Hi, I am new to this site and looking for assistance with my 1994 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer Edition. I am starting to get a rust problem near the rear wheel area that started from under the chrome factory fenders. The problem is worse on the passengers side though I hate to see the rust at all and want to fix the problem. If anybody has experience with this type of vehicle and or problem any assistance would be appreciated. I believe I could have the chrome fenders removed and the rust cut out, but is this cost effective. I also have seen after market fenders though I am not crazy about this idea. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

 

Hello and welcome to the site. Not an uncommon place for any vehicle to rust. The wheel wells get mud, slush and other stuff packed up in them, and many people don't pay attention to these areas and pressure wash them clean often. I am a little bit confused by your wording but I'll assume you are talking about the bedside and the wheel well opening moulding. There is an area where the outer quarter over laps and is spot welded to the inner wheelhouse and struture. Having a chrome wheelwell moulding screwed on also doesn't help matters. If water gets into seams and hold moisture it creates rust and is a common place to find it. You should be able to find a patch panel somewhere for this area. If you plan on fixing yourself, I would first grind it down and find out the true extent of it. Order a new patch panel for what has to be replaced, where ever you have rust weakened metals or holes. Then drill out the spot welds on the wheel well lip and cut out what needs to be replaced, If you are getting a new peice you may want to get this first so you know its size and that it will overlap lip to overlap and spotweld back underneath. Take a look at the inner peice and clean up rust before welding in the new patch. Use a weld through primer in in overlapping areas you need bare metal to weld. Use a good epoxy primer or rust preventitive coating on bare metal areas and treat the backside the best you can. Use a good quality 2 part seam sealer on the edge of the seam to prevent moisture from entering between the two. If you are lucky enough when you grind away at the rusted area that it is not weakened or has holes, then grinding away the rust, sandblasting or scotchbrite disking the rust out of the pits and epoxy priming, filling the pits in with filler and more priming before paint should be a decent repair. If you have holes through and just fill them in with body or fiberglass filler, I don't give the repair a very long lasting time. If you are having the work done, it probably won't be real cheap and you don't normally get any guarentees on rust repair. It is also hard finding places that will take any rust work sometimes. Check references on who you feel comfortable with doing the repairs and check them, and find out exactly what they will be doing for the quoted price. Most typical bodyshop that do mainly collision work shy away or don't take that type of work. Better money for them sticking to the collision repair.

 

Thanks for your reply. The body rust is above the rear fender area and the chrome piece.What you said about the water sitting between the chrome fender piece and the body causing the rust is 100% accurate. The one side is rusted more than the other (can stick your finger through the holes). I am looking to have this work done because I do not possess the skills to do such a job myself. I appreciate your response and will definitly inquirer about the type of work that will be done to repair this before going forward. I spoke to a guy who owns a body shop and is kind of a friend who said he could probably fix the worst of the two sides for $300-350. I thought this sounded like a good price but I will find out what he intends to do prior to going further. I suspect he meant to put bondo over the rusted area and than painting it. This will definitly lead to the same problem shortly down the road, right. That would not be worth the $ to me.

 

Yes, if it has holes through, that should be cut out and replaced with new metal and steps taken to prevent corrosion. If you just apply bondo over the holes it will be coming back through and bubbling through the new paint in no time. The best would be to replace the panel with a new quality piece, but close second best would be cutting out the rust damaged area and welding in a new piece. It is acceptable to use a small amount of filler over the patched area to cover weld area, but applying filler right over the holes without new metal is a hack way of doing it, something a used car dealer might do when to unload a car and make it look decent just long enough for it to leave. That doesn't sound like a bad a price at all to replace the bad stuff, get straight and paint the bed side to match with good materials. If its just puttying up the holes and useing a cheap paint, not such a deal, which it is important to find out exactly what you are getting.