I installed new quarter panel louvers over the weekend and, boy, what a pain! I don't know if it's just my quarter panels, but getting the speed nuts tight was extremely difficult. Particularly the bottom ones.

The way my quarter panels were on the inside, the speed nut was kind of inside of another slightly, and I do mean slightly larger opening. It appears like there is an inner and outer wall of the quarter panel and the speed nut was sitting down "in between" on the peg if you know what I mean. They appear to fit a 3/8" wrench which is what I was trying to use. I even went and got a deep socket so I could tighten the speed nut farther down on the peg.

In the end I was able to get the top two nuts fairly tight on both sides. The bottom two on both sides were still pretty difficult. Getting them off gain should I decide to have the car repainted I fear will be next to impossible.

Is there a special tool that makes this easier? It's like I need a thin walled, deep 3/8" socket to make a tight fit.

Let's not mention that whomever worked on this car before me doesn't know how to buy a template. On both sides, there were other holes behind the louver which I can only assume were "mistakes". Ugh!

Keep in mind, I'm no expert. Just trying to do a little cosmetic restoration on my own with limited skills and tools.

 

There should be no inner and outer wall for the quarter panel. You should have clear access to the nuts from the inside of the car. Whoever put new quarters on the car must have put the new one on over the old one. Try making a thin walled deep 3/8 inch socket by thinning it out with a grinding wheel.

 

I ended up getting a Drummel tool with a pencil-like extension with grinding bit that allowed me to open up the inner wall enough for me to get a 3/8" socket in and tighten up the louver. It does appear that someone put on new quarters over the old ones in a patch job.

 

Cay guys make it work. There's fast work, slow work, and half-fast work, if you know what I mean.