rust under the decal

[MMoney]

Hoping someone can give advice on this repair.....I have rust on both of my TA's front fenders....near the front.......below is the worst...passenger side. Can I possibly peel back the decal with a heat gun and repair it....then reglue the decal??? I am NOT going to pull the fender and have it welded....can't afford that kind of repair....I'm going to do what I can to fix it cosmetically (fiberglass and JB weld...my weapons of choice) and with the best hope of slowing the progression....and then drive it for a while before deciding what to do with the car...thanx

Oh....pixs of the car are in the welcome forum under my name....

 

[terrywalker]

I'll tell you right now, that rust, when removed, is going to leave a huge hole on the top and side of the fender. If you just fill it in, that will not stop the rust progression. It looks as if the plastic fender shield that keeps mud from piling up above the headlight buckets is either missing or damaged. My suggestion would be to either repair it correctly or replace the fenders. I repaired some Challenger fenders in that same area by drilling out the spot welds on the headlight bucket brackets, removing them, doing the repair and reinstalling the bucket brackets with spot welds. Problem solved and the fenders are still great 18 years later. If you have a friend who welds, that would be the best repair. Fiberglass may work for a short time but will eventually crack in that area. Same with filler and moisture will get in and cause more issues. I wish you the best whatever your decision.
Terry W.

 

[DetMatt1]

Agreed and I’m not sure you could peel back the decal and reapply it either.

 

[terrywalker]

And to answer your original question about the vinyl stripe removal- a heat gun may work. You can give it a try but the rust bubbling may have expanded the vinyl and it may not go back flat over the repair correctly. The age of the vinyl will have a lot to do with ease of removal. A shop that does vinyl applications for lettering on vehicles for businesses may be able to help you. They do removal and reapplication all the time.
Terry W.

 

[ted s]

that fender is toast

 

[Adam]

Bad plan. Just fix it properly… also, if you start with new fenders from AMD I bet that would be less work and look better than trying to save those rotten fenders.

The front tire slings dirt & water up into the cavity above the headlight bucket (if the plastic shield is not there). The dirt holds the moisture and rots the metal from the inside. Terry is correct, you will have big holes under the paint.

 

[moparleo]

I was thinking that this post was a joke, The fender is a disaster, don't want to spend any money to fix it and trying to save a decal?? Really.
Removing a fender is not a big deal. " I got a flat tire with a big hole , but I don't want to pay for a big patch. What should I do ?" ....

Fender removal is simple. New fenders cost less than fixing terminal cancer. Cancer is rarely only in one spot.
Obviously previous owner just painted over it. Focus on safety items first. If you can't fix those things, park the car. Safety first.
Unless you are coming into money soon, I wouldn't count on properly fixing this car. Only 2 things are figured into the cost of fixing something Labor and parts. Oh and time. Time is money. A skilled person, even though they charge more per hour, get a lot more done in that hour. So it is rarely cheaper to pay someone with little experience to fix something for you. Things like what you see under the paint is what happens. Is it cheaper, no because you are going to have to fix it again. And parts are parts. New are available today for a reasonable price. Lower than labor cost to repair something that should be tossed. Result is a totally new, cancer free part.
Unless you are a body man, or know one real good, and you want it done quickly, it will cost, no way around it.
Only person I know who works for free is me, on my personal stuff. Everybody else at least pays for my time. You only get so much of that in your life. Spend it wisely.

 

[413]

is this April 1st? You are joking right?

Why do people want to do body work with JB weld?

And yes that fender is on need of a replacememt. It already got the fiberglass and JB weld treatment, and that’s how it ends up.

 

[rklein71]

 

[FY1TopBanana]

That fender is indeed toast. The vinyl will be distorted. Replacement kit isnt that bad. Splash missing from headlight bucket area of fenderwell wont help either.
Have to agree with the others. Its a TA after all. Save the time and money on the fiberglass + JB weld. [Save that for lawn mower decks. ]
We are in a good place these days with body metal; repop fenders can be had

 

[340challconvert]

Plenty good suggestions already made here!
Just replace the fenders with AMD or find decent originals that may need less repairs. Either way you will save time, money and frustration in the long run just replacing those toast fenders.
A TA Challenger is valuable and I would not waste my time, efforts and money trying to prolong the life of fenders that are probably worse off then just what you are seeing on the surface.
AMD sells the fenders for $399. We have all been there in funds needed to fix or restore our cars. If money is an issue, save up and replace one at a time. They are not hard to replace.

1970 Dodge Challenger Body Components - Fender - Front Fenders Body Components - Fender - Front Fenders

Front fender replacement sheetmetal for your classic Chevy, GMC, Ford, Pontiac, Dodge, Plymouth car and pickup truck.

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[rklein71]

I think we have been had by a jokester.

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

Sorry, but with fenders like that I have to wonder what the rest of the car looks like?

 

[MMoney]

A jokester??????? Did you bother to go back and look for my original post? I ordered AMD fenders from Roseville per the comments (the useful comments, that is). Do they have to be rolled to allow clearance for 15 inch wheels??? I put 205's on the front and 245's on the rear....good look, but hoping the 205's fit the new fenders.

 

[MoparCarGuy]

I ordered AMD fenders from Roseville per the comments (the useful comments, that is). Do they have to be rolled to allow clearance for 15 inch wheels??? I put 205's on the front and 245's on the rear....good look, but hoping the 205's fit the new fenders.

No, fenders do not need to be rolled when using 15" wheels. 205's on the front are very narrow. Many E-Bodies use 225's or 245's on stock 15x7 front wheels and 275's on aftermarket 15x8 rear wheels with no clearance issues.

 

[rklein71]

A jokester??????? Did you bother to go back and look for my original post? I ordered AMD fenders from Roseville per the comments (the useful comments, that is). Do they have to be rolled to allow clearance for 15 inch wheels??? I put 205's on the front and 245's on the rear....good look, but hoping the 205's fit the new fenders.

I am glad you got new fenders, still could be a jokester!

 

[robert power]

maybe it's a young person just starting out ,don't make fun unless you are sure.(I also thought it was a joke lol).

 

[rklein71]

I thought calling someone a jokester was a fairly benign description, and I really thought it was a joke too.