body panel question
 

is there any way to take off that whole rear panel, roof and all, or is that part of the unibody? i need to frankenstein 2 cars and unfortunately the one with the better frame has part of the back panel ripped and is cancerous. the donor car to be has body panels in great condition but the frame is shot.

Re: body panel question
 

It is a panel attached to a unibody structure, You can replace the skin or cut the window pillars and door sills and replace the roof. It is best left to someone with more experience if you havent done it before and aren't equipped with a good welder and the necessary expertise

Re: body panel question
 

im confused by what you mean by replacing the skin. if you mean just like the visible outside then that is perfect cuz that is all i need. And fortunately i know a couple people who know how to weld. i wish i knew how to weld, it would make my life a lot easier lol.

Re: body panel question
 

you're replacing the body doing this, i.e., you're replacing things that don't come off the car w/o cutting and welding, meaning it is a BIG job.

Re: body panel question
 

If you cant understand what we are talking about, you need to go study a crash estimators guide or go have a serious discussion with a competent body shop. This is a straightforward job but it will take a lot of time for a beginner to accomplish correctly

Re: body panel question
 

its just the way you worded it that confused me a bit, thats all.

Re: body panel question
 

There is no frame involved in most unibodies. The torsion boxes below the doors handle all torsional loads and all bending loads. So you suggest that the car with the good skins has failing torsion boxes, and the car with good torsion boxes has a ruined skin. The external skins on the torsion boxes is called a rocker panel. Why, I do not know.

The roof is seldom involved in such problems and is difficult to remove and reattach so lets forget that for now. In building a tube frame car it is some times done this way. Use a 4" high speed grinder with a thin metal cutting disc. Cut as close to the spot welds as is possible.

You may find that there are locations where an exterior skin folds inward to form a support, but there are very few such situations.

Liberate your needed panels. Fit the good panels over the existing bad panels and mark where the new panels touch the old material. then cut the old panels away leaving about a 2" overlap to weld or braze to.

You can use Cleco's or 1/8" pop rivits to mount the new panels Sand off the paint to bare metal where old and new will touch. Inside and out. I use Braze (Brass Welding) but you may use gas welding, wire welding, silver solder or for race cars just pop rivits. Brazing requires very little heat and distorts the metal less than other methods of attachment. Start with just a few Clecos and see where the old body may be distorted and require hammering to agree with the new body panels.

Keep seams close to the eye in a curved area. Like high on the sail panel. It is easyier to make a tightly curved section look good than it is a large flat area. Bondo is you friend here. Join sections at locations that will be covered with trim or gasket material so actual body work will be minimal in case you have little experience. Plan ahead.

Our van was struck in the rear a few months back and totaled. I bought a similar rear clip at a junk yard for $250. From the sliding doors back. I bought our totaled van back from the insurance company for $400. $230 for paint, primer and supplies.
$80 for used front seats. 6 weeks of part time labor, and we have a new 2000 Grand Caravan. We bought a 2006
Grand Caravan with the insurance money.

You have to start learning some time. Dive in. You can do it.

Lynn E. Hanover