut out the whole rusted section, bend a new piece of 20-gauge steel by hand, and weld it in with a MIG. It took forever and the body lines were always a bit off. Now, after a bad job on a 2005 Silverado that came back six months later, we switched. We use a plasma cutter for a cleaner cut, a shrinker/stretcher to get the curve right, and we always treat the backside with that Eastwood Internal Frame Coating before we weld. The whole process is maybe 30% faster and the repair lasts. What's your shop's method for a full quarter these days? Are you still doing the old-school hand-shaping or have you moved on too?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_bailey851mo ago

Switched to pre-formed panels, saves so much time.

dylan_patel1mo ago

Saves so much time" is the understatement of the year. I tried making my own once and let's just say it looked like a kindergartener's art project. I probably spent more time fixing my mistakes than I would have just doing it the old way. The pre-formed route is definitely the move for people like me who lack that particular skill.