I'm looking at a '55 wagon that got crunched in the left rear. Car supposedly comes with a new quarter panel. I have seen it in person yet. I know hardly anything about sheet metal and bodywork. I know anything can be fixed given enough time/money, but I'm wondering how big a deal you guys think this is. I would be getting it fixed by someone else with the skills to do such a repair. I just don't want to blow my whole budget for the build on just fixing the body. Thanks in advance. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The damage will for sure require some straightening of damage panel to regain door and tailgate gaps. You will need a pull tower & floor anchor system and or frame rack to do this job, welding tabs to panel to do pulls. Old damage could be a SOB to pull? Good Luck
Could be some fuel tank damage and I think the wheel house would straighten once the damage was removed. Looks like a fairly clean "hit" with minimal damage to surrounding exterior panels. Glass looks ok. A factory quarter panel would be a big plus.
Thanks guys for the replies. Please keep the thoughts/comments coming. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Once you cut off that quarter, it'll look a lot better. I wouldn't be afraid to tackle that one and I'm not a body man...It looks to me like the quarter took all the force of the hit and it appears a glancing blow-altho hard. I doubt seriously the gas tank is damaged since it's on the inside side of the frame rails, maybe the fill tube is bent and possibly the wheelhouse inside may be bent, but IF you're getting another "WAGON" quarter with it it should be a fairly easy fix. As I said, I'd tackle it...it's the only way you're going to learn about structural repair and that '55 is worth saving, especially if it's a Texas car with no rust...!!! R-
Without a doubt a car to be saved,looks like you have 1/4th the battle won given the fact your getting a new 1/4 panel,some labor of love & your good to go. I sure would not pass the chance at getting the car,unless the $$$ is way off. Good luck,and keep us posted if you get it.
I don't know if it's an original Texas car or not, but it also supposedly needs floor pans (that part doesn't scare me). I'm going to try to go look at it this weekend and I'll let you guys know. Part of the reason I'm fighting this is that I already own a really decent '57 wagon project. I bought it in pieces and it needs floor pans and has a bit of rust under the drip rail at the left rear, but everything else is in good driver quality. The problem is that I prefer 55s to 57s! So I'm thinking of picking this up and letting the 57 go. Thanks again everyone who replied! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I remember seeing this one on CL and thinking why is it s cheap?? then I saw the pic of that quarter. If you buy it, I am sure you will learn something about body work very quickly! It is a cool wagon for sure.
Thanks for telling everyone else it's on CL 😋. It's been on there for awhile, but there was no phone number on the ad so I emailed the guy. That was three weeks ago. I finally got a reply yesterday. We'll see... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I had a 57 Chevy get tagged in the rear driver side years ago and bashed the quarter in pretty bad. When I had an estimate to repair the damage, a pro shop quoted me $4,000.00. That was including the cost of the quarter. While that car may have the new quarter, it's also bashed way worse than mine was. That will need the inner and outer quarter replaced, as well as portions of the floor and wheel house. The bonus is that these parts are available.
I found it on line but I won't post the link. Price is probably ok but unless you have body skills- hiring this work out would be expensive. I've owned a lot of 55's so I know these cars & how expensive they can be to bring back. I'd open the rear upper & lower tailgates & check the fit on left very carefully. Better not be any wrinkles here or pass. Open the driver rear door & check that pillar carefully. Check door closes right & fits well. Look for wrinkles anywhere. You can use passenger side for comparison. Make sure it has a title. Ad says nothing about title. Make sure title is in this guy's name & not a deceased uncle or whatever. There's a lot of better choices out there that don't require all this work. Remember- it's always best to start w/ the best condition car you can find. Here's one in much better shape. A 2 minute search found a much better car. Bill of sale car so I would do some homework there. It's even in your state. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-Chevy-Wagon-Hot-Rod-Touring-Rat-350-400-Gasser-/171255119214
If you decide to tackle it be sure you remove that rear glass before you do anything. That panel could have a lot of tension on it and any cutting/pulling could cause that glass to break. Also, be sure you check really close for a bent axel/housing and spring mounts. Just because they are still in the original locations doesn't mean they didn't get tweaked in the impact.
