Replacing a Quarter Panel

[Chief Brody]

How many components are there to a complete quarter panel? What is involved if I had to replace one because of a rusty spot on the "rail" when the top was taken off?

How bad is this rust in these images in your opinion?

 

[tRustyK5]

in reverse order:

The tailgate could be some work for sure, that rust has to start somewhere, and in this case it has started from the inside of the gate. Once you do some disassembly and exploratory surgery you'll find it may be easier to replace that tailgate with one that isn't rusted. They're still somewhat easy to find. In the background of that pic I do see a very clean and straight tailpan/rear floor though. That is much more important than the tailgate issue.

Upper bedsides:

Obviously you'll need to remove the hardtop to find the true extent of the rot. Basically the outer skin of the bedside wraps up over the top and becomes the bedrail area shown. The outer skin is spot welded to the inner bedwall at that edge. I would replace the rusted sections with the seam between the patch and the rest under the hardtop. Shouldn't be that hard to repair by the looks of it.

The rest:

Can you convince the guy to take some "under carpet" pics of the front floor? Underbody under the front floor/rocker area? If it's a full convertable, and I'm assuming it is, there is a structure at the rocker area called a "rocker box" that is commonly rusted.

Rene

 

[Chief Brody]

Here is a picture of the driver side floorboard

 

[Chief Brody]

in reverse order:

there is a structure at the rocker area called a "rocker box" that is commonly rusted.

Rene

Can you tell from above or only below....and which side is it on, or is it in the middle?
What do you do if it is rusted?

 

[tRustyK5]

There are two rocker boxes, one for each side of the truck. They are a big box under the front seats that add rigidity to the body for when the hardtop is off. They run full length between the front and rear tires (more or less)

From underneath it should look like a big flat sheet of steel.

The front floor pic you put up does look quite promising! Very clean!

So, is this an AZ or SoCal truck you're looking to buy? Can we have a few more details?

Rene

 

[tRustyK5]

Also, that upper bedside rust could be just surface pitting too. It's not a common area to find rust, it could have been something a little corrsive was spilled there and ate the paint off making it look worse than it is.

Rene

 

[Chief Brody]

Given what you have seen, how much would you pay for that Blazer? I asked the owner to take pictures of all the rust and that's what he sent me.
Outside she's pretty darn straight and runs as a daily driver.

What is your opinion on high and low price range?

I just got off the phone with the owner and just about ready to close the deal...pending payment details.

 

[tRustyK5]

Hard to say without some other pics really. Could be as low as $2500, or as high as $5000. I'd have to know a lot more than i do right now. I can see it has been without carpet for a while now, but how is the rest of the interior? How is the rest of the exterior? How modified is it, or is it stone stock and unmolested? Drivetrain condition? Geographical history? AZ it's entire life? Cali?

Rene

 

[Chief Brody]

but how is the rest of the interior?
Appears to be excellent

How is the rest of the exterior?
A ding on the rear wheel well is all....the doors need to be aligned

How modified is it, or is it stone stock and unmolested?
It is stone cold stock...all the way down to the 15x6 Brody wheels

Drivetrain condition?
Don't know yet, says it is a daily driver

Geographical history? AZ it's entire life? Cali?
Bought in Huntsville Texas and this owner is the second owner has been a Texas Blazer its whole life

 

[tRustyK5]

I'd say between $4000 and $5500 then. That is based on what I know Artzner paid for his, and what DocJake is selling his SoCal '75 for.

Good luck on getting this one! It's even the right color!

Rene

 

[Chief Brody]

I just talked to the guy and he says the he has the title but never had it transferred into his name....what kind of problems is this going to cause?

Is is a warning flag that I should not do the deal?

 

[Chief Brody]

Here is a pic of the outside

 

[Chief Brody]

I'd say between $4000 and $5500 then. That is based on what I know Artzner paid for his, and what DocJake is selling his SoCal '75 for.

Good luck on getting this one! It's even the right color!

Rene

I wanted to buy DocJakes so bad....he was just having trouble getting his hands on the truck and title...I just emailed him again to see if he wants to try to deal.

 

[tRustyK5]

I just talked to the guy and he says the he has the title but never had it transferred into his name....what kind of problems is this going to cause?

Is is a warning flag that I should not do the deal?

I dunno about it being a warning flag, it does sound like extra hassle and probably cost though (having read some repies to the Q in the garage)

Buying out of state, or out of country is always an adventure though. It's just part of it...

The more research you do the better prepared you will be for what needs to be done. Talk to TX DMV, Talk to AL DMV, make sure you know 100% of what you need to do, what it's gonna cost and what costs will be yours to bear.

This yellow one looks damn decent, aside from some loose trim on the door. The grill looks like it's been painted black though?

Rene

 

[Chief Brody]

This yellow one looks damn decent, aside from some loose trim on the door. The grill looks like it's been painted black though?

Rene

I don't know about the grill, I don't have a head-on shot. I couldn't get the guy to remove the top either.

 

[tRustyK5]

Yeah well, removing the full top is a pain...unless you have one of those cool lifting devices in a high ceiling garage or carport. Grill definitely looks black to me, but it could just be the shadow's making it look that way. It could easily be repainted the original silver again, or find another OEM one in good shape and just swap it.

I'd have the rims sandblasted and repainted white, and throw some 31" AT's on it with those hubcaps.

Rene

 

[Chief Brody]

Here's another one I found:

 

[Chief Brody]

I'd have the rims sandblasted and repainted white, and throw some 31" AT's on it with those hubcaps.

Rene

What the heck kinda tire sizing is that? I looked it up, never heard of it before...everything I ever baought was a xxx/xx/R15 or something like that....

Will a 31x10.50R15 fit those 15x6 rims?

 

[lectric80]

Shouldn't be an issue with that size tire, it will bulge more than stock though. And that is what Rene was referring to when he said 31" AT's.

 

[tRustyK5]

Yeah, 31 x 10.5-R15's All Terrains (AT's)

sorry, we tend to get carried away with using a lot of 'shorthand' around here.

Blue/grey one looks promising...details on that one? It actually has the exact hubcaps the Jaws Blazer did, rather than the dog dish ones on the yellow Blazer.

Rene