Sheet Metal/Autobody guys need your help!

admin

OK First don’t rag me about my new truck, I picked it up Friday and look how much it rusted overnight! I’m 50 years old, money is tight and I needed to replace the old truck (yes it was worse than this).  So call your wife and kids into the room to look at this and say hey we are doing better than that a—hole.Anyway I would rather not purchase two fenders for this thing and any repair I do will look better than this mess. Finding a fender in a salvage yard in Ohio will be tough. I will try but….A few questions:1. What gauge metal is a truck fender for a 2001 Dodge Ram2500?2. If I cut the rotten/rusty metal out and replace it, to form a lip for the inside of the fender (portion around wheel opening) would I use a shrinker/stretcher to form the lip? 3. Lastly, replacing the fender is probably easiest (never done it to a modern vehicle). I found this web site http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByDepa.../RAM_2500/2001 The price seems too low for this to be a quality piece. Anyone deal with low end knock off replacement parts? Attached ImagesLast edited by Reebs; 01-19-2013 at 08:58 PM.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:normally the cheap aftermarket fenders are thinner then stock from what I have heard. We put certifit fenders on the front of a friends ram(same generation as yours) and they lined up very well. personally I would put fenders on it, that rust does not look fun to fix and Im sure there would be a lot of labor involved once you cut out everything that is bad. But I live in SC and if a vehivle has as much as a pinhole do to rust its considered rusted out
Reply:Originally Posted by Reebs3. Lastly, replacing the fender is probably easiest (never done it to a modern vehicle). I found this web site http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByDepa.../RAM_2500/2001 The price seems too low for this to be a quality piece. Anyone deal with low end knock off replacement parts?
Reply:You can do what I did with my first car... I used expanding spray foam to fill the holes. once it dried i cut off the waste and shaped it till it was close and bondo to finish ... shoulda kept that ol' girl Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:Check out LMC Truck. You'll probably have to remove the fender to repair it properly. That rust issue goes deeper then the outer fender and the paint is still hiding a lot of damage.  Pull the fender, assess the full extent of the damage, and fix it right the 1st time. If you're really intent on fixing the fender you can pick up patch panels from LMC and weld them in.  YAY ME! 1ST POST!  sorry, had to do it.
Reply:Man that's a lot of rust for just one night....you would be better off changing out the fenders, you may find patch panels that could replace the rotted sections, but the drivers side looks very high, which would make a patch very hard.Good luck.
Reply:I would find  fenders and replace them, keystone products  "usually" fit pretty good....you could use a shrinker stretcher and patch them, but it won't last very long. The main reason why those rust out is the trim and/or the pinch weld inside the lip, this holds salt/moisture and never dries... new or used fenders would be the easiest... probably take you a weekend to R/R those two fenders, less if you have a helper.Last edited by DemonSpeeder; 01-19-2013 at 10:06 PM.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:a1998z3Amazing how that rust attacks!!Thanks guys truck is sound and solid except for the fenders. I will probably go the replacement route but just wanted some options.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:I did this for a jeep...fab up some metal and also did one with replacement fenders...I would say for this go with the replacement fenders. It was tricky on a jeep to get it to match and it was all straight stuff too. But I myself like things to look nice and plus that would be some time in that and time is money! Good luck with which ever option you pick.Lincoln SA 200 Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 TIG
Reply:Sorry I'm late to the game, but I got my start in fabrication through auto body. These days my hobby is Full Size Jeeps, so rusty fenders is my forte'. If you want factory looking repair, sourcing junkyard fenders from a truck with the same paint color it the best/cheapest way to go, even in you have to go through a site like car-part.com and pay shipping.If you can't find any, post up again and we can discuss uglier options.
Reply:If you buy a replacement fender, try to get a CAPA.  It will fit.  Non CAPA often have fitting issues.  The only reason to try to repair those fenders is if they were no longer available.
Reply:Originally Posted by Crabo  The only reason to try to repair those fenders is if they were no longer available.
Reply:No yearly inspections in Ohio man, drive it until they fall off. If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Larp I love your avitar!I willl do some looking  thanks for web sites and sources.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:Get some fender xtendors like the offroaders use for bigger wider tires. It will clean the look up and not cut into your budget since you already just bought the truck.
