914's aren't overly popular here in Houston but I've found a guy that does good body work on all classic cars and has some experience with 911 and 914. I wanted to check with the experts that have dealt with bodywork on the 914 in the front cowl/fender area - how would you fix the rust bubbles on this car if it was yours? Does the fender need to be removed for any of the work or only if the rust has penetrated deep into the cowl?

Thanks!

There will be a lot more once you remove the paint.

It's an iceberg.

Once the rubber comes out and the windshield is removed serious rust will appear.

It's rusting from the inside out. The fender should be cut off for a proper repair... Pandora's box...

what they said. It needs to come off. There's going to be a mess inside that will need to be repaired

bondO

Read through this thread and you will see all the fixes...

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=183248&hl=

If you decide to tackle that, please do it the right way. Do not let someone just fill it with bondo.

Personally, we have some serious experts on this board that know these cars inside and out. Scotty, who has already rung in, is one of them - and the man doing my car. I always approach something that if it is going to get fixed, I want it done 100% correctly, like the factory would do it, so I do not have to revisit it 3 years down the road. Just my 2 cents.

Once you start digging, it will get ugly.......fast.

That area also is filled from the factory with some type of foam.

Claus Graf

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I don't like y'all opinions! But thanks for the info.

I put together a photo album of all the previous work done on the cowl/fender area by other people and am prepared for the worse. But I think the guy I found is a quality bodywork guy and will do it right.

I'll certainly update with photos of what is underneath.

Well it wasn't as bad as everybody thought. The seam sealer under the panel had some rust in it but once cleaned away underneath the metal had a little surface rust that was easily cleaned. Been a nagging problem ever since I bought the car but finally got a couple rust bubbles fixed, holes filled, and dents repaired. Paint or wrap is up next!

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Looks nice ! What was the final cost to primer ?

It was about $1000 for two days of work. I also removed the rear reflector and it had many holes underneath which he filled. Filled the antenna and passenger mirror holes as well.