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In this DIY How To tutorial I am going to show you how to replace a quarter panel on the 1966 Ford Mustang. The quarter panel on the Mustang is rusted out as many older cars do.

Quarter panels are welded on panels that may be required to replace if involved in an accident or if rusted severely as with the Mustang we’re working on. Weld- on panels require drilling spot welds. Before you start cutting and drilling, you will need to remove the necessary parts to prevent from damaging then or to access the spot weld locations.

Since this was rusted, we will not need to repair the quarter panel before we beginning. If the quarter panel had damage caused by a collision it would be necessary to first straighten straighten the quarter panel to realign the structure to realign all the body gaps.

The first thing you want to do as with any part is check the part to make sure that you have the correct part. Many times the wrong part may have been ordered or the wrong part was shipped. This is not something you want to realize after you have removed the part. It only takes a second set it up to the car to assure you have the correct panel. Next remove any parts necessary to access the spot welds. Below are the first steps to take when replacing the quarter panel:

Step 1: Remove Rear Bumper

To locate the bolts holding the bumper on open the trunk lid and locate two 5/8” blots one each side inside the trunk area. Once the four bolts are removed the bumper is ready to take off the Mustang.

Step 2: Remove Taillight Assembly

From inside the trunk area locate four 3/8 inch bolts. Remove the four bolts, unplug the taillamp plug and remove the taillamp assembly.

Step 3: Remove Quarter Panel Extension

From inside the trunk area locate three 7/16 inch bolts holding the extension filler on. Remove the bolts and then remove the extension filler.

Step 4: Remove Interior Parts

 Quarter panel interior panels may need to be removed to access spot welds, to prevent damaging, or from drilling through the interior when drilling spot welds. However, on this Mustang, the spot weld locations are not near the interior trim panel. We decided to go ahead and remove the interior trim, as we will be restoring the inside as well.

Step 5: Remove Back Glass Trim

 Using a glass trim removal tool, we removed the trim will need to be removed to prevent damaging it.

Summary

We removed the back bumper, taillamp assembly, quarter panel extension filler panel, quarter panel trim, and the back glass trim. Now we’re ready to start drilling spot welds. We’ll cover the steps in the next tutorial.

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