Hey Guys I own a honda prelude and both rear quarters are just to death. And some of the rust has spread to the Inner panels/fenders. And I dont want to fork over 500 for new ones so i was planning on just getting sheet metal and welding it in place and trying to shape it to fit up with the new quarter panel. From what I believe the lip from the outer fender tucks underneath the innerpanels lip.

Any one have suggestions what i should do?? Like correct measuring, or a way to measure how much new sheet metal i should weld on? thanks everyone!

-Cody

 

I wouldn't recommend a job like this to someone who doesn't have a clue. It's not like you can just force the sheet metal to bend into the curves and shapes that you want it by hand. You have to know how to form it properly to get it to come out nice and clean.

I suggest taking it to a body shop and letting them do it. Or fork up the cash for a new one.

Either way, it's going to be a lot of work.

 

Well Ill update what i do.

 

The only way to learn is try.

 

You might want to check out a sheet metal fabrication book $20 or so at Summit Racing.

Basically you will start (after you have cut out all of the rusted metal) with a thin sheet of cardboard (not the corrugated stuff like cereal box thin). Make the pattern with that, then add one inch all the way around when you transfer it to sheet metal ( when you hammer metal it will stretch this also acts as a handle when hammering). Measure and re measure and mark this on the cardboard accordingly.

Next (unless you have a sheet metal shop at your disposal) you are going to need to make either a hammer form (from a hardwood like popular) in the exact shape you want your sheet metal to be. The other harder way would be to find a leather shot bag and a nylon ended tear drop hammer. With either you must slowly hammer out the shape you want.Both of these methods are going to have a steep learning curve. This is considered an art among many.

To weld (...well I hope you already know how to weld) but you are going to want to make a tack every few inches all the way around the new panel. You must allow time to cool while doing this or your new panel will warp like crazy and you will have to start over.

A body shop or just picking up a new panel might be the better route.

 

Thank you so much for your help. Yes I know how to weld. And Its not like I am adding alot of metal to the inner panel. Just like an inch in a half. Will get that book from summit! Thanks alot man much appreciated!

 

No problem good luck with it

 

Ill add my .02. First poplar is not a hardwood. its just as soft as pine so pick another kind.

The easiest and cheap way to fix the cancer is to buy 2 rust-free front fenders. Junkyard or chinese import it doesnt matter. TAke the LF fender and cut it up for the RR quarter. Do the same for the RF fender and LR quarter. The shapes and bends are not exactly perfect but they are pretty damn close.

Trust me when I say you will not hand bend any metal nearly as close as the 2 fenders will already be. At least not without any serious apprenticing and practice. And even then you still need other tools like a planishing hammer to smooth the hammer hits out.

 

Ok people are not understand what Im saying. Im buying OEM rear quarters from honda. I know how to fix the outer fenders. Im asking about the inner fender.

 

Not to get into a nerd fight about trees or anything I will lose I promise but here is a link to more about the tree I am talking about http://forestry.about.com/cs/treeid/a/the_poplar.htm I have seen this stuff used before and it works.

The planishing hammer would make for a nice touch but it is not a requirement. For a small simple patch I am sure the OP could get away with out it

 

I should have been a little more clear in my post, I wasnt trying to be a dick, but now that I read it I was. Scientifically it is considered a "hardwood" i.e. no needles, but Its definetly on the softer side, not balsawood soft, but still soft. I honestly think it would dent really easy while beating on it, but if you have seen it done with poplar Im not going to argue.

To the OP, if its just the inner fender and you are not wooried about how it looks since its going to be covered with undercoating on the outside and interior on the inside its should be pretty easy.

Cut all the cancer out, go a couple inches past the rust. Make a template from card stock. Either drill some holes and rivet it with seamsealer, or weld in place. I would make the patch bigger than the hole for some overlap to make things easier

 

Ya thanks that is what i was planning on doing. I Dented my front fender real bad and was pretty good at reshaping it. It wasnt perfect but it would have looked ok after some body filler. thanks for the help. I will keep you guys updated when i start!

 

I say screw it, if your going to do all that work. Make it a wide body!!! Just my 2 cents. Its a lot of time and money just to make it stock. Its much faster and easier to find a shell in good condition.

 

Ya true. But my philosophy this whole build has been to refurbish my lude. Not destroy one to make one look good. Thats just the way I feel. And i feel connected to my car since we were born on the same day, month, and year.