Front inner wheel well issues

[C.A.R.]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE DEMONSTRATE HOW TO REMOVE THE GRAVEL, ETC., BEFORE CLOSING THE HOLES?

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[heinvs]

@heinvs If for some reason we have to take the part off what is the best way to remove it without damaging the liner too much?

If you want it to be removable I might suggest using pop rivets and a silicon sealant. But then you would be left with a number of small hole.

I don't know how hard it would be to pry off if the body panel epoxy was used. I imagine it would either pop loose of the filler panel and leave the epoxy on the fender liner or lift some of the fender liner surface off with it.

All the best,
Hein

 

[heinvs]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE DEMONSTRATE HOW TO REMOVE THE GRAVEL, ETC., BEFORE CLOSING THE HOLES?

To remove the gravel you have to remove a number (at least 6 iirc) of screws (9/32" hex heads) holding the front of the belly pan that extends rearward behind the front tire. Then gently pull it down a bit and bang your palm against it. Most of the gravel will fall out. There will likely also be some gravel inside the pan that is under the engine. It is somewhat open at the back so you can access it there with a shop vac. Ultimately the best way is to lift the vehicle and remove the pans entirely. That might be something to consider doing during an oil change.

All the best,
Hein

 

[Carter1776]

So I installed my Steeda Progressive Lowering springs this afternoon, and whilst I was in the front wheel wells I for the first time looked at what damage has been done in the 3500 miles I've put on the car here in indiana, and not to my surprise, the metal at the front of the stupid hole has contact rust already, chewed up from rocks.

So my question is, what can I do to seal off the rust before I install this kit from hein? It's not a lot and again doesn't look chronic, just something I want to stop before it gets worse, and before I cover the holes completely.

 

[BlackFerret69]

So I installed my Steeda Progressive Lowering springs this afternoon, and whilst I was in the front wheel wells I for the first time looked at what damage has been done in the 3500 miles I've put on the car here in indiana, and not to my surprise, the metal at the front of the stupid hole has contact rust already, chewed up from rocks.

So my question is, what can I do to seal off the rust before I install this kit from hein? It's not a lot and again doesn't look chronic, just something I want to stop before it gets worse, and before I cover the holes completely.

My preferred solution for rust is Ospho rust converter followed by a rust inhibitive paint like Rustoleum.

Brush away any dirt, loose paint and rust flakes. There is no need to remove the rust to bare metal. Spray the entire area with Ospho, being careful not to get any on the body paint. Let it sit overnight. The next day, the rust will be converted from Iron Oxide to Iron Phosphate which has a gray to black appearance. This in effect coats the area preventing any future rust formation.

I prefer to repeat this treatment 3 times. Then rinse the area with clean water and wipe it dry, I let it dry completely overnight. Then paint with your color of choice.

For very light surface rust, you can sometimes get away with treating it once; if there is any remaining rust, treat it again as many times as it takes to convert all of the rust.

Once there is no evidence of rust, then just wipe it down, dry it off, then paint.

Whe I rebuilt the front end of my F150, it had heavy rust all over the core support. After treatment and painting, I had to wait about 3 months for the new front end parts to get painted and installed. Even after being exposed and driving it for those 3 months, there was no evidence of any rust re-formation.

It has been 6 years since I made the repairs and there is still no rust.

Edit: You can usually get Ospho from ACE Hardware.

 

[Gregs24]

My preferred solution for rust is Ospho rust converter followed by a rust inhibitive paint like Rustoleum.

Brush away any dirt, loose paint and rust flakes. There is no need to remove the rust to bare metal. Spray the entire area with Ospho, being careful not to get any on the body paint. Let it sit overnight. The next day, the rust will be converted from Iron Oxide to Iron Phosphate which has a gray to black appearance. This in effect coats the area preventing any future rust formation.

I prefer to repeat this treatment 3 times. Then rinse the area with clean water and wipe it dry, I let it dry completely overnight. Then paint with your color of choice.

For very light surface rust, you can sometimes get away with treating it once; if there is any remaining rust, treat it again as many times as it takes to convert all of the rust.

Once there is no evidence of rust, then just wipe it down, dry it off, then paint.

Whe I rebuilt the front end of my F150, it had heavy rust all over the core support. After treatment and painting, I had to wait about 3 months for the new front end parts to get painted and installed. Even after being exposed and driving it for those 3 months, there was no evidence of any rust re-formation.

It has been 6 years since I made the repairs and there is still no rust.

Edit: You can usually get Ospho from ACE Hardware.

This, plus I would use a primer before the top paint coat. Something like Hammerite primer and paint - very tough stuff

 

[dollybud]

All, I have posted this in some other threads regarding the 2024 mustang front inner wheel well openings. For those of you who are not aware, there is an opening directly behind each front wheel where stones, dirt, sand get tossed into. Once it goes in, there is no way for it to get out unless you clean it out. The stones will work their way between the outer plastic rocker molding and the pinch weld where they etch their way through the paint. The opening also exposes the K member as well as the body sheet metal. So as you drive your car, you are damaging a place that under these circumstances becomes VERY vulnerable to rust and corrosion. I have never seen such a poorly designed inner fender well? Ford as well as the dealers need to hear about this so hopefully they can get a new design for this half of the wheel well.

