Sheet Metal Patchwork - Tech Project

Back when vintage cars like the '64 Chevy Impala were new, who ever thought about restoration? These cars were true American steel and solid as tanks, and even if they were involved in an accident, you could just go to the dealer and buy factory replacement parts for it. After a few years of shelf life, however, the original GM parts ran out and businesses like CARS Inc. began popping up. These aftermarket companies are the only suppliers of replacement sheet metal for some of GM's more popular vintage cars.

We've talked about quarter panel replacements in the past and the major work that's required on a complete swap-out. With these old cars, though, there are times when the car is pretty solid and you can get away with small metalwork. A good example was this '64 Impala that we spotted at a local body shop. The car was almost ready for paint, but it had a little bit of rust where the water drains in front of the quarter panel. You would not have to do major surgery on this car to get it back on the road. This sheet metal patchwork was done in one full day and was not that difficult to follow up.

You've heard Eazy-E rap about cruising down the street in his "six-fo." That helped make this particular model one of the most sought-after cars in the industry. This is so true that manufacturers have almost turned the '64 Impala into a kit car. They have everything that you can imagine for the OG "box" Chevy. You can see what we mean by following along as this '64 gets ready for paint using CARS Inc. replacement sheet metal parts.

This CARS Inc. replacement...        read full caption This CARS Inc. replacement sheet metal will help you patch up your Impala's lower quarter panels with ease.	The metal was exposed to see...        read full caption The metal was exposed to see the full damage of the front quarter panel. As you can see, the metal was not in bad shape.	The CARS Inc. front quarter...        read full caption The CARS Inc. front quarter panel was marked up and left ready to be cut down.
The metal was tack welded...        read full caption The metal was tack welded in place with a low-voltage welder.	This section was prepared...        read full caption This section was prepared to be fixed and it had all of the rust removed from it.	A more workable section of...        read full caption A more workable section of sheet metal was cut and used for the patch, keeping the metal replacement down to a minimum.
The metal was spot welded...        read full caption The metal was spot welded in sections so that the metal would not warp from the heat. Once it had cooled off, the welds were ground down.	The panel work was then cleaned...        read full caption The panel work was then cleaned of any oils or residues that could cause reactions in the future. Then the exposed metal was wiped down with a shop towel.	The fiberglass was spread...        read full caption The fiberglass was spread thinly on the patched section.
We used some Evercoat Z-grip...        read full caption We used some Evercoat Z-grip body filler from Summit Racing. Summit has quality products and competitive prices on automotive tools and supplies.	A final coat of body filler...        read full caption A final coat of body filler was applied, which will fill in any pinholes or sand marks that might have been left from the first few coats that were applied.	The body work was sealed with...        read full caption The body work was sealed with this high-build sealer primer.
A small amount of kitty hair...        read full caption A small amount of kitty hair fiberglass was used to fill in the exposed welds. The fiberglass was prepped on a clean mixing board as you don't want trash or unwanted debris in your finish.	Once the fiberglass was cured,...        read full caption Once the fiberglass was cured, it was sanded down and prepared for the next step.	We know you're thinking that...        read full caption We know you're thinking that this is a lot of body filler, but most of it will be knocked down when it's sanded. This step is usually repeated a few times.
The final coat of body work...        read full caption The final coat of body work was ready to be applied.	The patchwork needed to be...        read full caption The patchwork needed to be given one final blocking before any paint was added to it.