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Structural repair, 2016 Challenger R/T.

9K views 43 replies 16 participants last post by  LT1 Iron 
#1 ·
This will be fun. 1/4, outer wheelhouse and inner structure replacement. I will post more pics as I go through the process.
 

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#3 ·
I'm subscribed too. Try and get some larger sized closeups of where that foam is in the lower part of the quarter in front of the rear tire. That's where the older cars tend to rust due to that foam getting soaked with water. Can you see a piece of acoustical padding in there anywhere? That's another area that gets soaked and is a rust suspect. This could be a rare opportunity to see exactly what's in that area in front of the rear tire and how/where water is getting in over time. Photos would be GREATLY appreciated by many of us - I'll be following! Thanks!!

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#4 ·
I wouldn't keep the car after it's fixed if I were you. The car will never be the same again once the rear fender panel is cut out and a new one is welded in place of the damaged one. Body shop metal work like that can cause problems in the long run. I would try to sell it or trade it in for another RT or for an SRT.
 
#8 ·
I agree, most shops would do a horrible repair.

Fortunately, for this owner, he brought his car to a real shop that follows OEM procedures and has professional technicians instead of "bodymen".

Cars can absolutely be repaired correctly and about 1 in every 500 shops actually do repair cars correctly.
 
#5 ·
He's fixing it, it isn't his

A Guy
 
#6 ·
Subscribed.

Thanks for documenting this repair; it provides a rare opportunity to see things otherwise hidden.
 
#16 ·
So this is how the rust gets started.

The plastic rocket cover clips into the metal rocker panel. The metal rocker area and 1/4 panel, in front of the rear wheel are filled with ridged foam.

Most of you already know this.

Water has easy access through the mounting holes for the plastic rocker cover. There the water (salt in the rust belt), sits and starts eating away.

As it eats away, it gains more access to travel farther into the rocker.
 

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#20 ·
So this is how the rust gets started.

The plastic rocket cover clips into the metal rocker panel. The metal rocker area and 1/4 panel, in front of the rear wheel are filled with ridged foam.

Most of you already know this.

Water has easy access through the mounting holes for the plastic rocker cover. There the water (salt in the rust belt), sits and starts eating away.

As it eats away, it gains more access to travel farther into the rocker.
I had already planned on removing both rocker covers this Spring and then cleaning around those clip insert holes. Once done with that I plan on running a thick bead of 3M silicone clear caulk around each and then quickly reinstall each rocker cover before the silicone sets up. This should effectively seal out the water intrusion through those holes at least prevent it from coming in from the top down. I'm also removing the sound insulation that's in the quarters in front of each rear tire since those also sop up water that comes into that area. Finally, I also am going to seal up the plastic wheelhouse liners to the quarter panels where they meet.

Even though I don't drive my car in the rain if I can help it and store it when salt season starts in November/December, I'm still afraid that even water that gets in from simply washing the car will, over the years, start the dreaded rust process in those rocker areas. The use of that foam and the non-sealed insert holes were a piss poor design decision in my mind. But, I'm sure the bean counters figured out that once the rust became apparent you'd be out of the rust-thru warranty! I've seen ton's of Dodge trucks around there that have rotted rockers, tailgates and fender arches due to rust-thru and also quite a few Chevy Silverado's with rusted rear wheel wells and tailgates in the last year or so. It seems that FCA isn't the only one guilty of using that foam injection machine...many of the other manufacturers use that same process.

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#22 ·
XLR- please post some pics on this thread when you start the project.
 
#23 ·
Will do...ordering replacement clips for the rocker cladding this weekend (plan on having a few break). Will likely do this in late April sometime once it warms up more outside - not enough room in a 1 car garage for this tall guy and a big Challenger to maneuver around. :wink3:

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#25 ·
I would think white 3M™ Urethane Seam Sealer ought to work perfectly since I have a white car...not that it's going to show once things are put back together. I am also going to use it in the rear wells too to seal the plastic wheel tubs to the quarter panel.

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#31 ·
I'd probably use Fluid Film. It was designed for use on oil rigs and is also lanolin based and non-toxic. Maybe I will pull the plugs and hose the inside down a bit. A friend of mine has a shop and they are spraying the undersides of vehicles with it too. I used it on my 06 Tundra for years, but Toyota undercoated it for free last year. But you do need to reapply to the underside. Inside a panel it would probably be fine.
 
