[getmygoat]

Hi all,

What do you all recommend for finishing of the back side of the fenders? My GTO going to the body shop and I believe the shop owner recommended bed liner. I'm thinking NOT, but want to make a constructive suggestion. POR 15? Paint?

Thanks!

[Greg Reid]

I coated mine with epoxy primer and fogged fogged over that with rattle can Rustoleum black. Works for me as the area just kind of disappears when looking under the hood. 'Extreme neutral' I guess you could call it. Anything that prevents moisture that causes rust is ok for my projects.. You're hard pressed to see anything on that side of the fender after assembly.

[rustedgoat]

How were they treated from the factory? It couldn't have been raw steel.

[ZeGermanHam]

I probably wouldn't use POR-15 for that. I'd first lay down a coating of high quality epoxy primer, then what comes next is up for debate. I think many people would probably just spray a few coats of primer and call it done. But honestly, your shop's suggestion of using a bed liner is not a bad one.

[dhutton]

I use 2 heavy coats of epoxy primer followed by SEM bedliner.

POR-15 has no real place in that application.

Don

[MUSLCAH]

I see your in Sunny California.....epoxy first ....then some single stage color...call it good. If you were up here and driving it in the winter...I’d coat it with some Fluid film.

[gtohunter]

I used bed liner cut to around 50%. It lays down relatively smooth but still retains the toughness. Also used it on floorboards and trunk floor before spatter finish.

[getmygoat]

Thanks all! I guess the bedliner isn't as bad as I initially thought. Heard a rumor it traps moisture underneath but maybe not.

Even though I live in California I might be moving to the east coast eventually so I want to make sure the fenders don't rust from the back side.

Thanks again!

[Jeff Hamlin]

Using undercoating worked well for me.
I literally lived across Atlantic ave from the beach in Long Branch NJ at the time
and rust out was a major concern when I jumped into the restoration of my '66.
Once the handwork was completed and the shop jammed all my body panels.

I asked them to go forward with treating every area that was usually overlooked.
We did the inner Doors, Fenders and even shot up into the inner sails from within the trunk.
They had no reservations and this was 1994/95 so there weren't a lot of choices,
or at least I wasn't aware of them.

This has been holding up well and as a bonus, it helped soften road noise.