Inside of fender.

[JoshStratton]

I would like to hear some suggestions on how to handle the mess inside of my fenders and in the hard to reach places.

1. Do you typically leave the original paint on, or do you remove it and recoat?

2. Also, how do you remove rust from inside some of the hard to reach folds that exist inside the fenders? I dont want to sand blast cause it can easily warp the metal.

I want to coat it with some kind of rust protection, but I no longer trust POR products. I will admit, and you will see with some of my earlier posts, that I preached how awesome it was. Now I realize I was full of it and the stuff is crap. It may look good at first, but it scrapes off easily.

[third base]

Are you re-painting the entire thing or will you be doing this with panels attached and painted? If it is a re-paint job then I would dip all of the panels and start with fresh, clean metal. besides that. most products are like POR sorry to say. I would also consider media blasting. cheaper than chemicals and if done right...won't warp the metal.

[JoshStratton]

I am not too concerned with how the insides look since they will not be seen. I will probably end up re-painting them. I am also looking for something I can do myself at home. I am determined to complete this project 100% on my own without purchasing outside help.

[third base]

in that case, there is this stuff called Rust Destroyer that I found at my local paint store. I used it on a couple of small things when looking for an alternative to POR. comes in a spray can. after cleaning the surface area, spray with multiple LIGHT coats and then use a regular primer before you put down your color.. Hope this helps.

[deadcarny]

rust encapsulator and anti-rust (eastwood products) are a good combo! the anti rust can be sprayed down to soak into the crevises and slow ruse. this is really all you can do short of removing the panels and removing the rust completely.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Don't think the inside of the fenders do not show. You will not realize how much they show until you do them nice. Especially on light bright colors like yellow, white, colors drastically different the typical semi gloss black under the hood. Areas like that are the detail areas that make the difference between good paint jobs and really good paint jobs. We usually sand strip with 180 on a DA in these areas that would warp badly from sandblasting, and do a little sandblasting down low where the bracing is, and where they are usually pitting. We also sand blast the outside down low and the edges, and do a little body work and blocking afterwards. The bare metal we polish up with Ospho, then neutralize and sand off the Ospho, then self etch to urethane, or a urethane capable of direct bare metal application.
When I ran judging, one of the first places I instructed judges to look was straight down at the inner side of the lower valance on the inside with the hood open. Also the lower fender extensions inside, and behind the battery and opening on the driver side to see what it looked like. Many times this separated the bunch. And if you are doing it yourself there is no real major cost here, 90% is labor.

[rockdogz]

I've been following the advice of those at Autobodystore.com (http://www.autobodystore.com/) and after stripping the old paint use picklex (http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=P20&Category_Code=RCAC) rust converter followed by Zero Rust (http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=RCAC) on the inside of panels.

[68protouring454]

most of the inside of the fender where you see is double metal, so there is no warping to worry about, like franks says i usually blast the ledge where hood comes down and covers, then up the back i will lightly blast the complete bracing and edge as you will not warp that unless you are a fool, you can blast lots of areas if you know what to watch for
blast it be done, stop relying on all these products to kill rust, blast it clean, etch prime then urethane prime
jake

[JoshStratton]

stop relying on all these products to kill rust, blast it clean, etch prime then urethane prime
jake
Unfortunately I found this out the hard way. Spend all that money and time and the stuff just plain sucks. People are starting to depend on it too much. I believed the hype when I was using it and didn't listen to the advise of the wise people on this board. Now I know the truth. I am sure people will continue to use it thinking it is great stuff, but they will learn for themselves eventually.

I can see putting it on a floor pan or something that will be covered with carpet and dynomat, but I will no longer put it on anywhere else. It is straight metal and metal replacement for me now.

I think I will do what Frank suggested. Make it nice inside. I am creating a car that will be driven a lot and if I take it to shows, it won't be for awards. However, I will know what lurks under there (even if it isn't seen), and if it isn't pretty I will feel I did a bad job.

Maybe I will DA it down and use Aircraft Paint Remover on the harder to get to areas.