Patching Vs. Replacing
With the abundance of replacement sheetmetal these days, it's often a better idea, according to Vogt, to replace an entire body panel rather than trying to patch up and salvage an original panel regardless of the amount of rust present. "I believe in replacing everything at the spot welds because it saves you time in the long run and gives you a cleaner end product," he states. "Just drill or grind out the spots welds, and as long as the chassis is straight the new panel will go right back on. It's much easier than trying to get patch panel seams to match with the rest of a fender or quarter. Also, when you remove entire panels like the quarters, it gives you a great opportunity to check the trunk and wheelwells for rust. Just don't take off too much at metal at the same time, or it will be very difficult to get back on."
New Products
"Whether it's on the phone, at shows, on message boards, or through email, Classic Industries is always listening to our customers to add items to our catalogs in order to better serve their needs. One of the biggest complaints we've had over the years is that it's too much of a pain to assemble first-gen Camaro center consoles. As a result, we've put together our own in-house assembly department that now sends out parts like these in completely finished form. We've also come out with a new line of Impala grilles, and with the growing popularity of '74-79 Novas, we're now making reproduction plastic trim parts to replace original pieces that have become sun-baked over time. Likewise, we're also looking into expanding our line of exterior trim pieces, since the factory parts have pitted and worn out a long time ago."