Help wanted for rear fender repair, What are measurement points for “s” Options

[seanpaulmc]

Greetings 914World !

I am seeking advice / guidance / instruction from you metal masters on how to approach and tackle this rear corner repair.

Panels involved include:
• Left rear quarter
• Taillight panel
• Trunk floor & cross brace
• Left side inner trunk fender

Some initial questions:
• Does the whole quarter panel need to be replaced, or just part?
• Does the whole tail panel need to be replaced, or just part?
• Can this repair be done well with partial panels spliced in? (Like what was done to the fender in the past but better executed with butt joints and less, a lot less, filler.)
• Should I start with cutting off what I think is bad or begin by striping the whole quarter panel of paint and bondo? Exposed metal rusts quickly in Florida.
• How and where to cut? What tools and wire size to use? How to finish, prep, and paint? -This is where I need your expertise to lead me.





This is my first go around at this.
Everything I do is a first-time attempt, and thinking about fixing this fender and taillight area while making it look presentable gives me a lot of apprehension.
So far, I have learned to MIG weld and do simple panel forming by working on this project – jack points, floor, hell hole, longs, firewall, and some tools and fixtures.
I can make solid welds in structural areas that are strong but don’t necessarily have to be pretty.
I do not (yet) have the metal finishing skills for this fender and am hoping I can get your guidance along the way to help me get through what I see to be a complicated, multi panel repair.

By making this fender repair its own topic thread, hopefully it encourages greater feedback from the community rather than if it stays buried in my long, slow build thread.
If interested in how it got here and the work done to the car thus far, then the thread is this one: here

I know I need to go take some measurements before cutting it apart just to get the baseline of where things are at. I hope to do that this coming weekend.

Thank you in advance for the feedback and support.

Gratefully,
Sean

[seanpaulmc]

You guys are great! I appreciate all the good comments. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
And, 250+ views with 8 replies...pretty good.

Feedback so far does give me things to think about. Which is what I asked for, and I appreciate.

Some replies on the comments I've gotten thus far:
I do like the welding and fab part. The car sits outside so I am constrained by weather and general exposure when a repair is left for too long. And, I do have a sheet of gavaneal that I've been chipping away at.
I like Fitzee's videos. I wouldn't have gotten this far without them! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
I also like Yorshire Car Restoration vids. Check out "Patches" if you haven't yet.
I had considered the structural nature of all these panels coming together, not just the ugly failed lap weld in the fender, and that, I suppose, is why I'm more concerned about getting this right. Other repairs I've kind of just jumped in (after reading about them here), but wanted more of a plan with this one.
This project is more like a resurrection so I'm not looking for perfection. I will be pleased with a good, solid body for the base of a rolling restoration. Pretty comes down the road.

Thanks again! Please keep it coming.