Chip Gregg

So, my 951 got hit in the side, and I'm looking for some advice on the repair. The door has a couple of large dents, and the rear quarter/door sill took a good hit. My body guy suggested replacing the quarter because of where the damage is, and also said he is concerned about matching 30 year old paint. Based on what the pics show, how would you guys approach the repair? His insurance is paying. Thanks!

H.F.B.

sorry to see that.
My rating: If insurance pays, then a new door is needed, rear panel goes probably with dent repair then respraying and most important, you need a good body shop with plenty of commitment/motivation.

Good luck.

morghen

Whats the relationship between cutting into a galvanized sheet metal and welding(further destroying the protection) of a new panel and the matching of the paint?
The body guy is trying to rip you off by charing you more for the replacement of a panel that can be repaired.

I would definitely NOT replace the rear panel, there is a way to straighten it to 95% of its original form by suction cups. That wont destroy your factory rust protection and will get the panel back into its original shape. The finishing of the surface will be cut into the existing paint and filled with just a very thing layer of filler or maybe even just by base.
Further more, if the suction cup technology is not available, there is room to straighten the rear panel trough the rear speaker hole.

Same thing goes for the door. the replacement wont fit as perfect as the factory one does. You will always see small differences in gaps because the bodies and the doors came in matching batches and if you replace the door with a used one it will come from a different batch so it will not fit as the factory one fits.

I'm all for the non intrusive repair of original body panels and never for cutting and welding.
That's the worst thing you can do to these cars.

ddombrowski

just a rough guess but that does not look like it warrants replacement of the quarter panel.

That said, that location is pretty tough because you can't get to the backside, but body shops do that kind of work all of the time.

H.F.B.

I agree with morghen. The dents of the rear panel can be pulled out and straightend. But nevertheless, the machinist must refinish the rust protection there too.
Replacing the panel must be done with passion, because there is always at least this questionmark left: Did the machinist everything for the rust protection? That is one of the most important sections of the job, you don't see plainly as a customer.

As for the door. Once I had to replace my drivers door. I got a good color matching door for a good price from a yunk yard. But this door didn't fit. The gap to the front fender was like a V. I couldn't get it right, no chance. If it was ok in front (with spacers), then the back didn't fit anymore. I measured that the door hinges were welded in a slightly different position as there at the old door. So I went back to the yunk yard and changed it for another door, which now fits perfectly.

A good painter must be able to spray a matching color finish. If not, I would assume he is a bit overchallenged.

The insurance pays, so you could simply settle back, wait for the job being done and only accept a perfect result.

Tom R.

There will be a problem with the paint. The paint today is all two stage, your car isn't. The whole side will be painted, and you figure out the cut line. I would see how much they give you to replace panels, then negotiate with the shop to put the money saved by pounding the panels into shooting more of the car. figure 500 for the hood and 300 for each panel.

Also, if it is 100% the other sides fault and you can show the car was never hit, push for diminution of value. Use that and you may get yourself a full respray.

Van

Don't let them try to "blend it in" - here's what a 2-stage repair looks like on the 1-stage original after a few years. (That discoloration on the fender isn't a reflection, the clear coat on the repair has changed color.)

Chip Gregg

Thanks for all the good points. The painter did say he would do a full respray for another $1600 on top of the damage repair. He is an excellent P & B guy with a lot of experience with Porsche and Ferrari, and not set on panel repair, just said it's something to consider. I should have an estimate Monday, and I think my best bet is to try to claim some sort of devaluation and hope if I'm sucessful it will cover the full respray.

morghen

Just remember, you can NEVER get back that galvanized steel protection once you cut into it and weld it. Regardless of whatever coatings are used on or whatever new products are used to seal the cut and welded area it simply will never be protected as it was from the factory.
If you can strip the whole body, acid dip and re galvanize the whole body after the cut and repair then you have that protection...otherwise its just a matter of time until rust comes out trough the area.



Take a look at this, its still intrusive as it grinds it to bare metal but its not cutting and gross welding the actual panel and its not dismantling all the interior so it does not catch on fire when welding.

Tiger03447

Wowzers! Now that's a body shop..that guy is GOOD! I like his style..not too much filler..just a skim coat which is mostly ground off..Is the the typical way that body shops in Europe do their work over there, Morghen?

morghen

No, not really, that's the best body repair shop I have ever seen until now but many shops can do a great job in repairing a dented panel using stuff like this:





For the 951 above I would first clean up the surfaces because there is a lot of black marks from the tire or bumper or whatever it was and then try to evaluate the situation again.

I mean repairing the panels with tools like the ones above cant do any harm can they? If not satisfied at the end one can replace the panel and door but I would really push for non intrusive repairs.

marc abrams

If the other insurance company is paying, you are entitled to "deminsh value" in addition to the costs of the repair.

Noahs944

Yes, AMAZING QUALITY.

Dame shame about the 951 being scrapped up.

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about Galvanizing.
The research I've done shows epoxy primer is basically just as good.

Tom R.

Diminution of value is the term. Use it with their adjuster.

Go for the full respray. Change the quarter and get rid of the keyhole for the alarm you don't use. You will be fertilizing daisies before there is a rust issue. That is unless you plan on driving the car in the winter blizzard where there is salt on the road etc.

Make the car look right, get rid of the black stone guards, and enjoy it. Do take a lot of before pictures so that a prospective purchaser will know why the car was treated to a respray.

plyhammer

i wouldn't be surprised if they total it. I had one with about that much damage they totaled it for $3500. The buyback was $200. If that is the case don't take the first offer unless that number is satisfactory.