About detaching the body

[RYO5566]

Hello! My Challenger also has considerably rust proceeds. I'm going to replace all the outer panels, but I have a question for you. I'm also replacing the roof and quarter panel, but don't know where the seam between the roof and quarter panel is? Where should I cut? Currently, the spot welding is removed by removing both the front and rear glass. thank you for reading it until the very end!

 

[RJHJR]

Sand through the paint and body where your finger is in the second ****. It’s a diagonal line. Look at your replacement 1/4 and trace a line so it laps.

 

[Cuda Hunter]

Not the best pictures but you can see where the roof line ends.

 

[rklein71]

Another pic

 

[rklein71]

Another one from a different angle.

 

[ldr]

Hello! My Challenger also has considerably rust proceeds. I'm going to replace all the outer panels, but I have a question for you. I'm also replacing the roof and quarter panel, but don't know where the seam between the roof and quarter panel is? Where should I cut? Currently, the spot welding is removed by removing both the front and rear glass. thank you for reading it until the very end!

View attachment 69815

View attachment 69816

View attachment 69817

 

[ldr]

1st things first:remove all of your trim(rain gutters ) , secondly your roof skin comes off first as the 1/4's are tucked under the roof skin. remove all seamsealer in rain gutters along each side, then sand with a da sander first at the top of a pillasr the roof skin is leaded and welded to the roof pillar,remove lead (nap gas and stainless steel wire brush) . break the weld with dye grinder and cutoff wheel.now go 1/4 panel and san off paint mud and lead on the seam you will find as you sand diagonal from just below top of rear window about 3 inches toward the 1/4 glass. you find the seam .use da not a grinder. hear the lead if there is any and begin drilling you spot welds for the 1/4 and roof skin. you can take from there.

 

[rklein71]

My first cut to take off the old quarter panels was here. I later went in and removed the lead and drilled out the spot welds to remove the remaining small section of the quarter at the roof line. Rod

 

[Adam]

A good spot weld cutting bit will make the job around the rain gutters and around the windows much easier. By a good bit I mean ones not made in China, their metallurgy quality is unknown to poor. I bought a three pack of Chinese bits that were supposed to be M2 tool steel. Each bit lasted about six spot welds before they were shot. I finally bought some from a reputable company, like these: https://www.amazon.com/Spot-Weld-Cu...words=spot+weld+cutter&qid=1586140671&sr=8-39

And with one bit I did the entire rest of the car! Roof, firewall, cowl, trunk pan, 1/2 of the floor.

For those that haven’t seen these bits, the idea is to cut out the spot weld in the top panel, without cutting through the panel underneath. Usually you will see in the cut where the panels are joined, but if you think you are deep enough you can gently pry up on the panel until they separate.

 

[Cuda Hunter]

A good spot weld cutting bit will make the job around the rain gutters and around the windows much easier. By a good bit I mean ones not made in China, their metallurgy quality is unknown to poor.

Isn't that the truth! I had the same experience.

 

[RYO5566]

Sand through the paint and body where your finger is in the second ****. It’s a diagonal line. Look at your replacement 1/4 and trace a line so it laps.

Thank you for the advice. The roof and quarter panel will be brand new. For now, let's remove all the rear pillar paint.

 

[RYO5566]

Not the best pictures but you can see where the roof line ends.

View attachment 69824

View attachment 69825

Thank you for many photos. So it will be helpful! We are currently struggling to remove the spot weld to remove the roof and quarter panel.

 

[RYO5566]

Another one from a different angle.

View attachment 69828

Since Cuda is also an E-body, is it basically the same!

 

[RYO5566]

1st things first:remove all of your trim(rain gutters ) , secondly your roof skin comes off first as the 1/4's are tucked under the roof skin. remove all seamsealer in rain gutters along each side, then sand with a da sander first at the top of a pillasr the roof skin is leaded and welded to the roof pillar,remove lead (nap gas and stainless steel wire brush) . break the weld with dye grinder and cutoff wheel.now go 1/4 panel and san off paint mud and lead on the seam you will find as you sand diagonal from just below top of rear window about 3 inches toward the 1/4 glass. you find the seam .use da not a grinder. hear the lead if there is any and begin drilling you spot welds for the 1/4 and roof skin. you can take from there.

Thank you for a very detailed explanation! From the interior side, you can see some joints, but others are hidden by the roof frame and can not be confirmed ... Peel off the paint on the rear pillar at the point described and look for spot welding traces. It was very helpful! Thank you!

 

[RYO5566]

My first cut to take off the old quarter panels was here. I later went in and removed the lead and drilled out the spot welds to remove the remaining small section of the quarter at the roof line. Rod

View attachment 69829

Thank you for the photo. The cuts are cut sideways! Now, the spot welding is peeled off, but it is difficult to see after welding due to rust. Advice was saved.

 

[RYO5566]

A good spot weld cutting bit will make the job around the rain gutters and around the windows much easier. By a good bit I mean ones not made in China, their metallurgy quality is unknown to poor. I bought a three pack of Chinese bits that were supposed to be M2 tool steel. Each bit lasted about six spot welds before they were shot. I finally bought some from a reputable company, like these: https://www.amazon.com/Spot-Weld-Cu...words=spot+weld+cutter&qid=1586140671&sr=8-39

And with one bit I did the entire rest of the car! Roof, firewall, cowl, trunk pan, 1/2 of the floor.

For those that haven’t seen these bits, the idea is to cut out the spot weld in the top panel, without cutting through the panel underneath. Usually you will see in the cut where the panels are joined, but if you think you are deep enough you can gently pry up on the panel until they separate.

Thank you for the advice! I also use a spot cutter, but sometimes it is inconvenient whether the caliber is large. The 5/16 size is very convenient. However, spot welding around glass is struggling because rust and decay make it difficult to see the trace.

 

[340challconvert]

I bought Blair spot weld kits. Unbelievable quality and longevity. Get some light machine oil and put a drop at the end of the bit before drilling. Makes cutting easier and extends the life of the bit.
http://shop.blairequipment.com/mobile/product.aspx
ProductCode=11082&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuK_U8OnT6AIVmMpkCh3NkwM3EAQYASABEgK-tvD_BwE

 

[Rich G.]

If you can’t get the spotweld cutter on some I got my cutoff wheel and carefully ground off the weld being careful not to go through and just peeled off the panel .

 

[RYO5566]

I bought Blair spot weld kits. Unbelievable quality and longevity. Get some light machine oil and put a drop at the end of the bit before drilling. Makes cutting easier and extends the life of the bit.
http://shop.blairequipment.com/mobile/product.aspx
ProductCode=11082&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuK_U8OnT6AIVmMpkCh3NkwM3EAQYASABEgK-tvD_BwE

Thank you for the information. There is such a useful tool! I will also look for it! The diameter of the drill is 10.2mm, so it is hard to cut a little.

 

[RYO5566]

If you can’t get the spotweld cutter on some I got my cutoff wheel and carefully ground off the weld being careful not to go through and just peeled off the panel .

Thank you for the advice. Certainly, where the spots are not visible due to decay, the cutoff wheel seems to be effective. Now, the spot is peeled off little by little, but the mating surface is rotten and it is very hard (ToT)