Steves32, thanks for all the good tips. I really am grateful. And I really am trying to do my homework, hence, this thread. Incidentally, the link you posted is for a car with no title, only a Bill of Sale. Unfortunately, the state of Texas used and continues to use only motor numbers for titles on anything 1955 and older. Given that the car has no motor, this car essentially has no VIN in the state of Texas, so applying for a lost title is out. I realize there is a VIN tag on the pillar and also stamped into the frame, but Texas will not recognize those. Strictly motor numbers. They won't even assign a new TX number if it's 55 or older. If you change motors, you have to get a new title, as the numbers won't match. It's not a problem if you already have a title in your name. Then, all you have to do is tell them you swapped motors and bam, new title. It's asinine. I have spent hours and hours arguing this with the local county all the way to the DMV in Austin on previous projects. And my wife is a lawyer to boot. The only way to get a title on that car would be to go the "historical document" route which can bite you in the ass. This is not my first rodeo. It would be my first to deal with extensive body damage like on the car I posted. If you find any more links, send them my way! I look every day on the net myself. We had our first child 1 month ago and I really want to build a family cruiser wagon. Maybe that guy with the wagon you posted can come up with a title, as that car looks great!!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I had this rough hull a few years ago,The one you are lookin at reminds me of it, but I would rather have the one you are lookin at because its probably more solid and complete.
There could be a lot going on with this car. No tellin how hard it got smacked. That thing might go up the trailer sideways. Gonna take a lot of work to straighten up that quarter.. We've had several cars where the quarter had been replaced and the damn tail light was leaning crooked. I aint trying to rain on your parade or anything, but I saw where you said that you just had a kid and your looking to build a family car. Your better off finding a straighter car to work with. 4 doors are everywhere and can be bought for a reasonable price running and driving. Otherwise your gonna be spending lots of time in the garage. We've picked up many of cars from guys who spent too much time on the car and ended making mama pissed and wantin cash instead. JUST SAYIN
Here's a thread where I replaced one, except the front flange at the door opening... It should show you how to handle the roof area.... http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34367
I don't think it's that bad. Remember all inner sheet metal with the exception of the wheelhouse is directly down from the glass line. The inner wheel house is just spot welded on, and are available new. A 4 door sedan 1/4 would work to repair the outer part, but from the t-light to the rear gate is 55 wagon only. (Pontiac also) Gas filler pipe just pulls out of the tank, so it's no biggie either. As is the bumper end, same for all 55's.
...Also my advice would be to have the guy thats gonna fix it, look at it or at least show him the pic of it and give you a rough estimate of what its gonna cost. He will be the one who gives you the real numbers we will be all over the place here
I love the Hamb. Thanks you for your thoughts. I appreciate them all. I will more than likely pass on this one and keep looking. I know people say 4 doors are everywhere and cheap, so help me find one (a wagon that is)! I've been looking for quite a while and all I find are either rust buckets or the guys want Barrett-Jackson prices. And yes, for awhile I had a want ad here on the HAMB without a whole lot of action. I guess it's time to try another one. Thanks again to everyone that responded. Side note, I spent the afternoon at the Thaw in Denton. Great fun!!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Hey, This would be a great project for someone, but maybe not a good one for you! Heavy collision damage + rot & paperwork issues add up to big money losses. If you do end up with it, I WOULDN'T suggest you attempt to remove that quarter glass until some pulls have been made to the quarter panel. The opening that glass sits in may be under pressure & tension, and an attempt to remove that glass without releaving them could cause the glass to shatter. It would be a different story if that glass were a glue in, but iirc they're a gasket set up. Probably better projects out there for your project dollar " Humpty Dumpty was pushed "
As somebody has already said, ignore the damaged area for the time being and look at the rest of the car. Look for tight/loose/uneven gaps and wrinkles (especially in the top). For example, on this car it looks like the passenger side tailgate gap is closed up. Not a good sign. Then take a tape measure and check the car from the mid-point back using the "diamond" technique. This is nothing more complicated than measuring from a point on one side to another point on the opposet side as far away from the first point as possible. Then reverse the points side-t-side and measure again. Are both measurements the same within 1/8 to 1/4 inch? When done correctly, this technique will reveal any out-of-square condition very quickly. If the body and/or frame is out of square by more than 1/4", pass. Just my $.02 worth.
A lot of us could fix this including me. Read what the OP originally posted. He needs a better car to start with.
It seems like the car was actually driven for a while after being hit. For which other reason would somebody install a trailer taillight on the smashed quarter. Sothat would at least indicate the rear suspension might not have been hit too bad... The gaps to the rear passenger door and to the tailgate both also look fairly even. If it was me, I´d give it a shot, I think it looks a lot worse then it really is. You´ll probably have to find a better fuel tank and straighten the rear door latch sheetmetal and inner wheelhousing, maybe , maybe not,the inner structure has been pushed a bit which will need to be pulled back. Maybe it´is a good idea to make a few relief cuts a couple of inches below the rear 1/4 window to release some tension before removing the glass from the body... After that, I´d drill out the spotwelds of the old panel and work from there... That´s how I would try to tackle that. Nice car, if it was over here I´d be all over it
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