That time I tried to rush a quarter panel repair and paid for it

I was working on a 2015 Silverado at my shop in Phoenix last Thursday, trying to beat the heat and get it out by 5. I skipped the dry fit step on the replacement quarter panel and just started welding it in. Turned out the gap at the tail light was off by nearly a quarter inch, and I had to grind the welds out and start over. Lost 2 hours and a full bottle of Argon. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way or am I just the slow one?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.christopher6d ago

Skip the dry fit and you're basically gambling your whole afternoon. I did the same thing on an F-150 bedside once and had to fight the bumper alignment for an extra hour. That heat in Phoenix makes you want to rush but it never saves time in the end, does it?

jason5626d ago

Dry fitting is the difference between a clean afternoon and wanting to throw your tools across the yard. I learned that the hard way on a Nissan Frontier bumper, thought I could eyeball it and save twenty minutes. Ended up wrestling with mounting bolts in direct sun for two hours because I skipped the test fit. Phoenix heat just amplifies every mistake too, that black bumper plastic gets so hot you can barely touch it. Always do the dry fit, it's the boring part that saves your skin every time.