How to repair 3rd Gen Ram rear fender rust...*PICS*

[IQRaceworks]

Like lots of others with 3rd gen Rams.....I started getting rust on the top of the rear wheel well area on my fenders. I figured that if I just let it go, it was going to turn into a mess. I went ahead and ordered a set of wheel well arch repair panels off of ebay for around $80, and went to town. Just thought I would share what I did in case others are thinking about doing the same thing.

Here was the rust that started...it was about the same on both sides. There was also a dent that needed repaired by the bumper.



Here is the panel off of ebay that I laid up against my fender. The fit was perfect. I ended up trimming it down a little bit. Out of the box they were much wider...I didn't want to start cutting and welding right next to the fuel tank cap.



I traced the outline of the new panel on the fender, and then cut it out with a cutoff wheel on a die grinder.



Once I got the old panel cut out, it was easy to see where the rust was coming from.



I ground all of the rust off and cleaned everything up.



Then I put several coats of primer over the bare metal to keep the rust from coming back.



I welded a few tabs on the back of the new panel to help with alignment, and then put several coats of 3M Weld-Thru prime on the back of the panel.



Then I tack welded the new panel in place.



After the tack welds were all ground flat, I put some 3M epoxy seam sealer over the joint to seal out any moisture...and keep any rust from coming back.



Then it was time for the body work.....lots of bondo, and then sanding to smooth it all out.



After I had the body filler all smoothed out the way I wanted it, then I applied several coats of Primer Surfacer....and then blocked that down.



Then it was time to mask everything up, clean everything really well with Wax & Grease remover, sand the repair area with 400grit paper, and the rest of the panel with 1000 grit paper...then clean again with Wax & Grease remover a few more times. Once that was done...I put a few coats of silver base over the repair area, and then a few more coats blending the color a little farther out towards the edges of the panel.



After the base coat had dried 30min, it was time to spray on several coats of clear coat. It turned out great.....



After it dried a few days, it was time to wetsand with 1500 grit paper to knock down some of the orange peel in order to match the factory finish on the rest of the truck. Then buff back to a shine with 3M Perfect-It II compound.



After everything was cleaned up and polished, it was time to put the pin striping back on, lights back in, tailgate back on, bumper back on........and call it done!




When it was all said and done, it cost me around $300 in paint and supplies, $80 for the new panels, and around 30 hours of labor. It was a pain...but it turned out nice, and now I don't have to see that nasty rust growing on my truck every day.

If anyone has any questions, just let me know.

 

[justin13703]

Hell yeah man that looks great. Can't even tell anything ever happened.

 

[JAMMAN]

You are truly talented. I'm severely lacking in the body work arena. It takes "artistic" abilities!

 

[MarkV]

I need to do this to my truck. But i know a guy who restores old cars. He said he will help me do my box panels. He uses epoxy to weld them...

 

[stev0n]

You did a GREAT job blending that in! Especially in your garage!

I've seen panel repair jobs done in the shop & painted in an actual booth, with blending agent, that didn't look as good...seriously!

I've got to weld in new panels on the new ram I just picked up on both sides + back door rockers. I was going to just weld in new sheet metal in the shop. Now I'm thinking $80 on eBay is worth saving me the hassle of forming the metal.

Here's what the passenger side of mine looks like



Is this one like you got?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/401109179055?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[avantiguy]

Well done, One of the toughest colors to blend is metallic silver. Looks like you did great.

 

[xb1230]

Is this one like you got?
Dodge Pickup Bedside Patch Panel Wheel Arch Upper 2002 2009 Dodge RAM New Pair | eBay

These are actually larger than the ones IQRaceworks purchased. If you look closely, they go from the lower groove up, as the ones he got only cover the upper part of the fender, about the center half of the ones you have found.

However, I looked around and have not been able to find the equivalent quickly. Looking at the damage you have to deal with, you might be better off with the ones you found as they are more likely to completely cover the damage area.

Hope this helps.

 

[JAMMAN]

Over the second picture it says:

Here is the panel off of ebay that I laid up against my fender. The fit was perfect. I ended up trimming it down a little bit. Out of the box they were much wider...I didn't want to start cutting and welding right next to the fuel tank cap.

So perhaps the e-bay ones are those.

 

[hotkarl]

I did mine last summer. I pulled those damn fender flares off and there was nothing left!
Nearly the entire arch was gone on both sides. Took me a solid day per panel from cut out to primer. I installed wheel well liners too. Wish I took photos of the process.

 

[EWC88]

This is going be happening in a week for me. Brother in law is cutting a section of my rocker panel out and welding in new section, then on one wheel arch I have the lovely bubbles showing (stating rust under it) so he told me we will just grind it down and if it's small enough weld that spot if not he has metal to fab up. Then off to a paint shop because I'm not talented like that lol.

 

[BgHrn]

You did a great job! Where are you located, if your close, I'll pay you to do mine!

 

[IQRaceworks]

These are actually larger than the ones IQRaceworks purchased. If you look closely, they go from the lower groove up, as the ones he got only cover the upper part of the fender, about the center half of the ones you have found.

However, I looked around and have not been able to find the equivalent quickly. Looking at the damage you have to deal with, you might be better off with the ones you found as they are more likely to completely cover the damage area.

Hope this helps.

Actually the ones I used originally started out just like those one at the ebay link you posted....I just trimmed mine down a little bit before I used them because they got right up next to the gas tank filled lid, and I didn't want to have to deal with cutting, grinding, and welding right next to the filler cap....and then trying to smooth it all out to make it look right.

 

[xb1230]

Actually the ones I used originally started out just like those one at the ebay link you posted....I just trimmed mine down a little bit before I used them because they got right up next to the gas tank filled lid, and I didn't want to have to deal with cutting, grinding, and welding right next to the filler cap....and then trying to smooth it all out to make it look right.

I can dearly appreciate that...

At the end of the day, you take whatever option is cheapest and use only what you need. The less you replace the less work you have to do to blend it in.

Great work you did there.

 

[xb1230]

Did you also fix the little dent on the passenger side below the taillight?