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Right fender rust/cracking problem

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wigan

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Looking for suggestions in dealing with a little problem. It appears that the "seam" on my rear right fender is cracking, about 9" or so long. It was like this when I bought the 74B eighteen months ago. It has been stable until recently. I have noticed that it now seems to be lifting a little more and I'm concerned that it might just start to flake and drop off. There are traces on the right fender, but no where near as bad.

Is this somethine which could be patched up, or am I looking at replacement body work? I wouldn't do the work myself. I'm I looking at a very expensive proposition?

Maybe an excuse to have my car repainted from the none MBG dark metallic blue colour to something more fitting for a 74B.

Cut and paste the following links to take a look at the problem

https://members.cox.net/gerryg28/rightfender1.jpg
https://members.cox.net/gerryg28/rightfender2.jpg
 
Appears rust is pushing the bondo/filler used in the prior bodywork away from the metal at the seam. To repair it correctly it would mean pulling the fenders apart from the rear bodyshell. Not cheap. Anything else is not going to last long before it looks like that again.
 
Not sure I agree, standing tall and tough waiting for the flak. Sand blast both sides of the seam, etc. and have a decent body shop prime and pant and such.
 
Something could of contaminated the surface before it was painted causing the paint to lift. Had the same thing happen with mine on the right quarter panel. The guy had to take it down to metal reprime and paint. Problem solved.
 
[ QUOTE ]
rear right fender

[/ QUOTE ]

The fender bead that's spot welded to the inside top lip of the fender & then bent over the body of the car with sealer in between has problems...when the car was painted, whoever did the work did not clean up real good along its edge (& there might be some body filler there)...right now, about only way to solve it is to get it cleaned real good..you can straighten it up on the body side but the only way to solve the quarter side is to remove the quarter & replace the bead.....

But, I would take it down to metal with a chemical stripper, straighten it up, remove all the old sealer, put in new sealer & bend it back over...good prime job & repaint.
 
Tony wrote:
[ QUOTE ]
(& there might be some body filler there)

[/ QUOTE ]

Kinda evident there's a TON of filler in it. The "beads" are flattened and the joint outboard is so separated it's looking as if it's caked with it.

NOT trying to be cruel or a smart-arse here. It just appears that the previous bodywork was thrown together to outwardly appear "straight an' shiny". It's very common on these cars. As is grinding the welting flat and filling the resultant crack with plastic.
 
[ QUOTE ]
(& there might be some body filler there)

[/ QUOTE ]

Trying to be nce there, Jack.
 
WHo you callin Jack, Tommy?!?! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
 
hehehehehehe....Doc!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Tony wrote:
[ QUOTE ]
(& there might be some body filler there)

[/ QUOTE ]

Kinda evident there's a TON of filler in it. The "beads" are flattened and the joint outboard is so separated it's looking as if it's caked with it.

NOT trying to be cruel or a smart-arse here. It just appears that the previous bodywork was thrown together to outwardly appear "straight an' shiny". It's very common on these cars. As is grinding the welting flat and filling the resultant crack with plastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Without looking at the car from my perspective, you cannot say that it is evident that there is a TON of filler in it!. In fact there is no rust on my car nor any evidence of bondo and filler, nor even made to look straight and shiny.

After reading the positive replies here I am more inclined to think that it was a poor paint prep a while back as there are other signs that insufficient prep work was done previously. The colour is a darkish metallic blue which is not an original MGB colour
 
Okay, you're right. I'm not there. So take a "paint gauge" magnet to it and check. The fender beads all looked like this when they left Abingdon:

282786-welting1.jpg
 
Hmm, my 1970 MGB didn't have that "2 stage" or step profile on the bead. It is flat like wigans. I wonder if the bead changed over the years. DrEntopy's picture looks like a Mark I
 
I beg to disagree - I have never seen those "crowned" fender beads on an MGB and just paged through my copy of Clausager's "Original MGB" without finding them either. I see no evidence in the photo of "tons of filler" and agree it is likely just the paint lifting from poor surface preparation.
 
Long long time ago I had the same problem, fixed it with a good strip, prep and repaint. Think the first paint job was not cleaned as well as it should have been.
 
Hmm... Every MGB I've owned had the welting this one has, but they've all been pre-68s. This car is indeed a '64 "pull-handle". I seem to recall later cars with it as well. Into the early '70's at least. But since "Clausager's" has no reference to it I've apparently got ahold of more than a few "bogus" MGB's in my time.

And "TON" was indeed an overstatement on my part. Again, as stated subsequently: take a magnetic "paint gauge" to it to KNOW what's under there. Only way to be sure is mechanically or chemically remove the paint to fix it in any case.
 
My 72 has the fender beads as Doc described! Also they were on the 70 I had! Over 30 or so years, I would assume it would be easy for the crowns to be ground off during some body work just to clean them up. As we know, they get pitted over the years. If you buy new ones, they look like the ones in Docs photos. Heaven forbid you should need to replace them. PJ
 
Imagine THAT!!! MORE of those BOGUS MGB's loose! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

Wonder how many more are gonna "surface". They are a bugger to replace, BTW.
 
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