SORTIE

I'm planning to keep my 1st gen for a long time and don't want rust to get a foothold. We had a VERY mild winter but that is highly abnormal around these parts.

The PO had the truck painted and paid for a quality job. He installed the flares professionally as well.

On a hunch, I removed the rear fender flares to see what was going on underneath them. Sure enough, rust had started (pics to follow tomorrow).

I like the flares and plan to re-install them, but not before eradicating the rust and applying some sort of barrier coat that aligns with the edge of the flares. I also want to seal the lip that's created by the body panels as they come together on the underside of the fender wells.

What is the best way to go about this?

user name

Your not going to like this but the only way to get rid of it for any length of time replace it with one that's never been rusty then move to a dry climate. I live in likely the worst rust area in the U.S. lots of salt and high humidity year round it sucks. I did my fun truck with a patch panel and it was done as well as you can one and it only lasted two years of summer driving before starting to blister right next to the repair. Rust sucks

jerseybud

Wheel well rust in the bed starts from the inside out. Salt and moisture spray go up over the wheel well and create debris which holds moisture in. Once you see bubbles, it means the other side of the metal is toast. Bubbles are just the top of the ice berg. Only way to fix is cut it out and weld new panel in. Pull your taillights and look at the wheel well with a strong flashlight. You'll be shocked at the rust you see.
As far as prevention, I try to blow the dust out with compressed air as much pressure as possible (with goggles) or water on the dryest hottest summer day possible. Water is not recommended because the seam between the bed side and wheel well will hold moisture a long time. I use a pick ti get the rocks I can reach also. Once its dry and the dirt is gone, I've tried Eastwood internal frame coating, but an oil of some sort might be a better alternative. A coating on the outside isn;t of much use when the bubbles start.
Post your pics and we'll have a better idea

user name

He nailed it that is why a fair amount of southern trucks will start to rust over the rear wheels too. They have more of a dirt holding moister issue than salt and take longer to start rusting but same idea. A guy that knows what he's doing would hose that area out when he washes the truck every sunday from new, it would really help keeping the rust from starting. Once rust starts it's a bad deal to get stopped I hate the stuff.

SORTIE

thx for the responses, my northern brothers

I will snap some pics tomorrow in the daylight

SORTIE

right rear fender, under flare



right rear fender lip...how should this gap be sealed to prevent water infiltration?

will take better pics with a digital flash camera tonight

user name

That looks like cracked bondo to me. Thats not a good thing if it is.

SORTIE

LR fender (under flare)



RR fender lip



rust clearly forming inside joint

SORTIE

so who else thinks they see cracked BONDO?

and what is the proper way to seal the joint where the sheet metal meets?

if these fender wells rust from the inside out, that joint is gonna be where it starts

bannerd

Wurth UnderBody Seal.. scroll down on this site to see what it looks like.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=204699

It's a nasty goop so make sure you wear a mask.

Apply fresh paint and it'll last a real long time.

SORTIE

thx for the response, bannerd

would you use that on painted surfaces that the flares were stuck to?

bannerd

Yeah, just mask it off first and sand paper the paint. You want it to be roughed up so it can stick to it. I've used por15 in the past but I'm just finding it flakes off in the harsh environments that I live in.

Por15 claims that it doesn't flake and I've called them about it and they've sent me free cans to re-apply. Well I was under my truck the other day and it was flaking again. I can see the bare metal where I wire wheeled it and it's just peeling off and crumbles like plastic.

Just keep in mind that you want to clean as much of that rust off.

https://goodspeedmotoring.com/ sells the gun and stuff you need. Just search for Wurth.

They also sell the are-sol can for 10$.

schamran

After your repair you might wanna try using Fluid Film. It can be had in a spray bomb or a gallon can at most John Deere Dealerships. At home we coat all of our trucks every fall, inside of everything including the doors. Its really stinky for the first few days, but the smell goes away. This is the first year we've done it, and it seemed to last all (Wisconsin) winter.