jinglis

I've lurked here for some time. Except for a humming from the diff in cold weather (which the dealer could not figure out) I've had no problems with my 92 SC400. But now, after a wet winter and lots of salt on the roads, I've discovered rust on both rear wheel wells which has penetrated to the outside of each side. It has broken out on a couple spots on the flat sections around the wheel well so on the inside it is likely larger.

Has anyone done this repair? Are there wheel well repair parts from Lexus or other OEM quality supplier? I'm concerned about letting an auto body repair shop start chopping and reforming on their own. Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

FuMoFFuTT

iTrader: (2)

Hey where do you live? Sounds somewhere like Quebec lol.

Anyways, majority of the owners here on CL are located in warm climates / places that don't use the amount of salt they do in Canada. Hope someone can help you out.

Photon440

iTrader: (3)

Hello jinglis:

Although a really competent metalworker could probably form the panels that you need, when factory parts are no longer available, or if cost is an issue most body shops will use good condition body parts cut from a wreck at a recycling yard. There shouldn't be any trouble getting a good repair made to your car.

However, what if there's more than is visible? A thorough inspection to see if there's any major body cancer elsewhere under the body or in the frame areas might end up helping you to decide if it's worth it. Better check everything out before fixing what you're described.

-=Photon=-

jinglis

You're correct! Right next door in Ontario.

You don't happen to have a magic answer - something that dissolves rust and restores the paint? Poutine maybe???

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully someone has a source for wheel well inserts or repair panels.

718murdoc

I'm from Brooklyn & my Sc400 has rust growing in the front where the battery is located. My solution to this problem is to use Rust Inhibitor to neutralize the existing rust and then paint the treated area. This can be a temporary fix for your problem until you get the means to do a full repair.

MongooseGA

iTrader: (6)

Depending on how bad the rust is as of now, POR 15 may be something that can help. Google it, it's big in the hot rod world for surface rusting. Turns the existing rust into a "primer" that can be painted over.

jinglis

Thanks for the replies. I've tried the POR and zinc-based paints and they are excellent for a DIY or temporary fix but I'm likely going to spring for a full paint job and a new-metal repair. In that regard, there aren't a lot of rust-free donors up here in salt-country, so I was wondering if any auto body parts exist for the SC400. It would likely be expensive to try to get the wheel wells cut out from a southern car and shipped up to Canada. If it wasn't too expensive, that is an option, but I'd be afraid to just pick a wrecking yard and hope that they sent me a clean, rust free part at a fair price. Hence, posting here and looking for recommendations.

FuMoFFuTT

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, it'll be tough finding an SC400 around these parts