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I have the front clip off of my '55 and I am cleaning up rust, holes etc before I put it back on and lose easy access. In my wire brushing (with angle grinder), some of the undercoating in the wheel wells and other areas has come off.

Does anyone have any positive experience with a particular undercoating product I should use to replace? I see products out there from Rustoleum, Eastwood,and others as well as lots of warnings about undercoating retaining moisture and causing rust, etc. It seems like a rubberized product would help in noise deadening vs a harder truck bed liner product but by now I am sure that people have tried a bunch of options.

thanks

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Bob

It may be better just to paint it with something like black epoxy paint (there are various brands which supposedly inhibit rust). Then make sure it's well and truly cured before you do anything else.

The reason for this is that if any of your panels are a bit porous after removing rust, volatile underseal products can find their way in behind your paint job causing it to bubble. It takes a while (ie some months) for this to happen, but if it does it means starting all over again.

Ask me how I know.

Cheers

Brian

Based on what I see, the metal looks fairly good. I would would remove everything possible that unbolts and have everything blasted. If you are given the option of soda or walnut shells, I would go with that on the outside of the fenders. Otherwise have then do the outside lightly. Any outside paint that remains can be sanded off with a good orbital sander.

If spots need major work e.g. dents (hammer/fender dolly) or sections where a portion of the panel needs to be replace, do it before blasting.

I would paint with a good black epoxy primer/sealer DTM (direct to metal) primer giving it two coats. In the cracks or crevices that spray can't reach make sure to use a brush or somehow make sure the primer gets in there.

On the outside parts of the fenders, I would block sand lightly. You should be able to see portions that are high & low. If you have spots that are lower than 1/64" work them out with a hammer & dolly. Use a body filler/putty to fill in low spots. Re-prime (I'd use a gray high fill ester primer for good fill and easy sanding) and block sand. Repeat the re-prime/paint /fill cycle until the panels look good. The repeat cycle of filling, block sanding, & primer is what makes a great paint job

Consider getting your supplies from TCP Global in San Diego as they have a good quality at a nice price.

I agree on the epoxy paint. As for your undercoating, I would not recommend using the typical rubberized spray on products. They invariably dry out, lift from the painted surface, and crack, trapping moisture and promoting hidden rust, not to mention covering up fasteners and making them hard to remove later. Thick truck bed coatings also have the same issue.

I have seen dynamat-type products used on fenders and wheel houses. They seem to hold together better over time and can be removed in one piece. They need not cover the entire inner surface to be effective. Keep in mind that this would dampen the drumming of the panel, but would muffle sound of the engine itself only moderately.

What color are you going to paint the car and will the wheel wells be black?

All, thank you for the responses.
Marston, I am going to save that comprehensive response for when I tackle repainting, if I decide to try myself. Not ready for that yet.

But I do want to clean up some visible rust and rust damage before reinstalling the front clip. Here is a closer up view of the worst of it. It looks like an old bondo repair that got worse, plus a few new rust holes. I don't have body work experience or a welder. So my plan for this area is to sand the rust out to bare metal, remove as much of the old bondo as I can, put a mesh on the back side and fill with some brand (TBD?) of body filler. Sand, etc, cover with epoxy primer (I have a can of Eastwood 2K epoxy primer on the way), then top coat just that area that is below the chrome trim piece. (above in the photo since front clip is upside down.). I have a can of SprayMax I ordered in Packard Sapphire Blue. It's pretty close to the color of the car, and I painted the firewall with it. Looks nice.

In cleaning up the inside of the wheel wells, there was a little surface rust here and there, but overall in good shape. The undercoating that Packard used is intact in most places but i was looking to add where I sanded it off to attack rust. But after reading these responses, maybe best is to paint (will be black) with epoxy primer and paint and call that good enough.

Also interesting is the series of holes that PO drilled along edge of the air duct welded to passenger side. Not sure if they were trying to drill through all the tack welds to remove the duct or some other motivation.

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Biggest problem is sealing off the back side of the bondo repair to keep moisture from getting in there. Moisture gets into it it will probably be popping back out in a few years.

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May be better to call Mike at Tucson Packards and get a dry desert, rust-free replacement fender!

Bob, what does the rest of the metal on the car look like. I have to agree with Don about calling Tuscon Packard.

I don't know if it is financially a good idea to consider buying a replacement fender from "Tucson Packard when yours does not look all that bad. I am not disputing that a rust free fender would be nice but Sandy's pricing....like Merritt's and Kanter....is not inexpensive.
If you do not have access to a welder or the experience to use one, you might consider checking as to whether there is a VoTech with auto body courses offered in your area and see if they would be willing to weld in a panel and possibly even do the Bondo and finish work .
If there is an adult program, it might be a good idea to enroll and learn how to weld and possibly do body work. They have the equipment and can save a ton of money.
I would recommend removing the paint with a marine paint stripper before removing any residue with an orbital sander before applying a good epoxy primer sealer.
Depending on your intended use, a good rust paint like POR 15 applied to the inside of the wheel wells and fenders should take care of future rust. Undercoating can be tough to remove but I have had good luck with a heat gun or propane torch and a putty knife. I agree that it makes no sense to reapply rubberized undercoating for the reasons stated. Unless you plan to drive the car on winter streets with road salt,rust is not a big issue.

One hint...if you use POR 15....wear really good gloves and seal your sleeves. If you get it on your skin....nothing will take it off. ...lacquer thinner or acetone will touch it. Used steel wool and acetone daily for over a week. LOL