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1964 Wildcat hardtop wrecked rear fender replacement thread


BamaWildcat

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I'll be maintaining this thread to show progress of the repair to my 1964 Buick Wildcat's rear fender. During the 60's or 70's the car was in a wreck with a Toyota pickup which caused this damage. My parents bought the car this way and never had it fixed. My dad told me he could have the car fixed for $300 in the 80s, but that was a huge chuck of his salary, so he did not have it fixed. Now $300 is probably what it cost me just to get the old fender cut off. (I haven't got the bill yet).

This is the car I pulled out of the junkyard after I thought it was gone forever when it was hauled off from my parents house in 1998. Story here.

This is the rear fender "before" any repairs were made on the car:

before_driver_side.jpg

This is the rear fender after the rust was removed from the roof and the rear door was replaced with a re-finished one from my parts car in February:

387623-backdoor.jpg

post-31437-143137898338_thumb.jpg

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<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Click on the pictures below for a larger version.</span></span>

First step, outer fender is cut off.

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM001910.JPG">

fender1.jpg</a>

Anyone figure this is green primer or some kind of factory applied anti-rust?

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM001924.JPG">

fender3.jpg

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM001948.JPG">

fender12.jpg

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM001927.JPG">

fender6.jpg</a>

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The next workday where ALL the bad bits have been trimmed off.

My buddy has a plasma cutter he let the shop borrow which made all this go faster.

Gone is the trunk support and driver's side frame-overlapping trunk floor.

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM006482.jpg">

2ndfenderpage_thumb_1.jpg</a>

Look ma, no wheel well!

2ndfenderpage_thumb_7.jpg

View from the inside. Notice the striker is gone.

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM006489.JPG">

2ndfenderpage_thumb_4.jpg</a>

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/IM006490.JPG">

2ndfenderpage_thumb_5.jpg</a>

This is where we were as of Friday. I hope to update next week with pictures of some white parts-car grafted on to my family treasure!

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<p align="center"><font face="Verdana" size="2">June 20, 2006: The fender is

removed from the parts car. If you compare the pictures of the project car to

the parts car, you'll notice they cut the project car with precision, and over

cut on the parts car to be sure they have plenty of extra material to trim down

until they can make a perfect repair. </font></p>

<p align="center"><span style="font-style: italic"><font face="Verdana" size="2">Click on any picture for a

larger version.</font></span></p>

<p align="center">

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/parts_car_fender_off_1.jpg">

parts_car_fender_off_1_thumb.jpg</a></p>

<p align="center">

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/parts_car_fender_off_2.jpg">

parts_car_fender_off_2_thumb.jpg</a></p>

<p align="center">

<a href="http://www.1964buick.com/resto_logs/fender/parts_car_fender_off_3.jpg">

parts_car_fender_off_3_thumb.jpg</a></p>

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  • 5 months later...
Well, outside of what has already been shown, NO work has been done on this car since June. After conversations and empty promises that led nowhere about my car, I have lined up another person to fix my car.

sorry to here that but i know that feeling. when i had mine in the shop a 3 week job turned in to a 3 month job. when i got irritated (sp)(mad as a wet hen)

he did a terrible job just to get me out of his hair.(i learned to never pay in advance,(yep i did that) <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> )hopefully i can get started on the body work again this coming year.(just bought a house no spare money)

scott

1964 wildcat 425 2-4bbls 4-sped

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