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Trimmed fenders, pinch seam oops...

Cornflake

Cornflake

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Redding FAR*NORCAL, CA
So back before I started checking out this website I trimmed my fenders like I had seen some other XJ's around town. Not knowing any better, I trimmed the rear fenders past the pinch seam...Duh....So now in a few spots there are gaps of maybe 1/2 inch to 3/4 and spots that aren't really open much. Anyone have any ideas what I can stuff in there and maybe seal it up? Welding is not a luxury I get to afford right now. So any idea's would be of great help. Thanks.
 
How about "Great Stuff" expanding foam? That would keep all the junk out. Probably wouldn't do much for the strength, but it would seal it up.
 
redbeard said:
How about "Great Stuff" expanding foam? That would keep all the junk out. Probably wouldn't do much for the strength, but it would seal it up.
Click to expand...

Great Stuff works, well, great. when i cut my fenders i got rid of the pinch weld, covered the gap with duct tape, and after taking off the inside panel, fille dit up with Great Stuff. A few days later i took off the duct tape after a little trimming, had a clean new inner fender well.
 
I made the mistake...but I am going to cut open the quarter panel and clean it all out and weld it back together then sand, etc...
 
spray it out, pull into garage, let dry, fill with foam, shave excess, paint to match, beat it up.... repeat
 
Bad move on the foam. It holds moisture and causes rust big time. Also the connection of the fender well and the body is actually a structural member of the unibody. Fix the sheet metal.
 
Great Stuff does NOT retain moisture. It's a closed-cell foam. The only way moisture/water will stay is if small cavities are left or if there are gaps allowing it in.
 
I cut past the pinch weld also. To weld it back together I used 1/8" x 2" flat stock and rolled the corners to match the radius of the cut out corners. I left 1" outside the body and the 1" inside gave me something to weld the inner fender to. I had to slice the edge of the wheel tub to bend it out to the flat bar and then weld up all the slits when done. It was a major PITA but looks good now and is strong and watertight. Even if you are a good sheetmetal welder, This will warp your quarter panels a little if you care about that. I put a small amount of filler(bondo) and radiused the joint where the flatbar meets the quarter. It also covers up the weld.

This is the best pic I have of it. I would take a closeup of it, but I'm out of town right now.

100_0718.jpg
 
Timber said:
Great Stuff does NOT retain moisture. It's a closed-cell foam. The only way moisture/water will stay is if small cavities are left or if there are gaps allowing it in.
Click to expand...

WRONG. there is atleast 3 versons of Great stuff. There is reular great stuff, closed cell great stuff, and minimal expanison great stuff. You are right about their being one available thats closed cell. If you use this even for a temporary fix make sure its closed cell. It does say somewhere on the back of the can you jsut have to read the fine print. Dont automatically assume its closed cell.

I would save money on somehting else and have the area fixed with sheet metal .... foam is not a good solution.
 
jeepdeepfreak said:
this is what I used and this stuff is STRONG!!
and as an added bonus it smells like peanut butter....ummmm yummy(pats tummy)
http://www.right-tool.com/pc7epoxypaste.html

I used duct tape on the outside to keep the epoxy from squeezing through and then I spread it on from the inside.
Hey mega watt did you fab that rear bumper?Looks killer!!
Click to expand...

That looks like some good stuff allright! Saved the link,thanks. Could use some of that for small rust holes on my Jeep, too bad the bigest they sell is only 90lbs! :shiver: lol

Ya think I could build a new rocker panel out of it? (gulp)
 
i did the same thing when i first cut my jeep, cut the whole pinch seam out, ended up cutting the entire inner fender out, and just used some rubber to keep water out, never had a structual problem, and to prove its not that important, i have a 2 door, and never broke a rear glass
 
klonestar said:
That looks like some good stuff allright! Saved the link,thanks. Could use some of that for small rust holes on my Jeep, too bad the bigest they sell is only 90lbs! :shiver: lol

Ya think I could build a new rocker panel out of it? (gulp)
Click to expand...

damn what are you trying to do build a whole new xj out of the shit?hahah just joking.

it'll go a long way I used 2 lbs of it to fill in my rear fender gap.WOW I just looked at the price of the 90lb can $595.00!!!!I see why you shiver....it's good for small jobs.I first seen it in the local ma and pop hardware store and they had 2 bricks glued together to demo it and trust me even "ahnold" wouldn't be able to break the bond!!
 
jeepdeepfreak said:
damn what are you trying to do build a whole new xj out of the shit?hahah just joking.

it'll go a long way I used 2 lbs of it to fill in my rear fender gap.WOW I just looked at the price of the 90lb can $595.00!!!!I see why you shiver....it's good for small jobs.I first seen it in the local ma and pop hardware store and they had 2 bricks glued together to demo it and trust me even "ahnold" wouldn't be able to break the bond!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up! I definately plan on trying it. (no, not the 90lb one) lol

I once glued two bricks together with gool ol Liquid Nails and when breaking them apart, the glue joint held but the bricks shattered!
 
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