#32 ·
For general rust prevention I use Carwell product. It's a spray application that comes out as a fine mist, has about the consistency of trans fluid. They are based in Buffalo, New York state.

I heard about Carwell from a guy who was a POR15 dealer for a long time and met them at a trade show. He got screwed by POR when they started selling in catalogs, so he was considering repping Carwell. He said it was the only product he had ever seen that he thought would work, other than POR15. Being in the industry and knowing more about rust repair and prevention than anyone I ever met, I took his word for it and had the Carwell treatment on my RT.

Carwell is a rust preventative, not a rust repair/fix like POR15. Use it before you get rust, which is the opposite problem of any car I ever owned, since the RT is the first new car I ever ordered. Supposed to be applied once a year.

Once these guys post their pics of how to get into the rear quarter area in front of the wheel well, I'll spray that area when I treat the car in the fall.

XLR- I'm especially interested to see the cloth matting type material. That would be an even worse rust magnet than the spray foam.
 
#33 ·
I use Carwell on all my vehicles that get driven through the winter. I buy it and spray it myself (I live in Buffalo NY so it's right down the road from me). The stuff is great and works very well. The best part is how well it spreads out when you apply it and it doesn't leave the underside of the car a slimy dirty mess. The only problem I've ever had with it is when it plugged up a EVAP emissions filter on top of the gas tank of a newer Ford Escape with a Ecoboost engine. This was directly because of how well the stuff spreads out. I've never had an issue spraying any Chrysler or GM vehicles.
 
#35 · (Edited)
awol- the guy who applied the Carwell told me that the spray treatment can "creep" up to seventeen (17") within an interior body panel.

Safety Warning for anyone who applies the Carwell spray, it can make the underside slippery when using jack stands, etc.!

I had a tense situation putting jack stands under the front reinforced sub-frame area to change oil, slipped a little bit. I use cardboard on top of the old flat head jack stand so as not to scratch the vehicle paint, that helped reduce the slip.

For those thinking of doing the Carwell treatment, it has to be re-applied every year, preferably in the fall before winter salt, or storage.
 
#36 ·
XLR- thanks for posting the link from mattpiper re. removal of the soundproof matting. That material is usually recycled cotton cloth based, and is definitely a water magnet. That stuff is coming OUT of my car for sure! Removing that is on my project list for spring.

The pics from the other link you posted are not very clear, and I'm not sure exactly how to get under the rocker panel cladding and check inside the rocker panel to access the foam. I'm looking forward to see what you post here with pics when you start the project.
 
#38 ·
My apologies to OregonScat - feel like I'm hi-jacking his thread. Here's a link to another forum members [PaVaSteeler] photo documentation on how he removed the rocker cladding on his 2015 car. This would be the procedure for 2015-current Challengers.

Another member [ChallyTatum] showed everyone some factory service manual images/procedures in his post in another thread. Print these links out if you have a printer for reference. This is the factory recommended procedure for 2015-current Challenger rocker cover removals.

View 1
View 2

Again, I apologize for butting in yet again...but hope this will be useful to somebody here. Thanks for OregonScat, PaVaSteeler and ChallyTatum too!

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#39 ·
I'll hang in there til the parts arrive. This interests me and I'd like to see how you do the replacement just in case I ever have to have anything done in the future.

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#41 ·
Not gooey and sticky at all, more of a "wet" look, like moisture you see on a blacktop driveway. Carwell is a very thin spray, the way WD40 looks thin when you spray it on a metal tool.

It comes out as a very fine mist with the right applicator head, and it "puffs" out of the window seams when you shoot inside the doorjambs, penetrating everywhere (we hope). That's the real advantage of this product, you can easily get INSIDE the body panels.

Floorboards will look wet after application, but six months later the carrier evaporates and it looks more dry, but still a bit slippery, so watch out with lifts & jack stands.

The former Army sergeant who was my contact said to leave the stuff on year after year, let it attract some fine road grit, and it all forms a protective coating on the underside. Don't wipe off later and try to make a treated area look clean. Not for show cars I guess, but I drive the car and I don't want to fight rust again like I've been doing for the past fifteen years, so "an ounce of prevention is worth and ounce of cure' in my book.
 
#43 ·
That's a great write up LT1 and you convinced me this is just what I'm looking for. Two questions: Can I shoot this through a cheapo HVLP gun, like a cheap $15 Harbor Freight gun, even if I have to toss it when finished? Is it better to purchase from the web site or a dealer? Thanks a lot. Dave
 
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