[AttaGirlStace]

Hi there, I'm new to this site. My grandpa has given me his 1965 Pontiac Bonneville Coupe. It hasn't been started since 1990, and we were able to get her started here a little bit ago. She's in great shape but her front fenders are rusted through just over the wheel well trim. I'm planning on fixing her up to better-than-new (not restoring her to stock/numbers matching). You can see a photo of the car here (fender rust showing):
http://www.pontiacregistry.com/membe...ad.php?id=3796

I was wondering if anyone makes a patch panel for these fenders, or if I will need to try and find some rust-free fenders to repair them with? The fenders are in perfect condition (the entire car is dent and bondo free) so I really don't want to replace the entire fender if I don't have to.

If there is no patch panel, have any of you any experience with repairing rusted-through fenders with sheet metal? I've never done body work, but I'm a mechanical engineer with some welding experience (but don't claim to be an expert on any of this stuff!)

Thanks so much for your help!

Best,
Stacie

[stevep]

Hi Stacie,

Unless you are a member (I am) of Pontiacregistry.com, you can not view your picture.

My suggestion is to buy rust free fenders, as there is no patch panel available for this. You will also probably need the inner fender wells as well, based on what I have seen in the past with this kind of fender rust.

Have you looked under the lower moldings for rust? It is also very common for the fender to be rusted out behind that.

I have had a 65 Bonneville convertible for my daily nice weather driver since 1999.

[65WJ]

Nice car. You can repair them with the right metel working tools. Easier to replace. I am not sure if www.indianapontiacs.com will ship sheet metal. It is winter and pulling parts is a bear in the snow and ice.

Also Steve Barcak at www.pontiacheaven.org. He posts here reguraly.

patrick

[68Prix]

Welcome Stacie, I also suggest getting another set of fenders. There are not many body parts available for the full size Pontiac out there. I have dealt with both Indiana Pontiacs and Pontiac Heaven and both are great. Keep in mind shipping is not going to be cheep on these big fenders also so if you can find some close to home is a big help.
Pat

[Txbobcat]

I dont believe these rust free fenders are all that easy to find. I have 3 and it took me 10 years to round them up and they arent for sale.

[65WJ]

Originally Posted by Txbobcat

I dont believe these rust free fenders are all that easy to find.

true, but if you know the right person they are not that hard to find just expensive.

The lower portion is easier to repair than the upper fender well. Find some real nice ones that need a small patch at the bottom and you will be fine.


patrick

[AttaGirlStace]

Thanks everyone for your replies! Now I won't waste any time looking for a patch panel. I found a fender in a junkyard by my house but the guy wants like $300 for the fender (it's damaged/wrecked but rust free and straight in the place where mine's rusted). I have no idea if this is a ripoff or if this is really what damaged fenders are going for? I have heard from other people around here that this guy is kind of a con artist so I will keep looking.

I need to take a better look at the entire fender underneath to see if there is a bunch more rust. This car spent its entire life up until a few years ago in Butte, Montana, and was driven often in the snow and road salt... so I'm sure the fender lip is rusty under the trim. I'll see what I can find out and keep you posted on how it goes. Thank you again!!

Here's a photo of the car in case you couldn't view the first one.


Best,
Stacie

[AttaGirlStace]

Thanks for all of your responses. Wow, what a great group. I tend to get "analysis paralysis" so this helps a lot.

I'm so grateful to have this car. Lots of memories of it... it was my grandma's daily driver up until 1990, and my grandpa took incredible care of it. The interior is really nice (he kept the seats covered with blankets and the dash covered with cardboard after he parked it). Mechanically it seems very sound (has about 115,000 miles on it) and he kept it serviced and taken care of. The rust is from the hard winters in Butte, Montana. Lots of snow and ice, and road salt. I couldn't believe that all we had to do was change the oil and filter, put some gas and a new battery in her, and she started right up. The dash lights and taillights even work! Power steering works great, tranny shifts great. SO excited for this!

I have fond memories of being strapped in the front seat with my little sister (bucket seat) -- we were both small enough to fit, and it was important to my grandma that we were buckled in (since the back seat had no seat belts).

Thanks again! I will keep everyone posted on our progress.

