Yes, in fact I've been slowly working on that very project with my 505
sedan after being nailed on a speedbump with a Ford Expedition. I did
take it at the spot welds along the trunk and lower fender, and inside
of the rear door. The wheel well area is thickly bedded with a
rubber-like urethane (don't email me if I put down the wrong chemical)
sealer. This is in so well, that you must dig it out before pulling out
the fender from the car. I used a grinder with a flapper sanding disc
to get the majority of it. Messy, messy. Under the weather stripping
for the trunklid are 2 spots of brazing that must be heated and pulled a
part. this is where the fender meets the rear trunk panel, and the
piece that runs the length of the rear window. I do not recommend
removing the fender from the gutter area above and behind the door.
There are about 5 pieces of sheet metal in there, and the probability of
more damage is high. I've just spliced the replacement fender into the
origional by cutting under the air exit vent and stitch welding across
that area. I did that in the middle of the concave sheet metal there.
Most everything else is spot welds, there are a bunch of small beads of
weld under the bumper shock area that must be ground off. I elected to
cut and splice next to the brazed area under the rear window, as pulling
apart the brazing tends to bend and stretch the steel too much, and I
only did it where necessary.
I did buy spot weld tools (modified drill bit) from Snap-on. I found
that they dull very quickly (3 holes max) and I can't resharpen them. I
used a regular drill bit. Try not to drill all the way through the
underlying sheetmetal. The flatter angle on the drill bit, the better.
It helps to partially pilot drill the spot welds.
I am not a body work expert. I only did this because that damned GMAC
would not pay for the damage to my car. If you have friends that do
body work, drive the car to them and ask their advice on how to tackle
your project. Their experience can save you lots of learning time. One
good tip I got was to pull out and beat out the damaged fender as much
as possible before removing it, because that serves to pull the rest of
the car body into alignment so the new pieces will fit. It was funny,
with large washers welded to several places of the bent car, I used a
come-along wrapped around a 3ft wide cement pylon to pull on the bent
sections of fender and trunk. The wheels were chocked, and I had an
8000 pound forklift parked sideways attached to the rear towring just
ahead of the damage as an anchor. I pulled the car, chocks, and
forklift towards the pylon while pounding on sheet metal and staying
away from the cable. I didn't think the forklift would have moved!!!
Good luck. I'm blending in my welded area and prepping for paint of the
replacement parts, and then the rest of the car. My 505 will live
another day.
Joe
Received on Tue Nov 27 22:14:45 2007
