Removal of rear inner fender directly above tires (wheehouse) on a 1991 Chevy K1500

[john2007]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone will be able to offer some feedback on the following.

I have a 1991 Chevy K1500 1/2 ton pickup. It's not a step-side where
the rear fenders are on the outside, but a regular bed with the
fenders on the inside of the bed. I have a couple of links below to
some pictures of trucks I found on-line to show how the body and
fenders are on this truck..

http://www.wallacecountycruisers.com.../2006/1045.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7.../mailedD37.jpg

I want to remove the front and rear "inner fenders" directly above the
tires, (the factory manual calls these wheelhouses) so I can spray
some cavity wax rust inhibitor on the inside of the front and rear
fenders since they tend to rust from the inside out just above the
outsides of the tires where the fenders are flared outward a little.
The wheel-house is covering the area I need to inspect and spray. I
want the spray the entire inside of the front an rear fenders and
insides of the side bed panels. I would also like to inspect the top
side of the rear wheelhouses for rust and clean and paint as
necessary.

The factory manual gives instructions for removing the front
wheelhouses, which is basically removing the front wheels, taking out
the wheelhouse bolts, and then removing the wheelhouse. The manual
also shows a front "fender wheelhouse flare" that I didn't know was in
there.

However, the manual gives no instructions for removing the rear
wheelhouses and this got me thinking that they might be spot welded
and not really removable. If I remove the bolts to the rear
wheelhouses will they pop out or are they spot welded as well ?

I would appreciate any feedback or advice.

Thanks
John

[bump&grind]

if you want to spray rustproofing,you can do it easiest by removing the front fenders.then you can spray the entire insides of them.the rear wheel houses can't be removed without removing the bedsides first.they are spot welded.if you use a rustproofing gun with a wand,you should be able to get over the rear wheelhouses.if you were talking about wheel opening flares,the fenders have to be removed anyway to gain access to the nuts holding them on.

[john2007]

Thanks for your reply bump&grind.

I didn't know it was easier to just take the front fenders off instead of removing the front wheelhouses.

The rear fender or "bedside flares" above the outer edges of the tires need some minor rust repair. I pondered doing it myself but I would prefer to have a bodyshop do it. Even if I get a shop to do the rust repair, I really wanted to get in there and inspect things myself and apply the rust inhibitor to the inside of the bedsides & fender flares myself.

What is the procedure for removing the bedsides ? I'm guessing they are spot-welded as well and have to be re-spot welded when reinstalling them ?

It may be best to just have a shop do everything, but I would have to trust them to apply rust inhibitor the way I want. Perhaps they would let me be there and spray it on myself, but I would need to be on vacation to arrange to be there & it may be difficult to do. I could also apply the rust inhibitor myself at home after the repairs are made. I think I could probably get the bedsides with a wand like you suggest, but the rear fender flares may be a problem without disassembly. I also wanted to paint & apply undercoating to the upper sides of the rear wheelhouses.

The truck was rustproofed twice, once at the GM dealer and once at the company who supplies the rustproofing chemicals to the dealer. They did not spray the fender "flares" or the entire insides of the bedsides in either case. The fender flares are the areas that needed the rustproofing the most so I want to make sure it gets done right this time.

Basically, the truck needs some minor bodywork on the rockers, cab corners, and rear fender flares. After the bodywork is done, as best as possible, I want to try to coat every square inch of the insides of the body panels (except the roof) including the fender flares and insides of the bedside panels. The fender flares and insides of the bedsides are the hardest to get to and inspect.

I would appreciate any advice you may have on the best way to get this done and make sure it's done right.

Thanks again,
John

[Phil V]

The ONLY way to do that job right is to replace the box sides. While you're at it you should replaces the outer wheel wells. ( if needed). If you have a bodyshop repair the existing rust ( assuming we are talking rust holes around the upper part of the wheel opening lip) then it will look good for a limited amount of time the rust that has been there a long time will pop through somewhere else around the wheel opening lip. So like I said, if you want to do this only once then replace the box sides, aftermarket box sides for that vintage of truck are pretty decent and relatively inexpensive.

[john2007]

Thanks for your reply Phil, The truck has no holes yet, but the paint is bubbling up on the rear fender flares and I know there is rust underneath. I was thinking the GM dealer would cut out the rust, weld in new metal, and try to blend the paint in.

If replacing the entire sides is the right thing to do then that is what I will do. Is it unlikely that the GM dealer will still have the bedsides available ? One of the guys at the dealer told me he replaced some rockers and cab corners with after-market body parts and they rusted out in two years. When he then replaced with GM parts he said they lasted.

Do you have any recommendations for a source of good quality after-market body parts ?

When you say to replace the "outer" wheel wells, what are you referring to here ? This is not a stepside truck that has the fenders on the outside, you can take a look at the pics in my original post to see how the fenders are on this truck.

Thanks again,
John

[MARTINSR]

The bed sides are all available and OEM is all I would recommend. They come as the outer skin only, OR the bed side assy which includes both inner and outer wheel house with the inner being the whole inner panel.
Both are a piece of cake to change. Spot welded but a real straight forward piece of cake.

Brian

[Steve g]

Thanks for your reply Phil, The truck has no holes yet, but the paint is bubbling up on the rear fender flares and I know there is rust underneath. I was thinking the GM dealer would cut out the rust, weld in new metal, and try to blend the paint in.

If replacing the entire sides is the right thing to do then that is what I will do. Is it unlikely that the GM dealer will still have the bedsides available ? One of the guys at the dealer told me he replaced some rockers and cab corners with after-market body parts and they rusted out in two years. When he then replaced with GM parts he said they lasted.

Do you have any recommendations for a source of good quality after-market body parts ?

When you say to replace the "outer" wheel wells, what are you referring to here ? This is not a stepside truck that has the fenders on the outside, you can take a look at the pics in my original post to see how the fenders are on this truck.

Thanks again,
John

The bubbles on the surface are the rust coming through from the back side, so yes, there is a whole in it. the problem with trying to patch it is access to the backside and stopping the rust that's already quite invasive on the inside of the panel. It has spread a long way on the inside of the panel.

If you want a permanent and proper repair, replacement is the only way to go.

Steve g

[john2007]

One other thing I'm just curious about, when they replace the rockers and cab corners, do they usually replace them as complete panels, or do they cut out the bad sections and just weld back in what is needed ?

Also, when they replace the rockers, do they generally need to take the cab mounts off ? The reason I'm asking this is because it seems I remember seeing a picture of a rocker showing the "upper cups" on the cab floor that the upper cushion of the cab mounts connects with, as being an integral part of the rocker. I'm just curious about this.

For a ballpark figure, about how much should I be looking at parts and labor to get the cab corners, rockers, and bedsides replaced / repaired and painted at the GM dealer ? I guess I would get new rear wheelhouses also, unless the dealer thinks they can be cleaned up and re-painted.

Thanks guys,
John

[Bob K]

The rockers and cab corners do not involve the cab mounts. That is not to say that the mounts are not also rusted but that is another story. I have replaced rockers and cab corners on my ’93 and I need to do the box work that you are dealing with. I am looking at getting a box from a scrap yard. There are a lot of then and they are not very expensive.

As long as you are looking at rust on your truck, be sure to check the radiator support. That rusts out with the front inner fenders. They are inexpensive in the after market and easy to replace. Another thing to worry about are fuel lines and break lines, and don’t forget frame cross members. Most likely one being the one that the gas tank strap is connected to, oh and don’t forget to look at the spear tire carrier.

I don’t want to discourage you but I bet you can go out and buy a ’98 non rusted truck for what the GM dealer will charge for the work.

Bob K

[john2007]

I don’t want to discourage you but I bet you can go out and buy a ’98 non rusted truck for what the GM dealer will charge for the work.

I was afraid of that, but this is almost kind of a sentimental thing, this is the first vehicle I bought brand new and I have taken good care of it all these years, performed all scheduled service work myself, and have done most all out of warranty work myself. The power train seems to be in great shape, I've changed the oil and filter every 3,000 miles, and changed the transmission, transfer case, and differential fluids at recommended intervals. I didn't always use the truck full time and it's got around 100,000 miles on it.

The frame, bed floor, cab floor, mounts, and everything seem structurally sound & look good from underneath, it's mainly the body problems I mentioned. There is some bumper rust and probably the radiator supports like you mentioned. I've halted the bumper rust with cavity wax rust inhibitor, but they should be replaced as well. I think you can get after-market bumpers in stainless.

I noticed rust on the fuel lines 10 years ago and sprayed all the brake and fuel lines from the tank on up with rust inhibitor. However, a rusted gas tank and/or fuel lines is the main thing I worry about on a vehicle this old. If the tank leaks and just starts to drip that's one thing, but if a line blows and sprays fuel everywhere, then you have a real problem. I remember at one time there was a company offering after market stainless steel fuel and brake lines.

I was thinking of having the dealer remove the bed for easy access and just have them replace the fuel tank, pump, sending unit, and all fuel lines and hoses on up to the engine. I don't know if it would save money doing both the tank and body-work at one time. The tank is easier to fool with when the bed is off, but I don't think they would normally take the bed of for the bodywork.

I could probably just patch the truck up, paint it, and have it look good and last another 10 years, but I would still want to replace the fuel tank and lines.

I'm usually not afraid to jump in and do the work myself, but with no real body or welding experience, my gut says to hire it done. I would feel confident patching it up with some body filler myself, but I would much rather have it done right.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I appreciate it.

John