Best,
Stacie

[AttaGirlStace]

I've uploaded a couple more pictures of the car here, more to come.
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...hp?albumid=970

[stevep]

It's a bucket seat car?? $300.00 is a lot of money for a fender that is damaged.

[62 bv]

great car dont be in to big of a rush did you do a check in the big car parts for sale i think i saw some fenders there but they come up so hang in there you will find them good luck brody go to big car parts wanted and ask for them there as well

[AttaGirlStace]

Here are better photos of the rust (taken today).

Passenger side:


Driver's side:


Sigh... pretty ugly.

More photos of the interior in case you're interested:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...hp?albumid=970

Yes, she's a bucket seat car. Is that good?

[65WJ]

Bucket seats are always good. I see tilt wheel and Oil pressure and Temp guages. Those are a real plus.
Seatbelts should be under the rear seat unless someone removed them.
The smile on your face says it all. Enjoy and ask all the questions you want. Some very knowledgeable folks here to help.

patrick

[stevep]

Yes, bucket seats are great, in my opinion.
Do you have the grab bar that is supposed to be over the glove box??
The dash woodgrain is available from our host @ PY.

Looks like a great car to play around with. The steering wheel will cost $1200-1500 to get redone, so keep watching out for a decent used wheel. It will probably take a while to find a good used one. It fits 1965-1966 big Pontiac.

The dash pad looks crack free. If that is the case, it is a big plus.

[Stuart]

Good looking car! I can't tell from the photos - is it white or light yellow (the factory called it Mayfair Maize)? I had a '65 Grand Prix in that color, it was a real nice car to drive.

The fenders do need some attention but overall it looks pretty solid. You may be able to clean up the surface rust on the roof and trunk using CLR rust remover - it's sold for cleaning bathroom fixtures but if diluted can do a pretty good job on weathered cars as well. Here's a discussion about how it's done from the H.A.M.B board: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=520460

[wfbarto]

Welcome to the forum Stacie! I agree with the others that new fenders would be cheaper than trying to fix those and $300 is a rip-off! Take your time and keep looking here and there and some will show up somewhere at a much better price. If you haven't done it already, you should drop the gas tank and get it cleaned out good if it has sat since 1990. Probably a lot of gunk and vanish in there with condensation. Check out the brakes real well and the enjoy driving it while you search for fenders. Good luck!

[Heybuck]

Great looking car Stacie. Congratulations getting it and I admire your enthusiasm to bring it back.

I see its got a good lot of options too. Roof rail lights among many others already mentioned so I'm wondering about the engine and rear end ratio. If someone went to the extra expense on the visible options, what else might it have? You can check here what the engine capacity is by simply posting the stamp code on the block. You will find it on the drivers side front of the engine sort of under the alternator.

The rear end code is a bit more dificult so maybe you should get a PHS search on the car and the details will all be listed.

But what worries me is the rust issues you are not talking about! The rear parcel shelf area shows signs of a fair bit of water getting in. That water gets down into the trunk floor area and it's expensive and difficult to repair/restore.

My thoughts are you might need to get it up on a hoist to THOROUGHLY examine for any signs of frame rust and underbody rust. BEFORE you start spending money on it. I know the car has huge sentimental reasons for you to want to "save" it but you do need to be careful you don't start spending money and then find it is being poured into a bottomless pit.

Ian

[gregneun]

Nice car there. If you know anyone that lives in SoCal, I know where there is a 65 Bonny in a self serve Junkyard. PM me if you need the location.

There is also a junkyard in Washington state that keeps a lot of old parts. When I needed a back window (64 GP), they had it and the guy was wishing I would get it. They didn't ship glass though. If I can remember the name I will post it for you.

Good luck,
Greg

[stevep]

I have a friend in Thompson Falls MT that deals mainly in Buick parts, but also does other cars. His name is Jeff Lundburg. I will see if he knows about any fenders for your car.
You may want to try Freeman's too.

[gregneun]

PM'd you the webpage. This car was pretty complete 2 weeks ago. I asked about the engine and heads and decided I didn't want them. It was a 389 and they had checked already too. They are pretty decent and pulled a rear end for a friend of mine for 50 over the asking price of 200. It was a posi unit under a 65 Buick Gran Sport (GS).

Call them and tell them your situation (out of state). They probably would like to find someone that needs these. They must have been better than the ones in your pictures, because I don't remember rust through.

Greg