Panel Repair / Replacement

If you are restoring a collector vehicle, you will most likely experience rusted or heavily damaged body panels. Sometimes you can repair the damaged panel, but other times you are better off replacing it. Several factors to help you determine whether or not to replace the panel are:

•Extent of damage
•Availability of replacement panels
•Cost of replacement panels
•Quality of replacement panels
•Difficulty to repair vs. replace

Whether you decide to repair the panel or replace the panel, Eastwood has the products you need to get the job done right. In fact, even if replacement panels are not readily available, Eastwood has the tools and equipment for you to fabricate your own replacement panels.

To install a replacement panel, first, hold up the replacement panel and see how much it will replace. If the damaged panel suffers from rust, you need to make sure you cut out all of the rust. If the replacement panel replaces more then is necessary, trim the replacement panel to replace only what is needed. By doing this, if you ever have to carry out this repair again, you can cut up a little further and get to good metal.

Before you begin to cut out the damaged panel, be sure to make reference marks and take measurements. This will allow you to use these reference marks and measurements to fit up the replacement panel. Once you have your reference marks and measurements, cut out the damaged panel. Eastwood's pneumatic saber saw, pneumatic cut-off wheel, metal shears, air nibbler, or pneumatic shears work well for cutting out the panel. If you are replacing a full panel, use our spot weld drill bits to drill out the spot welds. Removing the old panel is time consuming and tedious, but to get the best results, you will want to take your time.

Once you have completely cut-out the damaged panel, trial fit the replacement panel. Oftentimes, you will have to trim, bend, and hammer the replacement panel to get it to fit. Our large selection of body hammers and dollies work great for massaging the panel's fit. Make sure to use your measurements and reference marks to properly fit the panel. Now, before the panel is welded into place, would be a good time to apply Rust Encapsulator to those hard to reach areas. Once you are happy with the panel's fit, use axial pliers, intergrips, panel holding system, magnetic welding jigs, rivets, vise grips, or sheet metal screws to hold the panel in place.

Before you start to weld, double check the fit and alignment. Only when you are happy with the fit, begin to tack weld, every few inches, the panel into place. Take your time, and jump between the welds to fill the gaps. You want to make sure that you do not heat up one area, or you could seriously distort the metal. Our Anti-Heat Compound helps to keep heat damage to a minimum.

Once you have the panel completely welded in, use a flap disc on your angle grinder and grind down the welds. Again, do not heat up one area, or you may distort the metal. Once you have the welds ground down, wipe the panel down with PRE. This will remove any contaminants from the surface. Now you can apply seam sealer to the seam, or you can use a body filler to blend in the repair. Metal-to-Metal works well to smooth out the repair, and it also does a good job to seal out the elements from your repair. Once you have seam sealed or blended the repair with filler, you are ready to prime and finish the repair with paint, or undercoating (depending on the repair).

If you do not have a welder, or do not want to risk distorting the metal by welding the repair, Eastwood has the solution for you. Click here to read about panel repair using our No-Weld Panel Repair Kit.