Quick And Easy Patch Panels - Super Chevy Magazine

Holes happen, whether by rust, distracted drivers, or even from the factory. Thankfully, for those of us who own Chevrolets, the aftermarket companies are in full swing when it comes to reproduction sheetmetal for most of our models. But that is not always the case; sometimes in order to replace metal it comes down to good, old-fashioned, Yankee ingenuity.

If the particular panel that is being worked on is generally flat or has a gentle curve, fabrication is fairly easy. If it is not, homemade cardstock templates will be the order of the day. In our case, the fenders we are working on are from an '88 IROC Camaro.

In our last issue, we shaved the door handles and patched them. This time we are taking it one step further and filling in the side marker lights.

Ultimately, the car will look completely different when it is repainted in Hugger Orange.

Here is the panel we plan to focus most of our time on. It is a salvaged fender off of another Camaro and it is in great shape, minus the layers of paint. The obvious thought here is, why not just make a tracing onto the metal and call it good? That would be the easiest way, but it is the method we are concerned with.
Here is the panel we plan to focus most of our time on. It is a salvaged fender off of ano
The first obvious step is to remove all the paint from the surrounding area where welding will take place.
The first obvious step is to remove all the paint from the surrounding area where welding
After the rubbing is made, the paper is turned over onto the substrate (metal) and, similar to carbon paper, a rubbing is made leaving a pattern on the metal.
After the rubbing is made, the paper is turned over onto the substrate (metal) and, simila

After a few minutes of shaping the piece on the grinder and a few test fittings, the patch panel is ground down to near perfect size. I took my time when shaping the piece. If I ground it down too much, it would be too small and I would have to start over again.
After a few minutes of shaping the piece on the grinder and a few test fittings, the patch
The best method for holding the new piece of metal flush with the surface of the fender is to use magnets. They can be found at any welding supply outlet or hardware store.
The best method for holding the new piece of metal flush with the surface of the fender is
As silly as it may look, using a plain white piece of paper and a kid's crayon worked best. The paper is taped over the hole and a simple rubbing is made onto the paper.
As silly as it may look, using a plain white piece of paper and a kid's crayon worked best