Options for clean fender wells? - Honda Prelude Forum

MR.CLIFFORD · 09-05-2002, 05:04 PM

My inner fenders are peeling on the front and I don't like it. What are the options of getting them to look better? I know the front part of the fender liner comes off as I found out when I took off the air resonator. But does all of it come off? What would I use to paint it since it is in such a high traffic area?

SLICK96 · 09-05-2002, 06:11 PM

I found out from 1000's of hours of doing graffiti on every surface imaginable that Rustoleum will stand the test of time. This stuff is like liquid plastic/rubber ... never comes off, esp if you use multiple coats.

J

Mark94 · 09-06-2002, 07:22 AM

Andy, I'm not too clear on your question. Do you want to protect the metal under the black plastic fender liner or is it something else?

If you want to protect the metal under there from chips and rusting then undercoat the car with a good rubberized undercoating. I found that the best undercoating is found at AutoZone (It is very thick and dries quickly). I tried the udercoating from R&S Strauss and it sucks (Very watery and tends to drip, also takes a long time to dry.

I undercoated all the undersides of the fenders as well as the undercarriage of the car for protection against rust and small rock chips. Because it is black it blends in with the black plastic liners if there are any areas that the liners don't cover.

you can buy a bottle for about $3 and it takes about two bottles to do the fenders and undercarriage. Probably one of the best preventive maintenance procedures you can perform to ensure your car stays rust free for a while.

I would recommend this rubberized coating over Rustoleum because the rubber really repels rocks and is more durable.

Hopefully that is what you wanted to know

Mark

SLICK96 · 09-06-2002, 07:33 AM

Yeah... the rusto was a just a random idea I had. I wasn't too clear about what he was talking about.

J

TurboFourLude · 09-06-2002, 09:44 AM

I removed my fender liners b/c of rubbing, with the wieght of the turbo and intercooler and stuff, the only problem I have is that ig ets rather dirty behind the doors. But other than that, I do what he recommends with the rubberized coating......it works great.

MR.CLIFFORD · 09-06-2002, 12:27 PM

Mark- I am going to check out that stuff you were talking about tonight and hopefully do it tomorrow. I can take some pics to show you what I am talking about but I can't upload them until tomorrow morning.

Now that I read my post I agree that I must have been thinking of something else cause it doesn't make sense. I guess what I am talking about is the fender liners. It looks like there is a coating over them and they are chipping in certian places. Plus it is dirty from the previous owner. All the undercoating is a nice brown color and I want it to change.

Mark94 · 09-06-2002, 12:42 PM

That makes more sense now.

It seems that the previous owner may have undercoated the plastic liners and not the metal underneath the liners. I removed the liners and undercoated the fender wells and once it was dry I replaced the liners.

Either way it is fine, just respray the liners with the new undercoating and it should look brand new.

You may just want to take off the liners and spray in there as well because those liners are not airtight and do let moisture in so spraying under them would be a good idea. Once dry, then you can replace the liners and spray them since they were previously sprayed.

If memory serves me correctly the name of the product was duplicoat rubberized undercoating (black spray bottle). If you can't find this stuff then purchase what you can find and SHAKE IT WELL and test it on a piece of cardboard to see if it dries quickly and has a good consistency. You will be able to see the difference - the bad stuff will drip and run down the side of the cardboard while the good stuff will stay put where you sprayed.

Remeber to also tape off the paint around your fenders with masking tape and newspaper because you don't want any overspray on your Fresco paint.

Mark

MR.CLIFFORD · 09-06-2002, 12:45 PM

Thanks Mark, I am going to rip out the fender liners and get up under there. Then do the fender liners while they are out.

Any other "should Do's" while I have everything torn apart?

Mark94 · 09-06-2002, 01:08 PM

Nope, just take your time.

The liners will remove quite easily - a few pop out clips and a few screws. You'll have to mask off the shocks and springs, control arms, rotors and calipers etc. because you just don't want to see a sloppy job when looking through your rims.

When you do the rear fender wells, tape off the outside of the car well and try to get in the area right above the lip where the weather stripping is because we all know the rust problems we have in that area. If you get a nice coating in that area then you are almost certain to never experience rusting in that area.

Also make sure that you do this on a VERY DRY DAY, because you don't want any moisture trapped between the metal and your fresh coat of rubber. That could have worse affects than not coating it at all. The weekend forecast is supposed to be beautiful here on the east coast and it hasn't rained in a few days so you should be good to go. Try to do it in mid afternoon when it is the driest outside.

I guess I did have more advice

Let me know how it turns out.

Mark

MR.CLIFFORD · 09-06-2002, 01:44 PM

I am going to do it in my cousins garage. So I am glad I don't have to worry about wind. I'm thinking of putting a couple of big trash bags around the calipers and rotors so I don't get anything on them. He told me while I had everything torn apart we should paint my calipers so I think that is a must. Should I prep the fenders with anything before doing it to get it clean?

MR.CLIFFORD · 09-13-2002, 11:55 AM

Here are some pictures I took of what I'm talking about.

Look at how dirty it is under there. And the part that looks like it's chipped is what I want to get rid of.

Mark94 · 09-16-2002, 06:45 AM

Looks normal Andy. Just scrub it down with one of those bristle brushes used to clean the rims and a mixture of water and car wash. Rinse it thoroughly with your water hose and let it dry.

After it is clean and dry then you can respray it.

Mark

MR.CLIFFORD · 09-16-2002, 03:31 PM

OK, Thanks Mark. I am going to clean it up in the evenings after work and respray it this next weekend so I can let it set!