I pulled the RH gfx off my car Saturday, and found NOTHING One front fender is rotted, and one is flawless...go figure. So now I'm off to the body shop to get an estimate tomorrow.

How much do you guys think it should cost to cut a LF fender under the gfx, weld in a new piece, and paint it and re-install the gfx on both sides? I don't feel like dealing with it anymore, and just want it over with!

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Jason E

'89 Camaro RS
-Medium Grey Metallic
-2.8, A4, T-tops, 95k miles
-Hypertech chip, Accel 8.8MM wires and coil
-K&Ns with gutted airbox
-Alpine 60x4 with Boston 746s and RX97s

'97 Z28
-30th Anniversary package (white with orange stripes)
-LT1, M6, t-tops, 46k miles
-Xtant 403a 50x4 + 300x1 powering a 10" Eclipse Aluminum in a JL Stealth box, Boston RM6 fronts, Monsoon rears (temporary!!), Eclipse 5341R CD, All Monster's goodies...
Speed Kills...Wanna live forever? Drive a Ford.
Long Live #3...

 

For a new front fender? look around. alot cheaper and easier to do then them making a filler piece. You can probly get a good one for around 50-75 bucks is you look around.

 

Is the fender "just" rotted under the side skirt? If so, I wouldn't replace the fender; I wouldn't even worry about painting the fender the correct "matching" color. As long as it gets some kind of topcoat (most primers aren't waterproof) to keep the rust out, and the inside of the fender gets the same (or a zinc treatment or undercoating), it should be fine.

That's not a difficult area to weld in, either... figure maybe $100 for the weld job? Most of the guy's time will be spent cutting the old fender, and cutting a piece to fit in it's spot... the welding might take 20 minutes. He'll have to do a ton of small spot welds around the circumference, and then do more... in effect, "closing the gap"- this is done to avoid warpage (from heat) of the panel.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

I bought an OEM one from the dealership for $155 I believe. That's with a 10% discount.

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2.8 Liter V6
No Current Mods

 

Yah, I got my GM fender for under $200.

 

Start scouting for a fender.
I've been able to score them for about $20-ish.
Make sure it's made in America, I seen foreign junk out there.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Tom,
It is indeed "just" rotted under the gfx I went to 4 shops so far, two of which don't want to do rust repair. The other two, one is getting me an estimate on Monday, the other said $250 to fix the everything but the wheelwells, but I think he just was gonna put a whole lotta bondo in it...I'm having some trim stuff re-done too at the same time.

Everyone I have asked about a new fender ends up saying "Well, ya gotta go and paint it, blend it with the door and the hood, take off the hood and repaint it...." YEAH, right guys...neither of them are touching the car thankfully.

Aside from the LF fender, I'm also having fixed the surface rust under the LR gfx in front of the LR wheel, a tiny speck of rust on the RF fender under the gfx, re-painting the flat black trim around the hatch and on the left t-top, and re-painting the inner lip on both rear fenders, as the paint is peeling a little bit.

For a car I wasn't even sure I was keeping a couple weeks ago, I know this is a lotta work. But if I'm gonna keep it, I want it done right, and the car to look perfect when I'm done. For all the bitching I do about the car (primarily because I am surrounded by new cars at work all day!!), I still love the car, and you oughta see the compliments I have gotten on it from shop guys...

For the first time ever, when one guy asked what it had for an engine and I said a 2.8, he said "Sweet ride" instead of "Beautiful car, too bad it needs an extra couple cylinders."

I hope this work can come in around $400 for everything...that sound right??



[This message has been edited by Jason E (edited November 16, 2001).]

 

If you want to zap some rust yourself, check out http://www.por-15.com - that stuff is awesome.

Hey- wait, why go get it welded? Fix the area with POR-15, then, use the Eastwood Company's "weld-less panel repair system" to fix the area! It comes with a rivet gun, a punch (to flush the rivets flat with the panel), and panel sealant. http://www.eastwoodcompany.com

Or, you could just cut the area out, paint the edges with POR-15 so the old rust is stopped, and no new rust can start, and put the GFX back on.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

I have thought of that I'm going to get more quotes tomorrow, and hope to have something wrapped up by the end of the week, because the Z is going off the road for hibernation VERY soon...

Only problem with that idea Tom is that if I keep the car, I'm gonna wish I had fixed it right. Knowing there's a hole under my gfx will just **** me off

 

(laughs) That's true! It'd do the same for me!


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

 

When you put the GFX back on, you should invest in some Rust check, that stuff in a can, its like what $5, and spray underneath and on the back of hte GFX, to prevent future rust, as well as stopwhat is already there... just a suggestion...

I also think you should get a fender from a junk yard if you are going to get on, you would probably save yourself a pile...

 

Well, after the 2 quotes I have gotten so far, looks like I'll be doing a lot of this myself...

For the list I gave above, on eshop wants $830 (that's patching the fender) or $1,025 (that's a new fender)....uh, NO.

Looks like I'll be getting the fender patched for $300 or so, then taking care of the rust myself, and the hell with the t-top and rear window trim. Thankfully almost all of the body rust is under the gfx...

So I'm thinking before I have the shop weld the new piece in and tack the gfx back on, any rust under the gfx I will sand down and just spray real thick with undercoating...will that work? It doesn't need to be pretty under there, but I don't want to take these things off in another couple years (if I still have it) and find rust has spread all over...

Opinions? Where can I find this POR - 15 atuff???

 

Make it real easy & phone the local yards for a used fender.
I've paid $10 for one. It was a 1/2 price day sale. You need a 100mm socket to remove it.
Takes about 20 minutes if that long.
You car is not a car that there are not parts for them in the local yards.
For $800, I got a running 3.4 engine to slip in my car.
I'm sure I can paint my whole car for way less than $800, too!
But, the LA traffic would kill my effort!

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA