The are 4 major blemishes on my bird and i am tackling this area first (it kills two birds one at a time). This is a rusted out, possibly nothing but bondo rear pass. corner under the bumper. I know I need lower QTR'S to fix the rust at the front of the QTR by the wheel. But based on what you see has it encroached into the tail panel? I am thinking yes because no picture of replacement quarter does it go that far around the back. BUT, I do not want to replace the whole tail panel.

Are there lower patches for this rear area also? I drive this thing everyday, to the grocery store, gas station, work...so the option of just cutting the whole quarter and tail panel off and replacing it all over a few weeks is not in the time frame...or the budget!

no easy fix for it. looks like there might be some internal damage with that dent. also there might be damage where the tail panel is. thats why there is bondo filling the gaps. you can drive it till it drops since its just a go getter. or get another car and then park this one and work on it.

68 # matching 400 ho 4 spd to go.

The two panels should be two separate panels, not one mass. It's a major coverup. Don't tear into it until you are ready to fix it, for you will not like what you see. And don't buy anything until you've torn it apart.

You cant see a difference in the two panels so I know it has been bondo'd to the max. They have affordable lower quarters, but the tail panel is a big, pricy piece. because the rest of the tail is sound I dont want to waste it.

I guess I could search for a scrap tail panel and cut what I need to get to sound metal on my car and fit and weld it into my own "fitted piece". I just havent seen many used tail panels around to do such a thing.

anytime a used tail panel comes up they are more work than just buying a new one.

You might also find the valance behind the tail panel is damaged and needs replacement. Not an easy or quick job by any means.

I wasnt able to look closer when I took the pic this afternoon but I just crawled underneath the thing and the inner valance is actully straight. I can see the lip of the tailpanel and it is all there and straight, just alot of bondo to get the curve right. I just dont know how much the patch panels for the rear quarter wrap around. All the catalogs show is a straight on picture. If it wraps around and creates the rounded corner on the bottom it may be all I need. these are only 50.00 so I may buy one and see if, or how much more, I need.

Where in St. Louis are you? I live out in St. Charles county. Maybe if you are out here some time I could look at it for you. I've done body work for a living and might be able to point you in the right direction.
Barry

Barry we are neighbors...I am in O'Fallon, granted I'm north main street area, so thats what, like 1000 stoplights down Hwy K?...lol

hmm I just tried to reply and it didn't work. oh well I'll try again

I recently put in one of these lower rear quarter panel patch pieces on the drivers side of my 67 coupe. Got the part from Classic. Here's a few pictures so you can see how much it wraps around. The patch does create the corner but the tail panel extends almost all the way to that corner. If the tail panel is only screwed up right near that corner then maybe you can bend up your own patch for that.

those help...one the under/inside of the tailpanel I can see the factory lip, on the extreoir there is to much bondo to see. I think by your pictures as long as it starts that corner I can fab the flat panel part if it is missing.

I do not believe any one has mentioned if the car has original quarters on it?? You may want to see if it has had quarter skins put on it. Quite easy to see a welded seem inside from the trunk. Those repro skins have extra metal that is meant to be trimmed off. A lot of guys either tuck it behind the tail panel, or just weld it right to the tail panel and then bondo over the hole thing. I find when the body line between the quarter and tail panel is smoothed out( like yours), that is usually the case. You may get lucky and the tail panel is alright. I would say pull the bondo off where it is already breaking loose and see what is going on. Atleast then you will know if a patch panel will work out for you. Worse case you would have to fiberglass it up and smooth out with filler to get you by until you can fix properly. Hope this helps,Tyson

I had thought to myself that it was funny that I can see the seam next to the tail lights, but that it was blended down low. I took somemore pics but it is to hard to tell what is what without knowing what it should look like original.

I may have to do just that and yank it all off that is loose and see what it will take to get right, be it metal of fiberglass.

Here's our '68, you can see the seams clearly.

see those are non existant on my rear...it is all filled, and since I can see alot of filler at the crack i can only imagine that it was crushed and then just beat out and filled. Although I think the rear QTR patch will replace most of it, and I will only have to fab a small portion of the tailpanel

I'll look to see what's left of my original tail panel. I replaced everything. I know mine was hit in the left rear, but the right side might be OK.

I'll post some pictures.

if your rear seams are missing , means someone bondoed them in , for some reason..
1) they may like it better flush (not very likely ,but not impossible)
or
2) probably in a wreck , fixed the tail panel....
mine was in a wreck once ,and one of the prev owners hasd it fixed...I have a seam on one side , not the other...

and now I need to go look, since I havent after I had a touch up...I think I told the painter to dig tat filled seam out??

mine is smooth on both sides, and now it might have been some tall grass rust around the corner that they just filled (met an old owner yesterday and got some history)

I added some pictures of my old tail panel. If someone wants it, they can have it for the cost of shipping.

Not much left of it. No real rust on the back side, but it's missing the light dividers.