blueta89

I got a '89 TA 350 with about 110,000 miles been parked
outside for all 14 years in the cold winterland of Boston...

I just noticed water dripping from under R rear wheel well on a warm dry June day in parking lot... my car only.
I look inside my rearhatch, open trunk and in under the spare tire
I got a bunch of rust and a about 3 small size holes/cracks in the
metal (can see the ground/tire below).

Sooo now I know the problem... all the winter salt & rain driving and splashing up from tires into wheelwells have rusted right thru. Really great! Why doesn't GM better protect this area !?

First I'm not good at body work... bondo is not easy stuff to work with.

Will this work (trying to do a quick and cheap cheap fix) (I'm hurting for money with tought times these days).... ???

Scrape and sand and clean away loose rust. The spray all rusty spots with some Rustoleum rust paint (POR-15 is too much $$).
Then MAYBE try to Bondo the larger holes/cracks.

THEN... I thought I could rig up some plastic (using a cut up
empty gallon plastic milk bottles)... using this very flexible plastic
I could use tape and goop/glue OR (should I) try sheet metal screws and screw the pieces of plastic into the good metal .
I would do this on both sides (inside by spare tire and outer under the wheel well).

My thinking... at least this milk-bottle plastic is 100% water proof and salt and water splashing from tires will just run right off and NOT RUST like the crapy sheetmetal that came with car.

I'm trying to duplicate (cheaply and DIY) like the front wheel wells have a protective inner heavyduty plastic housing inside the FRONT wheels.

Why didn't GM do the same for the rear wheels like they did for the front?


Will my plastic from milk bottles do any good?
Can I simply use small sheet metal screws to attach it in place and them goop/seal around it.

Finally I would spray paint it all and undercoat it good too.

HELP!

napalmdemos

Why not use sheet metal?
But first you need to get rid of the rust because no matter what you do to fix it, it will continue to rust. I would sand out the rust (or use a dremil) spray with some kind of rust protectant (I use naval jelly) then put the sheet metal over it. Then spray paint under the wheel well black also make sure to use some kind of silacone to keep the water out once its fixed.

91wtROH17's

Ya, you have got to cut out the rust and put some new metal in it's place, or else it will just keep going and going. Try to use pop rivets or have it tacked with a mig welder(body or even muffler shop), they would charge you next to nothing. Then use some body caulking around the edges, and then use your paint. Don't forget to get at least a wire wheel for your drill to clean up all of the edge's before you put the new metal in, and also dont forget to spray the work from the under side aswell. This whole process will cost you no more than $20!!! Use a piece of plastic and you will have(instead of three small holes)a big *** hole next spring!!

Later,
Corey

camaro6spd

Cut out ALL of your rust, get a some sheet metal from a body shop, they throw out old hood and so forth all the time and you can get it for free. Then you can use sheet metal screws, get some 3m Fast N' Firm(http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/e...eme_us_aad_3_0)


You can get it at.
http://www.autobodysupply.net/catalo...?CategoryID=12

OR any autobody supply store around you. Check with you local NAPAs.

Put the seam sealer inbetween the patch and the old surface. Then put lot of sheet metal screws, about one every 2 inches around it and get a can of undercoating from wal-mart for $4 and under coats the outside and the inside of the patch. Bingo you have fixed it and it is now weather proof. Should cost you all of $15.

blueta89

THANKS for all the great tips and ideas...

I understand that the sheet metal is much much stronger than plain plastic... BUT the sheet metal will eventually again rust no matter how much rust prooofing....

The sheet metal is lots harder to cut and shape and bend into place and form snuggly into tight area. That's main reason why want to try plastic. Plus its waterprooof.

I was thinking that the milk bottle type plastic is very flexible and lightlight weight and a lot easier to manipulate into some tough corners etc. I don't have a pop rivet or know someone to do welding.
I will probably still get some lightweight sheet metal at autozone BUT I will still apply(glue/caulk) onto that some of this plastic milk bottle plastic on the underside above wheel to protect and keep splashing off metal.

How much does a pop rivet thingy cost? Is just sheet metal screws good enuf ?
Thanks for help !

blueta89

My inner right wheel well is rusted right thru...
This is right where the stupid crappy mini-spare tire
is stored. Water splashing off right wheel has put huge hole(s)
in inner well.

I got one big hole (can see the tire and ground) which is
about 10" long by 4" wide.

And I got 2 other separate holes about 3" by 3".
The biggest hole goes from directly above the tire down back toward the rear of car.

The metal in between these 3 or 4 holes is kinda shaky and
not real strong. My problem is if I do use some sheet metal to
cover these holes is where can I screw in (attach) the sheet metal screws to hold the patches of new sheet metal ???
I do not have access to a Mig welder. Is welding the only good way to attach new sheet metal?

Anybody know what this whole part (the inner wheel well)
is called ? GM part number? Cost?

I can't believe how big the holes are all together.
I'm completely at a loss...
I'm heading to a GM dealer body shop to see what they say and
what cost?
Should I just look to find used/new part for my '89 TA?

ALSO... How come the Left rear inner well is so different.
It at least has more protection with a good size piece of hard
plastic/rubber closest to tire side to protect the metal.
The Right rear wheel well has nothing like this. I know the Left
rear well does not have to handle the Spare tire like the Right side does.

Pontiac made a real crappy design on this Right rear side !!

napalmdemos

You should be able to pick up a pop rivit gun for less than 20 bucks (Walmart), as for the dealer I wouldnt waste your time.

Can you post some pics of the rust and the wheel well, that would help a lot. Also if you really want to use plastic I would suggest you go to the junk yard and pull one of the plastic wheel well cover from the front fender from a old car and reform it to fit in your rear wheel well.

Randy82WS7

on my 82 the whole entire bottom of the sprare tire tub is completely gone, huge hole, and wheel arch outside is all the way through too,
i cant see how putting any metal over the hole with screws or rivets will help much at all, junk will get in between metal and rot and do same thing within a year, if even that, and be worse then,

welding peices in is best way but we dont have the option and welding is not cheap liek that around her,e it is hard to find a mig welder anywhere, no one seems to own one,

any more ideas ?

blueta89

Thanks for the junkyard front piece part idea... not thought that.

Randy (Fast68) - you're right. Mig welding ain't so easy or cheap to come by here in Boston. It is only way to too to get some large piece of sheet metal back in there to fill the huge hole(s). I really don't have anything to even rivet or screw into
even if I wanted to.
Sounds like my problem was like yours... except (for now) I still got the bottom of the spare well left.

I can't believe EVERYBODY (at least parked up North here) has not had the exact same type RUST-thru problem especially in the Right rear
tire area. It ain't protected at all like the little the other 3 wheel wells are.

Actually... I temporarily just today.... used (believe it or not)...
Alcoa aluminum tin foil wrap (like use in the kitchen oven) and a bunch of duct tape plus some clear plastic handiwrap lunch bags... Just to keep out the wet, rain and splash off road.
So far it's holding on... I ain't planning to drive for now unless it's
Sunny and 70's.
The aluminum foil wont rust and is super easy to bend and shape. I hope it holds for awhile.
Any other good ideas.?

napalmdemos

If its primered and sealed with silacone it shouldnt rust back out as long as you clean all the old rust off it first.
I have used old street sign for a floor pan fix and I had no problem with it rusting again.
I guess what I am trying to say is cut all the rust out primer it seal the hell out of it and paint it (or undercoat) , I cant see how it would rust after this.