Rear End Rot - Suggestions Please

[Jay]

Tempted! only I can't have the car off the road for 2 months   


I'll PM him and see if we can do something together, welding in a new panel makes more sense than bashing the old one straight and filling it, sanding painting etc..

[Mr_Orange]

Awesome job!  You are a shining example to us all!

[Gloves88]

Been following this from the beginning, well impressed!

Shows what can be done when you put your mind to it! Nice one!

[jezza16v]

Tempted! only I can't have the car off the road for 2 months   

welding in a new panel makes more sense than bashing the old one straight and filling it, sanding painting etc..

Well, the 2 months was just a day at the weekends, + time waiting for panel, getting welder, welding wire etc, etc if I were on it full time I guess I could have done it in a week.......ish. Also a very steep learning curve.

If your existing panel isn't rusty, I would do the 'bash it straight & fill it'. There was a pattern rear panel on ebay a week back, the guy claimed it was the 'last one anywhere', not sure if its gone though.....A professional could probably do a reasonable job with it considering what I've managed.

Why not post some pics of your damage, its surprising what will knock out...?

[Jay]

Pics here mate:
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=120103.msg1069427#msg1069427

It probably will be easier knocking it out, I'll book some time off when the payout comes through.

[Thom89]

Great job jezza, just shows what can be achieved when you set you mind to it..
Back in the good old days of "bonus" I could strip, remove the damged panel, refit a new one, seal and paint... all in one day! obviously it helped having a genuine panel and all the kit needed at hand, especailly a spot welder  
I fitted one those pattern rear panels a couple of years ago, and remember having to drill the spot welds that attached the R/H rear lamp bucket as it was about 5mm out of alignment, other than that, I found the panel to be a pretty good fit

Jay, the dent in your rear panel is very easily repairable, as long as the seems are corrosion free, there is no point in breaking into them to replace the panel, using a large block of wood, and a few gentle taps with a sledge hammer would see most of the damage taken care of! Whether you knock the dent out, or replace the panel, you'll still end up filling and painting..
Thom

[Jay]

Whether you knock the dent out, or replace the panel, you'll still end up filling and painting..
Thom

Good point

[jezza16v]

That's a job for 'dent doctor'. 

Seriously, if it were mine I'd knock it out and fill it rather than disrupt the original weld structure, or better still if you're getting some cash get a good old panel beater on to it. There are some awkward parts you can't get to from behind, like behind the center badge and a couple of other spots towards each light, but you could cut the obstructions out neatly to get to the outer panel and weld them back afterwards. As said, you'll need quite a bit of filler either way but at least you'll have good ol' Wolfsberg metal behind it rather than Taiwanese ****.