rear panel replacement / fix

[jimmylukeii]

My rear panel had an unfortunate incident with a driver on the phone.  Luckily, the damage is minor and cosmetic only (I was going 5 mph, and he was going 10 mph).  See below.  The black markings have come off, so I am dealing with exposed aluminum and a few small dents.

 

Multiple repair shops have said that the best bet is to replace the entire rear panel.  The panel itself is cheap from Caterham, but it would need to be painted.

 

Has anyone replaced their rear panel?  How much work is involved?  This car is driven, not a show car, so I may leave it as-is if the work is too cumbersome or expensive.

 

 

[IamScotticus]

A spare tyre may cover up half of a budget fill and over coating.

A good metal man can do wonders on aluminum. 

I was recently informed in a correspondence with arch they no longer deal directly with the public.  Its Cat or Redline.

Edited November 13, 2023 by IamScotticus

[MV8]

Let me guess, hands-free so no ticket. Should be eyes free.

 

The rear panel is welded to the side panel near the front of the wheel arch on each side. Repaired and painted is probably $3k? I suggest leaving the panel as-is considering the traffic in that area.

 

Another option may be to smooth the panel in-place if there is room to access the inside but still leaves painting.

Edited November 14, 2023 by MV8

[speedwagon]

As stated here before, a "good" metal person can do wonders in place and with a little touch-up it would be hard to notice and "can you see it from the driver's seat?)     john

[kayentaskier]

Sorry that has happened to you. If you choose to repair, matching the paint may not be easy. My car is the same color;  I needed to replace and paint a front wing (glue failed and it blew off) and the rear wing (damaged while loading on a trailer). Caterham refused to sell painted wings, so we needed to match it locally which has taken a few tries. If you're painting, I suggest you reach out To Josh at RMC, he's become somewhat of an expert.