1971 Chevrolet Camaro - Drawn And Quartered

Just like NOS panels, you may need to tweak the panel to get it gapped exactly like you want it. Since we are going to butt-weld our panel, we make sure that the trimmed area lands in the gutter where the panels come together. Butt-welding makes the strongest joint, so don't overlap the pieces.

Mark the locations of the welds as close to the original ones as possible and remove the panel.

A punch would have difficulty reaching the areas that the spot-weld holes must go, so use a 3/16-inch drill bit to make them.

Once this is finished, sand away the EDP (Electro-Deposit Primer) so the metal sur-faces will be clean to weld.

Use a punch on the areas that are easy to reach. Since the quarter is about to go on, make sure everything is clean and straight. You can paint the exposed metal under the quarter with weld-through primer or rust-preventive paint.

After clamping the left and right quarters in place, Craig test-fitted the Goodmark tail panel. He examined every gap closely, and when he was satisfied with the fit around the window, trunk area, tail panel, wheelwell, rocker, jamb and top, he looked at the lines with the door closed (remember, the door stays in place during the entire process).

Weld the wheelwell openings. Plug- or spot-weld everywhere there was an original weld.

Sand away the EDP coating. If you decide to butt the panels like we did, leave a gap of 0.035-inch between them so the metal can expand when it heats up. Maintain this gap by inserting a small screwdriver into the seam next to the welder tip. This trick also keeps the panel from buckling. Never weld in a continuous bead here; it will cause the panel to distort from too much heat. Put the welds an inch or so apart and then go back and fill it in. Move around the area so the metal doesn't overheat.

All of the welding was done on this car with a gas tri-mix MIG welder using a 0.023-inch wire. This method required less amperage, so there was less heat buildup and less distortion.

Once the welds are finished, sand or grind them down and use filler for the seam where the roof and the quarter meet. Craig prefers plastic filler on the factory seam because it reacts better with today's paints. You also can emulate the factory medium and use lead.