FJ60/62 wheel well repair at mudflap mount point

[TheElegantFox]

Hey all,

On a recent trail outing, I took a small hit to the tacked on section of the driver's side wheel well that holds the mount for the mud flap frame:

It was enough to pop a weld or two and fold it along the structural indent. It's fairly slight, but I'd like to at least get the seam flush again and tack weld it back in place. Off the bat, I was thinking of taking the wheel off, and getting access to it with a wooden block and small hammer to gently push it back into place. It

I think it's high time to refinish the wheel well coatings as well so I'll try to roll that into this job. I was thinking of doing a natural colored truck bed liner with some 153 warm gray metallic (main body color code) to paint match the whole repair like in this DIY video of a Porsche 944:

A long time ago in this truck's history, there was an impact to this fender and a lazy replacement so my wheel well is missing the body seam sealer on this side so it's also a good point to replace that. I think that whole previous impact had weakened this section to begin with so that's probably why it went like it did.

Some questions before I take a crack at it:

• What hammer/method would be best for moving this stamped piece back into place?
• Rust proofing recommended before applying the liner?
• Any tips on general wheel well surface restoration? I want to limit the bashed back in look with hammer strikes

Here's what the passenger's side looks like for reference:

 

[TheElegantFox]

Or would it be easier to swap in a used one? https://shop.cruiserparts.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34515

 

[Beams37]

I'm not a body guy, but I think swapping the whole thing would be much easier.

 

[TheElegantFox]

I'm not a body guy, but I think swapping the whole thing would be much easier.

The wheel wells aren't welded to the firewall by chance, are they?

 

[Beams37]

The wheel wells aren't welded to the firewall by chance, are they?

No clue.

 

[PeterEdm]

The wheel wells aren't welded to the firewall by chance, are they?

No, only bolted on.

 

[toy_tek]

I had to go look at mine because I never noticed that seam before. Seems like a pretty minor issue to fix and I’d say worth giving a shot if you’re up for it.

If it were me I’d try to use the factory wheel jack and a section of 2x4 to push that back into place and tack weld. Finding a good base point might be the trickiest part for that. Otherwise, using some sort of leverage would likely yield a better end result than hammering.

But before that, wire wheel and clean up the edges that you’ll tack weld.

After the tack welds, rustoleum spray prime (and get up behind/underneath as best you can). At this point seam sealer could be applied. The Rustoleum rubber undercoating works pretty well for the next coat in that type of area but you might skip that if you’re going to straight bedline the whole wheel well.

 

[TheElegantFox]

I had to go look at mine because I never noticed that seam before. Seems like a pretty minor issue to fix and I’d say worth giving a shot if you’re up for it.

If it were me I’d try to use the factory wheel jack and a section of 2x4 to push that back into place and tack weld. Finding a good base point might be the trickiest part for that. Otherwise, using some sort of leverage would likely yield a better end result than hammering.

But before that, wire wheel and clean up the edges that you’ll tack weld.

After the tack welds, rustoleum spray prime (and get up behind/underneath as best you can). At this point seam sealer could be applied. The Rustoleum rubber undercoating works pretty well for the next coat in that type of area but you might skip that if you’re going to straight bedline the whole wheel well.

This sounds like a good plan of attack. Can’t hurt trying to fix it when swapping in a used one is simple enough as a backup.

I like the idea of pushing it back in place rather than hammering it since I can already almost move it with my hands.

 

[Dubs2017]

Not sure if you've seen it already, but @Bullzi has some really good documentation on the inner fenders and cowl. Inner fender bit is here.

I had what sounds like similar-ish damage on mine as well from a PO and am mid fix right now. Following.

 

[TheElegantFox]

Used the factory jack and hand tightening to gently move the part back in place. Worked pretty well and was kind enough on the stamped metal. Just cracked off the old fender liner spray.

Worked it back and forth a few times to get each angle, and still have the last 15% of the flush fit to go, but promising so far.