Thanks Stetch, I've test fitted the light about 4 times already, but yes I'll do it again prior to welding.
As for the trim line, we used a long 4 ft T-square to mark the initial cut-lines on both the donor panel and the car. The line went through the middle of the trim holes.

Sounds like you're all set. Get buzzing away!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Started welding. The first pic is the final test fit of the rear light assembly. The second pic is some tack welds which I ground down to see what they would looked like. I've never have done body work or sheet metal welding. I had been practicing with the welder on 3/16 angle, so it took a little learning before I realized to turn the heat down and slow the wire feed.
The third pic is a small section in which I kept filling holes with additional tack welds after they where ground down. The fourth pic is the panel welded to car. I need to continue with the tack welds but stopped for the evening, Oh my back.... Anyway I'm going tomorrow to my buddy's fabrication shop to fit the dog leg from the after market panel.
One thing I'd like to add. I knew about this fender repair a year ago when I bought the car. I used that time to researched mig welding and how to do weld sheet metal. One things I did to minimize warping the panel was to cool the weld after the tack was done. I purchased some video's on restoring a car and watched how these guys minimized panel warping by shutting compressed air on a weld after it was made.

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Sorry but I had to laugh at that one! It is much easier on thicker metal isn't it?

You've got to be really careful about doing stuff like that - heating up steel and then quenching it makes it very hard and brittle. Whilst this is "only" body work lots of cracks isn't really what you want is it?'

Whilst TIG welding uses Argon as a shielding gas - and it is common to leave the gas flowing for a second or two after completing a weld - that is a gentle soft flow of gas compared with a rapidly expanding rapidly cooling gas.

This kind of advice reminds me of a bloke I knew who used N2 as a shielding gas in his MIG welder...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

This is an epic thread. I may be doing a similar repair soon on a wagon that got smushed. I have not found any threads on doing rear quarter repair on a wagon, esp the tail light area. I imagine this area rarely gets repaired. Greg was such a boss to take this on with no experience and do a reasonable job of it.

Rather timely!
My '79 240D has got rust at the quarter
and the tire well
and the back ledge inside the trunk
I will be looking at a similar project next summer!!!! The rust, in spite of proper attention grows without any care whatsoever
NOT MY CROP!
I am relishing welding the replacement panels with a STICK WELDER
step one is chase down and remove rust (even the baby rust pockets) or it is like plating rusts seeds, you will have a healthy rust crop in no time.
I have done plenty welding, but NOT body panels
eons ago I worked in a body shop and shot Kondar, sanded it and scotchbrited
did a 72 Camaro in Imron, they told me to wipe with the body lines
I swirled.....gently
12-star paint job was the result
....but the pay was 2 stars had to leave....

Keep it up!

Stan

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'81 240D For now, a good place to borrow new parts
'80 300TD Probably will be put back into service!
'79 240D BACK IN SERVICE SINCE 09/16; limited use, oil leak. Guide pin r/sealed/replaced. Still a leak. Front crank seal....

snapped_bolt,
You might search for my post a few months ago w/ photos as I removed the quarter panels on a 1983 300D (to store) before scrapping the car body. The sheet metal is very tricky around the lower corners of the rear windows. I've only used my cheap HF wire-feed welder (no gas). Can you weld sheet-metal w/ stick without just blowing holes thru?

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans