Can cut fenders lead to rust? What can I fill them with?
10-11-2017, 06:09 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Can cut fenders lead to rust? What can I fill them with?
I have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport with a 3.5 inch lift. The jeep has wide rims with a set of beefy 31x10.5x15 tires. The previous owner cut the edges of the bumper and the fender on each side so that the wheels wouldn't rub. They were still rubbing a bit on the fenders, so I ground the inner fender plastic and the fender down some more. The tires will clear now, so my problem is fixed, but I have holes in the ends of my fenders now. I feel like if I leave them like this, it'll just allow for mud and debris to get in there and cause rust. I did paint the bare metal cut edges with truck bed liner to avoid surface rust, but it looks like I need something to plug the holes. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks in advance.
10-12-2017, 02:59 PM
#4
Seasoned Member
Painting should work, however, if you really want to cap the hole, there's a couple options. Option #1: create a mold and make a fiberglass "patch" and secure it in place and paint that. Option #2: mold some plastic, such as an inner fender insert from a junk yard. Heat it up with a good heat gun until it's moldable, shaping as you like, then attach. If you are really good with a torch or really hot heat gun, you can even "weld" together your reshaped plastic to the existing plastic. Epoxy will also work to accomplish that, as it melts plastic as it settles and catalyzes
10-13-2017, 01:25 AM
#5
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Fiberglass is a no go it will pop off over time since the jeep is metal.The patch needs to be metal and welded on or could get away with body panel adhesive which is as strong as a weld.Or the redneck way pop rivets and a lot of seam sealer and under coating to seal it up fully.
10-13-2017, 03:01 AM
#6
Seasoned Member
My thought was since it's metal and plastic, going the cheaper route with plastic and designing a plastic "cap" that can be riveted or bolted in and yes, sealed with something
10-14-2017, 02:05 AM
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Sheet metal 16 or 18 gauge is thin enough to bend by hand with a hammer and straight edge and cheap.You could even go to a junkyard buy a hood or something flat enough and cut the skin to use i have done that once.I rather use body panel adhesive over rivets since its basicly a weld where rivets can let it move a tiny bit.Seam sealer is what the factory used on the floors to make them water tight and its cheap.Same thing with a 3m spray can of rubberized undercoating and after that its good for 20 years lol.