Reply:Reebs, I went over and looked a friends truck and i think i may have found a fix for u.Look at a set of bushwacker or simular fender extenders. They ride up high enough so you could cut the cancer out and take some 18 age and patch where you cut. use some rust encapuslater type paint before welding the patch. May be the cheapest route.
Reply:Have you guys actually looked at prices of those fender extenders?? They are ridiculous... they run about 400 +, plus shipping. You can buy fenders for less and those fender extenders won't fall off in a couple months....I still say new fenders...Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:may find some locally cheap/used....
Reply:Fender flares is what I was thinking also for the cheapest repair.  I'm not sure they would go high enough for all the damage though.  I've replaced several fenders from autoparts.com with good luck and cheap price if you have to go that route.
Reply:check out jcwhitney;http://www.jcwhitney.com/fender-flares/c13135j1s17.jcwx
Reply:That's about $500.http://www.jcwhitney.com/warn-4x-smo...50370y2001g2j1On page two from car-part.com there's a silver passenger side one in  Evansville, IN for $100. Keep in mind that car-part dot com tends to be pricier than the actual junkyards around here. Even the yards where "they-pull-it" usually beat car-parts prices.http://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.c...ey=&userPage=2That said flares would definitely be the easier fix, but replacing the fenders would be the better fix.
Reply:I was looking at some like these, since he was going to have to cut the cancer out. These would attach to the patch.http://www.jcwhitney.com/rubber-fend...50370y1999g2j1
Reply:With that much rust showing, PLEASE check the steel brake line between the fuel tank and the frame. I owned a Ram like that and there's a nice ol' lady in town that used to have a nice rear bumper on her Buick!
Reply:I would replace the fenders..  I wouldnt mess with salvage yard fenders unless absolutely necessary, usually you'll have to work on them to get the dents and dings out of them.. also a good chance stock salvage yard fenders will end up with the same issues as the ones your removing.. new certified fenders will already be epoxy primered, all you'll have to do is maybe a test fit, scuff with a scotch brite pad and paint them.tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:ebayhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/99-00-01-DOD...82cf25&vxp=mtrhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/99-00-01-DOD...edfe15&vxp=mtrhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/99-00-01-DOD...7ed89a&vxp=mtrhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/99-00-01-DOD...f3ed33&vxp=mtrnormally not a fan, but when you live in rust prone areas finding good used replacements can be near impossible.....  ebay lets you buy something that lived out of the rust belt.your aftermarket fenders may not cost much more, but they are not quite the same quality either.  that being said, the rest of your truck will rust out long before your replacement fenders.just another option.Thanks guys many many  options that I never thought of.I will wait for warmer weather before doing a remove and replace.I love this web PAGEDave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:Try these guys.http://www.nationalautobody.com/cata...2224_2227_2980laterOrlie
Reply:Originally Posted by OrlieTry these guys.http://www.nationalautobody.com/cata...2224_2227_2980laterOrlie
Reply:I have an '04 Dodge 2500 with similar issues. I just put fender skirts on it to hide the rust. If I was to fix it I would replace the fenders and bed sides. However there is always additional rust once you get into it like cab corners, rockers and floors. Once it starts rusting.......... it can turn into a money pit or you can drive it until it falls apart.A man needs to know his limitations!
Reply:Thanks Redone.I just went to MARS (Mogadore Auto Recycling) and picked up a nice fender with inter-fender well. Great price $110Better than the old days call every yard in the area then slog thru mud to find a part worse than the one you pitched. I drove up dropped the cash and the kid put it in my truck, I was there maybe 5 minutes.Dave ReberWadsworth Ohio
Reply:Personally I like the look of the bushwacker cut out fender flares, but it's not worth it if you're not trying to stuff some serious meat in the wells. I'd just do the fender swap if you're keeping it simple.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ReebsThanks Redone.I just went to MARS (Mogadore Auto Recycling) and picked up a nice fender with inter-fender well. Great price $110Better than the old days call every yard in the area then slog thru mud to find a part worse than the one you pitched. I drove up dropped the cash and the kid put it in my truck, I was there maybe 5 minutes.
Reply:lmctruck.comI forgot how to change this.