as you may or may not know, my car got smacked in a parking lot. The body shop that will be performing the repairs has suggested replacement of the rear bumper cover and quarter panel (less expensive and better results) over rebuilding the body lines with body filler.

Have any of you ever seen or had a hand in a quarter panel replacement on a P5? I'm very curious to see how it's done...i've even tossed around the idea of asking the shop if i can get pics along the way....you know, stop in once or twice a week at lunch and click a shot and leave...

From the looks of the replacement part i looked at on the onlinemazdaparts site...it looks like it's a very big panel.....just wondering....and bored at work.

 

I have a feeling that for that section they'll have to cut the panel and weld in the new piece (probably just right around where the damage is). That's not a 'bolt in' panel like your front fender, it's pretty much part of the chassis.

 

I knew it wouldn't be a bolt-on piece. But the section from Mazda new is quite massive. So you're saying that most likely the replacement panel will be trimmed/cut down to cover just the area to be replaced and then grafted in after the bad part is cut out. I still would like to see it happening....I'm in the wrong business....i need to do classic restorations/resto mods....building G-machines would be great....cars are so much more interesting than computers....the pay is just better on this side of the fence.

 

yeah, I don't really see them replacing the entire panel.

As fun as cars are, I don't see myself ever making a living off of them. Hence, like you, the tech job. I enjoy em both, but one pretty much funds the other lol

 

yeah, i just need a better job. At my current rate, I'm doing good to pay the rent and the car note. I know that Birmingham isn't the world's best place to be either....but it's a step up from Mississippi where i was living...still thinking Florida or Virginia would be better.

off topic: I want to build monsters like this 57 Chevy with 8 turbos.
http://www.lateral-g.org/sandlin/

 

LOL! It's like a red batmobile! 730HP?!

 

I know this is a reeeeeally late post, but it will depend on the shop. Your better shops will replace the whole panel. Structural integrity can be compromised if the panel is cut up and welded. More than likely the panel is part bolt on, part rivet on, and part spot weld on (not always the case). Replacing the whole panel also proves to be less work, and makes it easier to blend the paint when repainted. I worked in a body shop for years (one of the more respected in my hometown) and never saw a quarter panel cut up, until I was visiting a less respected shop.