How hard to remove / replace fender on Caprice?

I would recommend you drill some 1/8" holes in two places on the vertical joint and two places in the horizontal joint before you start and to use a good penetrating oil on everything for a couple days first.

The holes are for lining it back up. You just stick the drill bit or nails back into the holes to line the panels back up.

Mike

I like Mike's idea of the holes to line up the fender.

Count the shims and tape them together if you're reinstalling the same fender.

However... I have bad news for you. If you're taking the fender off to fix rust, you're probably going to need new fender hardware after the old stuff snaps off. You're also probably going to find the condition of the fender is a lot worse that you think. Rust is EVIL.

I suggest starting to source a replacement fender - you can probably get repro fenders from a place like Year One or Goodmark for about $100, which is probably what you'll spend on bondo...

Ray

ray wrote in news:dFXHi.195987$fJ5.79892@pd7urf1no:

Rust is the devil himself.

Whatever you can actually SEE, multiply that by a factor of four to estimate the amount of actual rust. If the rust is in an enclosed area, such as the cowl, multiply it by ten.

When I prepped my old Buick for a demo derby, I peeled off the rocker trim to discover a hole in the fender. The fender was about 2/3 full of "mulch"... sopping wet leaves and rotting goo. It's no wonder cars rust out from the inside.

Ray

Hey guys thanks for the info. This engine / trans is lasting forever (knock on wood). What a pain the rust is. !! Been spraying it with Permatex antirust treatment, but it's not slowing it down too much.

If it weren't for the rusty attachement hardware problem, this would be relatively easy. If it were mine, I'd remove the fender, bring it into my basement and fix it there over a number of days. You can drive the car without the fender just fine (I've done it). When reinstalling use stainless steel replacement stuff wherever you can.

A co-worker has an 89 Caprice, and loves it. He replaced his 85 Caprice after it got totalled. He's got the same problem as you do - small spots of rust all over the car, and he's having about the same amount of success (little) trying to sand and paint them from the outside.

The drivelines in those cars last forever. The bodies don't.

Ray