estorations are paused for many reasons, but the most common is a lack of time or money. Many resume when those resources become available again; this often happens multiple times during the project’s life. For some, though, their restoration project turns out to be far more involved than they ever imagined, and they realize they have bitten off more than they can chew. Too many of those end up as basket cases at a swap meet.

However, not all of them do. The pause button was hit on this 1973 ’Cuda more than 20 years ago, but the owner never gave up on it. Instead, it was properly stored away, waiting for the right conditions to move forward again.

It arrived at Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) as a bare shell, with most of the metalwork done but not finished. New quarters had been welded on but the welds had not yet been ground flush. However, the owner eventually decided he preferred the look of the 1971s over his 1973, so the quarters needed to be replaced with the 1971 versions anyway. Since all 1970-74 ’Cudas share the same body, the new panels were a relatively straightforward swap. Auto Metal Direct (AMD) provided not just the rear quarters but also everything else needed to complete the change. For anyone wondering about this legality, the car remains titled as a 1973, so the changes are purely cosmetic.

In most cases, MCR prefers not to replace full quarters unless there is a compelling reason to do so. It’s always better to keep as much of the original car as possible, but it goes beyond that. Reducing the number of contact points that need to be properly fitted greatly helps achieve a perfect fit. That is not always possible, as is the case with this car, but the more areas of any panel that can be left undisturbed, the better.

Removing a full quarter involves the door gap, quarter window, rear window, and trunklid gap fit with the tail panel, and, of course, the wheelwell opening. Additionally, on a ’Cuda, there’s that body line running through the middle of the quarter, continuing through the door. It’ll stand out like a sore thumb if that line isn’t right. Some might argue, “Well, if the panel is made correctly, it should fit just like the original, right?” That would be true if every car were assembled the same, but anyone who’s worked on one knows they are not. There are subtle differences from car to car that can affect the fit in any or all the mentioned areas. Any area that can remain undisturbed generally should be.

With that in mind, the craftsmen in MCR’s metal shop have used almost everyone’s sheetmetal parts over the past 35-plus years, but they prefer to work with AMD’s panels.

As you’ll see with this ’Cuda, most of the quarter is being replaced, but not all of it. You’ll also notice that halfway through the job we’re switching from one side of the car to the other. One side was left as is, while the other was fully prepped to receive the new panel. This was done solely to allow the job to be photographed in one day.