At last...we finally start on some metal work. The front quarter panels were in some serious need of repair. The body, having sat outside or unprotected, developed some rot in the bottom 3 to 4 inches. Shown below is one of the panels.
The other side was just as bad if not worse.
I was, at one time, able to weld metal. However, I have not done that in over 25 years, and was afraid not having kept in practice, I would mess something up that was irreparably damaged. These quarter panels are NOT reproduced anywhere on the planet, so 100 year old sheet metal will have to do.
I farmed out the patch panels to a local restoration shop. I mapped out the repairs I wanted, being certain to specify that the curved ends were not to be removed. Here are the results of that.
Even though the curved ends look shiny, they are in fact, only that. They were not replaced.
After trimming one of the panels to match the bottom flange width, I commenced laying out nailing hole placement. I just guessed and might have put too many, but better safe than sorry. None of the original flanges were salvageable, so I got to decide where and how many holes to drill. They are drilled to the exact same size as a few original holes that remained on the non-replaced portions of the flanges. The flanges will need final tweaking to fit the underside of the sill and nailing strips. (The flange is not a 90 degree angle nor should it be).
