Hi guys;
Expecting restoration project on my Van Nuys car will be commencing soon. Rear quarters are badly rusted and rear tail panel is tweaked up a bit from collision damage. I know there are many suppliers for this sheet metal on the market. Anybody care to comment on their experiences and/or make recommendation on a quality product experience? Many thanks-- CM

Nos. qtrs will set you back 1,500-2,000 and arear panel 500-750

NOS if you find some that have sharp edges and weren't made toward the end of their die life. The next best would be AMD panels according to folks that rebuild lots of cars. Those are the only two options I would consider.

Charley. I think you had expressed to me your desire to get the car up and back on her feet to drive and enjoy? If thats the case you will need to weigh all your options.. You can get NOS and section the quarters ( you will NOT be finding NOS convertible quarters..they are long gone )..or you can buy those super sweet but expensive correct full convertible quarters that Heartbeat City in Michigan has.. Depending on the shape and design of your quarter jambs you could also get full ( affordable ) quartersNOS from D&R Classic Automotive in Illinois.. Your in a far less rusty zone than most of us.. If you have just rusty fender lips etc and do NOT want to get upside down on the car money wise you could but patch panels and let the next owner make the capital purchases after we are all pushing up daisies

Follow these for an idea on cost.. when the auction ends you'll have a clue

NOS tail

I'm not saying that you are or are not on a budget.. BUT if you are looking to get back on the road in style.. You might consider a lesser quality redo of the sheet metal and focus the expense on all new chrome trim and interior for curb appeal.

Post up a picture of the 1/4's and what issues you think they have

I have someone who has nos conv. Qtrs. that wants 3,500-4,000 apiece for them. I would buy both if my buddy mike pom. Would sell me back my l78 conv. If he would I'd be light in the wallet but until then I'll hold the money.

My earlier post about nos qtrs for 1,500-2,000 was for coupe qtrs. Tom is correct about finding conv. nos qtrs. they are hard to come buy.

Their is always the issue of trying to fit the quarters compared to what you pay for them. The Heartbeat conv. quarters fit very well. I hear lots of people buy the cheapest quarters available, then pay a good bodyman huge money to make them fit. Thoughts to keep in mind.

be carful if you choose to section Coupe quarters and convertible quarters. I think there is a difference with the top line. You can't just cut the sail panel section off and use the rest of the coupe quarters.

Brad is correct. you need to buy conv. quarters to install on a conv. Coupe quarters are very difficult to adapt.

heartbeat city qtrs are really really nice pieces they fit very very well!

Thats what I hear from David Parr as well. Its great to know they are out there if you want to spend the bread

A good friend of mine went the cheaper route on his qtrs and ended up paying double on the labor to install them. The drivers side was never right so I would pay the extras and go with what everyone is recommending.

Best of luck.

The other concern with quarters is the panel where the door jamb is has to be the correct shape. I'm not sure on aftermarket quarters if the shape is correct compared to the Heartbeat ones. For cars assemble when the pacers were made (except the CDN run) the indent is very specific, referred to as the telephone receiver shape. Sometime in May or June the shape was changed.