To fill or try to replace panels, that is the question. I'm not sure if I should try to knock out old filler in my rear quarters and then refill it or look for new panels. Anyone have any suggestions?

I don't understand why the whole car has to be media blasted to find out what shape the rear quarters are in. Replacing them is a LOT of work, if you are paying by the hour it will be several thousands of dollars. One can do a lot of work to the existing panels before complete replacement is worth while.

Many replacements are only the vertical part of the panel, not the top horizontal parts, so you'd need to check that the top is ok. I had a spider that had ~1/4" of bondo there!

From what I have read here in the past, media blasting can/will leave the material in all nooks and crannies the car has to offer. Some have done it but the car was basically a stripped tub and on a rotisserie. I believe they used a glass medium of some sorts.
When I had my car done they used a rotary sander with about 80 or 100 grit to start. This was confirmed when I asked a neighbour regarding a rust free shell I have in storage.
In your situation, I'd sand the paint off the panels and have a look. Cut the rust out and weld new steel in as needed.
If there is any amount of rust throughout the car, under the carpets, cross pieces etc., then things can get expensive unless you do the work yourself.
Chris

Vandor, I think he just wasn't sure what was fill and what was steel and he thought hte best route would be to do the media blasting. That said, I do know the fenders are fiberglass from the 80s restoration. From what I can tell the rest of the car is in fairly good shape. It was undercoated, then put into storage, and then I bought it and it never sees rain. Narfire's suggestion to sand the quarters down and see what's there is probably the best bet. I think he was suggesting the new panels because it could be difficult to get the filler to look good and doing custom curves steel work would be expensive.

Isn't there a non-destructive instrument that measures the thickness of paint and filler? I thought I saw one of these in use on a car TV show by an appraiser. If so, you could get a good idea of the true condition of the car before starting to remove the finish.

baltobernie wrote:Isn't there a non-destructive instrument that measures the thickness of paint and filler? I thought I saw one of these in use on a car TV show by an appraiser. If so, you could get a good idea of the true condition of the car before starting to remove the finish.

Like the Filler Detective?
http://www.amazon.com/The-Filler-Detect ... B004R26JJ8