QTR PANEL CUT now with rear bar!

[Red Rover]

Just thought I'd put a post up on what I'd been up to. Easy to do with a bit of care, it can be done.

Rainbow Warrior is going to be a professional hand model!

[Red Rover]

another view

[Red Rover]

Under view. Now to finish the bar

[familybus]

hes right it can be done!

[Beastmavster]

Neat cut - what did you use?

Also is that plate just sikaflexed in?

[Red Rover]

Neat cut - what did you use?

Also is that plate just sikaflexed in?

Marked the lines out with a niko. Took a couple of times to get it on the right line.

Cut the panels off with a 1mm blade and a grinder. Practised for a bit to develop a steady hand.

Made templates up for the inserts and then cut 1.2mm insert plates. The out side of the plates is just on the outside edge of the panels

Then with a small panel mig (a high powered mig will blow holes) spot welded at 25mm centres so not to distort the panels, then welded inbetween. So all up it is spot welded at 10 - 12mm centre all the way around. With good weld penetration you can use a flap sander to smooth the spot welds down to the outside edge of the panel so it is nice and smooth. I used sika flex only to seal the inside. I also used the flap sander to smooth it out under the panel as well. IMO it is much stronger than before and it will never fall out. The key to welding the panel is getting a good mig and set it up so you can get penetration without blowing big holes in it.

A bit of spray putty, primer and its done. There is no bog on the bottoms where it was welded.

Hope it helps

[stool]

Looks sweet


What dose every one do with the later model GQ`s with the brake and blinkers in the rear bar Or just get old style lights

[Rainbow Warrior]

A bit of velcro tape and we can put them back on again, then somebody could start marketing aftermarket replacements :-)

[Screwy]

neat cut
looks good mate

[Beastmavster]

Would help more if you wanted to do mine for some beers... no way i'd do a job as neat as that

[Madmac]

i did mine a couple of weeks ago, i screwed a piece of flat bar to them to use as a guide, cut the outers with an air bodyb saw, then chopped the inners off with a 9 inch grinder





after choppin em off i built a custom bar to protect whats left

[Tiny]

Did mine a couple of weeks ago, just used a 4" with the thin cutting blades......take some time and be carefull and the job will be neat,

I didn't fill in the hole just hit it with primer after I smoothed the edges with a die grinder and I have some stuff from clarke rubber to go over it

[Madmac]

i used a galvanised sheet and cut it to shape to fill the holes, then went sick with a tube of sikaflex to seal it all up

[Madmac]

Looks sweet


What dose every one do with the later model GQ`s with the brake and blinkers in the rear bar Or just get old style lights

mine was a later model. i bought a set of after market lights to suit an early model (brand new) on Ebay, paid $56 each for em, then just wired them in and ditched the original back bar

[bogged]

Looks sweet


What dose every one do with the later model GQ`s with the brake and blinkers in the rear bar Or just get old style lights

pr of them on ebay at moment

[Madmac]

Looks sweet


What dose every one do with the later model GQ`s with the brake and blinkers in the rear bar Or just get old style lights

pr of them on ebay at moment

they are always on ebay, ive bought two sets, one pair was for a mate, ive found that if you search for ford maverick, the ones there get less bids than the ones under nissan. and you end up getting them cheaper, they start them at $44 each

[stool]

The thing is I like the rear bar`

Mabe when i do the cut {soon as the quaters are already smashed}and starting to rust

Ile leave the bar on untill
it gets smashed.

[shakes]

I took to mine with a 4" grinder on the weekend. decided its hard to grind straight on dinged up panels. (no photo's yet)

found out my car was hit in the ass and had an astonishin amount of bog in one side --- thankfully almost all gone now.

this weekends project is to start knocking up a bar and smooth out the seams on the bottom. can i get a couple more photo's of yours hi-luxmadness if possible?

[Red Rover]

more pics

[adam.s]

Looks good with the rear bar in there.

[blkmav]

Looks good, can you post some pics of how you made/fitted your mudflaps

[HeathGQ]

they are always on ebay, ive bought two sets, one pair was for a mate, ive found that if you search for ford maverick, the ones there get less bids than the ones under nissan. and you end up getting them cheaper, they start them at $44 each

I just got a set for 55 each.

[BigMav]

I'm not real flash with a grinder so i payed someone to do it. If you are this way inclined I recommend Brett and the team at OnTrack 4x4 In Brisbane. They did a good job. They bent the outer panel in and welded it then painted. $400 well spent in my opinion. Saves me from stuffing it up. New rear bar to go on this week.

[DieselBoy]

Hey Hi-Luxmadness, any chance of some more pic's of your rear bar??
From the rear, what you mounted it to, and what the ends are anchored too behind the wheels.
Its similar to what i have done, but looks better, in that if i get a decent hit on mine they will bent up into my gaurds, and i don't think i could jack off mine.


And i need to do somthing to stop this from happening again!!!

(besides learning how to bloody drive)

[Red Rover]

Hey Hi-Luxmadness, any chance of some more pic's of your rear bar??
From the rear, what you mounted it to, and what the ends are anchored too behind the wheels.
Its similar to what i have done, but looks better, in that if i get a decent hit on mine they will bent up into my gaurds, and i don't think i could jack off mine.


And i need to do somthing to stop this from happening again!!!

(besides learning how to bloody drive)

Yep I have done that before to, denting there that is. That was one of the things I considered when making the bar. As you can see the bar extends further past the tail light. therefore backing into a bank should almost, I said almost prevent it from occuring again. If I had the bar the bar I have now on when I dented it the last time, it would not have happened. That is one of the reasons I made the back bar tube and curved so it can slide off rather than get jammed in with a sharp corner etc. But you never know, where there is a will there is a way!

[DieselBoy]

Nah, that one happened going forwards!!!!
I was taking a run up at a slippery clay hill, trying to stay on the high side of the track, but slid accross into the bank on the low side at full rev's in low 3rd. Looked good on video!!!
The trouble is if i put a bar up the side to protect that panel, it then becomes the widest point of the vehicle, sticking out past the tyres.
I'm going to have to get clever.