Project Part 5

On this particular car, the body panels are actually the easiest part. I added hems to make the edges smooth and some simple bends to add character to the body.

I started by hanging the rear quarter and door panels on the car and marking the back side, using the tire as a guide, to cut out the wheel-well area. I hem the edges so they are not sharp and won’t cut the tire. I also laid out the rough placement of the holes that the nerf bars will pass through. I won’t cut the holes in the door until after all the bends are made and I can fit it to the frame.

The rear edge of the quarter panel is hemmed, the upper edge is bent at 90 degrees and the body line bends are added.

Since the doors are almost 60″ long they will be bent up at a friend’s shop on a longer brake, but will have the same body lines as the quarter panels.

The panel shown in the photo above fits between the driver side door panel and the firewall to isolate the driver from the engine compartment. There is another panel similar to this that fits between the door and the trunk area.

Now the chassis is off to be blasted and repainted and all the new  interior sheet metal will be painted black. When it comes back from the paint shop I’ll install all the newly painted sheet metal into the car.