Corsa Bodywork

My latest bit of work to be completed on a car was a bit of a step in at the deep end having never have even changed a wing before let along a rear quarter panel but still was worth the work and has repaired what dealers would charge silly money for. Ok so a garage may have done it a fair bit quicker but hey its my first one so I wont take so long next time. I will add more detail on the descriptions if I get time.

The first job was to remove the old panel, this involved drilling out all of the spot-welds that held it on and also cutting across the centre and rear pillars (after carefully marking them out with the new panel) a spot-weld drill makes light work of the welds although its not a five min job to drill out the 80 odd welds on the panel ;)

With a bit of persuasion the panel came off, the first time you see a car like this it looks a bit strange. You also realise how little there is between the outside of the car and your rear passengers if your hit in the side in an accident! Before the new panel could be fitted the joining faces were cleaned up and straightened then final trimming of the pillars to make the panel fit perfectly (as well as a patter panel is going to fit anyway lol)

With everything trimmed nice the panel was offered up for a final test fit and clamped with mole-grips and welding clamps. When I was satisfied with the fit the panel was removed and lots of 6mm holes were drilled in the panel to allow me to plug weld it onto the car as I don't have a spot welder. The panel was then refitted and aligned carefully and clamped using the welding clamps the door latch (screwed on) and a tab on the rear of the panel. The panel had to be adjusted so the door fitted nicely and a quick check revealed an even gap all around the doors edge. Then came the task of tacking the panel at its extremities to make sure it stayed aligned whilst I was welding it. A good bit of persuasion with a small hammer got it fitting pretty good then it was time to weld it plug by plug and with a bit more adjusting as I went along and it was then part of the car! a final check when finish revealed a good boot and door alignment and the lines around the window followed through nicely. Welding across the pillars was the hardest but a low heat setting and lots of very small short welds kept the heat applied to the metal low enough that it didn't buckle or deform noticeably. After grinding these welds down a bit ready for body filler the job is done.

With the car finished up in paint and returned to its owner, here are a few photos of it being being prepped and painted. looks pretty damn good if you ask me. (wish I could handle body filler like that)

If you want any spray or bodywork done on your car either contact dave at blackie_uk@hotmail.co.uk or me at: profvugel@hotmail.com for more infomation.