Rear Quarter Panel

A quarter panel is an exterior section of your vehicle's body. Basically, most vehicles are created with a multitude of connecting parts. These all work to fit together similar to how puzzle pieces would. There are both front and rear quarter panels. Obviously, the rear quarter panels would refer to the quarter panels in the rear section of your vehicle.

Importance of the Quarter Panel
You cannot just make a vehicle with a single piece of solid material. There must be quarter panels to keep your vehicle looking tasteful and fashionable, prevents weak parts from oxidizing, and provides your vehicle with a better structured basis. Also, quarter panels are beneficial as they allow for easy removal and replacement if ever necessary. This is great for two reasons – 1) low difficulty level to repair or replace the part, and, 2) lower the cost of repairs.

Location of the Quarter Panels
The term “quarter” often refers to there being four parts of the specified item. In the case of quarter panels, there are four panels in various sections of your vehicle. There will be two front quarter panels and two rear quarter panels.

Front Quarter Panels
These panels are located in the front end of your vehicle. They are mostly used to cover front fenders and are not nearly as significant as the rear quarter panels are. Front quarter panels are much easier to replace, very easy to remove, and are built as a single unit.

Rear Quarter Panels
These panels are located in the rear end of your vehicle. In some cases the rear panels will be welded to your vehicle's frame. Other parts that may be connected to the rear quarter panel would include the side pillars and roof. This will vary by design though. In many cases the rear quarter panels will be built together as a complete unit. This will make removing and replacing the rear quarter panels fairly difficult than the front quarter panels as they are not single units.

Benefits of the Quarter Panel
There is nothing different about the quarter panels then the rest of your vehicle. The same material is used to create the piece but it is just designed in sections for convenience reasons. The main benefits of the quarter panel have already been covered earlier in this article. To repeat, quarter panels make the vehicle visually appealing, allow for easy and inexpensive repairs, and overall make the vehicle much more well structured.

If your vehicle has a gas cap on the side then it will be located in the mid-section of one of the rear quarter panels. If there are any additions to your vehicle's design such as pin striping then this will also be located on the quarter panel as well. While there are many similarities of the quarter panel and the rest of your vehicle, there are differences as well. The major difference would be where the quarter panel is designed with the wheel well section. Quarter panels feature a circular design for the wheel well opening which allows tires to be installed and removed easily and be easily visible.

Conclusion
This article has covered most of the basic information on quarter panels (both front and rear). There is still more to learn about these parts. If you are looking for information on how to replace the rear quarter panel then you should look for a replacement guide. You may also be able to find this information in a service manual.

There is still an abundance of information about the quarter panels that you should read up on. However, do not confuse yourself while learning everything about these parts as they are really not very complicated.

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