I have 2 huge volleyball size dents in my right rear quarter panel they got mashed pretty good so theres really no way to pop them out. The car is unibody in the back so what are my options? (It is a 91 RS). Just go to the scrap yard and cut the panel off that I need and then try to line it up and weld it back on?

 

Your assumption that there's no way to pop them out is almost certainly false unless you see torn metal.

The fact that it's unibody has very little to do with it either. There's an inner skeleton behind the quarter panel that helps re-enforce that section, and again as long as there is no breakage in the panel there is no risk to the structure.

I'd try cheap methods first... get a suction cup puller and try that first, and/or remove the interior panels and try to push the panel back out from the inside if you can get to it. I don't recall if you can or not on these cars.

The metal was factory stamped and will retain its memory of that form. It will want to go back to that same relative position.

If the cheap/simple methods don't work, you can get hold of a stud puller and pull the dent out that way.

If you're still convinced you need to replace the panel, replacing a quarterpanel is one of the hardest repairs to do on any vehicle, partcularly on a unibody type vehicle like this one, and particularly where the roofline is welded and blended into the quarter panel. You will find other threads on quarter panel replacement by doing a search.

IIRC TomP replaced his. Try popping his name in the search with quarterpanel. I posted some good pics for him at one time.

Mathius

 

or you could spend about $150 bucks on a new quarter

 

Take it to a "Dent Master" type of shop and have them fix it. We (the dealer I work for) have cars fixed all the time, they even fixed my Frontier quarter panel when I backed into my house!

 

Those "dent masters" often charge ridiculous prices. I got quoted $180 to repair a 5"x5" section in the rear of my truck bed with no paint repair. Just to pop out the dent. They even wanted to charge me $20 extra to remove the tail light.

It's impossible to give a better analysis than what I did above without pictures. I wasn't kidding when I said replacing a quarter is one of toughest repairs on a vehicle.

$150 for a quarter panel can turn into a thousand dollars or more if you have to pay a shop to fix a shoddy repair.

Also you're gonna end up paying for paint anyways unless you can pull that dent out reasonably well and touch it up yourself.

If the dent is as big as he describes, it sounds like it's a large area dent and may pop out quite easily. Of course I may be completely off, because I can't see the car, but in some cases its possible. I had an old '89 Ranger and caved in the side of the extended cab. With no more force than my hand I was able to pop the dent out with zero paint damage just by getting behind the panel.

Mathius

 

Pictures would be nice.
In my opinion it's always better to repair the existing panel than to cut it off and weld on a new one ... within reason of course. If it has heavy damage or rust it may be a good time to replace it. From your description it doesn't sound like heavy damage to me. But you may not have the tools and equipment to do the job if it needs to be pulled or pushed to get it back into position.
Most of the time if it needs a pull to repair it, it also needs a pull, to align the parts it's attached to, before you cut it off to replace it. Thats what bodyshops are for.

 

I have posted a pic of my original post. As you can now see the dents are nasty and creased in my different directions, theres no way in hell a suction cup will do anything, I have tried to pound the dents out as hard as I can with a hammer and the metal doesnt even budge the panel just flexes when I hit it. I could buy a pulled but theres still no way that I could even make it come close to the original panell with a puller, but i might have to settle for it because cutting and welding looks like it will be very hard to make look flush

 

That can be repaired by a decent body shop/ person. You are right about the creases, even if they pop out you'll have ridges and high spots. I personally doubt if I'd replace the qtrpnl and go down that road. $$$ would be the deciding factor here. An experienced body guy could sort you out...

 

The front one over the wheel well I think could be beat or pulled out.
The rear I personally would try. However I am not any type of body guy, and I really need to learn, cause I have dent's on everything right now.
Instead of the whole fender, which I do know is not an easy job on this car, you could do just the rear section, and fix the front.
I am going to assume that paint is not a concern at this point as you can clearly see the I assume factory red under the spray painted black?

 

seems to me that you could straighten that.. but it would take a decent amount of filler work after some time with a stud welder and a body hammer. I'd replace it if you have the time/resources. but like mathius said, replacing a quarter is one of if not the toughest job, especially on a unibody.
if you want you could find an autobody tech who might consider doing it for a sidejob for a better rate then any shop would charge you.

 

The area near the wheel well looks a lot easier to repair than the part by the tail light.

Still, I'd rather try to repair that than replace the whole quarter. I think I'd try to get a 2X4 behind that larger area by the wheel well and start from the high spot (on the inside) and hammer out what I could from there.

The metal doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough to get a skim coat of bondo.

Once you start taking the hammer to the metal itself, you're gonna have dings that will only be able to be dolleyed out. Using a wood mallet or a block of wood gives you a little more surface area, and is less likely to put dimples in the metal. Of course you have to be careful with the corners of your wood as well. There is a science to working out dents, but anyone can do it with some practice.

Since you've already tried to hammer parts of it out and you're already ready to give up and weld in a new piece it sounds like you're a beginner. You have to know your own skill level and what you're willing to try and accomplish.

If it was me, I think I'd try to work out that big dent, and possibly make a patch panel for the area by the tail light.

Mathius

 

You will definately need some pulling equipment to repair that. The big buckle over the wheel is from the stress put on the 1/4 panel from the hit in rear. Simply put you need to stretch it back out. Trying to force it out without pulling on it won't make it better. It's still hard to say wether it would be better to repair or replace it... your pic kinda sux ... no offense.
I always try to recommend checking with a technical college in your area. We have one here that has an autobody hobby class in the evening. You get to use the schools tools and equipment and the instructors knowledge to work on your own project. And even better, you get to learn a thing or two while you do it!

 

A descent body man could fix that....no problem. And as for the PDR goes, that dent is by far way to big and stretched to even attempt PDR.

 

This is probably the best advice. I have a similar dent like the one next to the light. Before I enrolled in an rop bodyshop class I would have no idea how to tackle it, now it seems easy.

 

The rear damage is beyond what a PDR guy would do. Is it doable, sure. Will you find someone willing to do it, nope!!! There comes a point that the time to repair it without requiring a repaint exceeds what traditional body work will cost.

Mathius, the price you were quoted is not excessive. Take the truck to a body shop, ask them to remove the dent without repainting and see what you get. If you're ok with a repaint, then how much will it cost? The total body shop bill would be closer to $500 including paint and prep. Then you wouldn't have the original paint on what might be a new car, it may not match correctly, and depending on the shop, there may be visual issues that can be seen because of the bodywork. Yeah, I know, not all bodyshops leave imperfections in their work, but you get what you pay for. Most do. Also, don't forget how much of the truck will be repainted to blend the finish in.

 

Not excessive by market standards, and not excessive in regards to the job itself is two different things in my book.

My main point was, if he takes it to a body man, it isn't going to be cheap at all. He has nothing to lose by trying to pull the dent out by himself, and if that doesn't work, he can try to weld in a patch or see a dent man.

Mathius

 

The dent above the wheel could be pulled out the one by the tail light has to be patched or it will never look right.Taking it to a body shop your looking 300 bucks up more if you want it painted.