The rear driver's side corner of my sedan is a little pushed in - about .5-1 inch, just below the taillight. The metal is all crinkly in that area, and starting to rust. Rust = bad. The only rust on the car is in the rear, the other big spot is the floor of the trunk (lid doesn't quite fit flush anymore, probably due to same collision.)

 

How difficult is it to replace that area of sheetmetal? What should I expect to pay a body shop to replace it? From what I can see it would need to be cut out and a replacement welded in, since it's the same piece of metal that goes up to the roof. Thanks for your advice.

If your strapped for 4 and your not a perfectionist, I say bondo it. A shop is going to charge alot for a cutout and replace, its very time consuming.

Just make sure you sand it good, use some POR15 to stop the rust and repaint the corner.

Your are lucky because aftermarket RQ's are available for the sedans (thru Mill's Supply).

 

The best way to make the reapir is to cut out the old ones, and weld in replacements. Riveting is almost as good, and is easier and cheaper for the do-it-yourself body man.

As mentioned above, the finish work is where you'll run into a lot of time. The nicer you want it to look, and the longer you want the repair to last, the more work will be involved. There are some shortcuts, but not many. In some cases it is not worth the time and effort to do the repair correctly, even though the out-of-pocket costs are low.

I would look at the entire car carefully before going hog wild on the rear quarters. It's always a shame to have to junk a car that looks good body wise, but is rotted out structurally.

good luck, John

Thanks turbone and alleyboy. Your advice seems good. Stopping the rust will be first priority, and I'll go from there.

 

I found the phone number for Mill's Supply on another forum post. After I get around to stopping the rust I will call them and get quotes.