Here is a video put up on youtube. If you have seen it great, but if you have not and are not aware of this, please watch this or go look at your wheel well, you will see what I'm talking about. It is much easier to see on a lift, but I discovered this the first night just laying down looking under the car.

Either this winter or this spring I plan on making something to cover this. I'm curious to hear others' thoughts on this.

Thank you

I wonder if you went to a dealership large or small with a 24 Mustang askiing about buying a new one. Looking it over you noticed these large holes on the inner wheel wells on both sides and questioned the sales manager. Give him your phone number and when he finds the reason you will come back.
There has to be reasonable answer for them, or Ford doesn’t want to admit or address the issue knowing it will costs millions. I believe it might of been intended to remove engine heat and then they realized it was a rock dirt collector. Too many already built and sold with hundreds ordered.

 

[SSuperDave]

I work at a Ford dealer and I'm certain that no one in sales cares enough to even bother to find out. The most anybody would do be look at him and say well they're all that way that's how they're made and that would be the end of it. My suspicion is they were made that way for some ease of production or some jig or fitting that is used in production and no one ever gave it a second thought. Having spent the last 5 years working for Ford I can tell you that those are the kind of things that just don't surface on their radar unless it is forced to, and only then would it be addressed if it became a safety concern anything that is a recall is a safety concern nothing is ever addressed for cosmetic reasons even though every vehicle may have a problem. Also understand that those of us here in this form are very small subset of mustang owners who would actually even notice or care about these things. If you had asked me about it before I joined this forum I would have looked at the mall and said the same thing, they're all like this that's just how they are there's nothing I can do to change it.
Like it or not that is how it is.

 

[TUnica]

I wonder if you went to a dealership large or small with a 24 Mustang askiing about buying a new one. Looking it over you noticed these large holes on the inner wheel wells on both sides and questioned the sales manager. Give him your phone number and when he finds the reason you will come back.
There has to be reasonable answer for them, or Ford doesn’t want to admit or address the issue knowing it will costs millions. I believe it might of been intended to remove engine heat and then they realized it was a rock dirt collector. Too many already built and sold with hundreds ordered.

There is plenty open under the 2024 to allow for air to move, I know this because I have a lift in my shop and have had the car on it, I have also removed the inner fender wells as well as the protection that runs the full length to take a look for other things regarding jack rails.

I'm going with they will not acknowledge because they don't want the cost associated with this poor design to end up on their doorstep.

 

[Zig]

There is plenty open under the 2024 to allow for air to move, I know this because I have a lift in my shop and have had the car on it, I have also removed the inner fender wells as well as the protection that runs the full length to take a look for other things regarding jack rails.

I'm going with they will not acknowledge because they don't want the cost associated with this poor design to end up on their doorstep.

As hein demonstrates just a missing plug for a most reasonable explanation being a production jig. Hmm maybe something to add to job 1, since quality is job 1 it would be job 1+ (not two): quality plus ….

 

[TUnica]

I work at a Ford dealer and I'm certain that no one in sales cares enough to even bother to find out. The most anybody would do be look at him and say well they're all that way that's how they're made and that would be the end of it. My suspicion is they were made that way for some ease of production or some jig or fitting that is used in production and no one ever gave it a second thought. Having spent the last 5 years working for Ford I can tell you that those are the kind of things that just don't surface on their radar unless it is forced to, and only then would it be addressed if it became a safety concern anything that is a recall is a safety concern nothing is ever addressed for cosmetic reasons even though every vehicle may have a problem. Also understand that those of us here in this form are very small subset of mustang owners who would actually even notice or care about these things. If you had asked me about it before I joined this forum I would have looked at the mall and said the same thing, they're all like this that's just how they are there's nothing I can do to change it.
Like it or not that is how it is.

I would agree with this 100%, when I brought the car home in late august and noticed this stupidity, I naively reached out to our salesman first and he just played stupid.

It's ours to deal with, the only way this will ever change is if it gets enough negative awareness and Ford perceived it as something that would affect their sales but to your point, most don't notice or care.

Sadly the bloggers who "review" this car probably will never bring this up and I know some of them are aware of this because they watch the forums. They give Ford the softball curtiques so as to not get themselves cut off by Fords media invites.

 

[TUnica]

So I installed my Steeda Progressive Lowering springs this afternoon, and whilst I was in the front wheel wells I for the first time looked at what damage has been done in the 3500 miles I've put on the car here in indiana, and not to my surprise, the metal at the front of the stupid hole has contact rust already, chewed up from rocks.

So my question is, what can I do to seal off the rust before I install this kit from hein? It's not a lot and again doesn't look chronic, just something I want to stop before it gets worse, and before I cover the holes completely.

Did you have the inner wheel wells removed? if you have not, most likely what you are not seeing are the stones wedged in at the front two braces as well as the fender and the chassis.

 

[Carter1776]

Did you have the inner wheel wells removed? if you have not, most likely what you are not seeing are the stones wedged in at the front two braces as well as the fender and the chassis.

I did not, but before I install the remedy I'm going to make sure to remove the wheel wells and remove all the debris and seal off the small amount rust I see.

 

[RaceRedder]

As hein demonstrates just a missing plug for a most reasonable explanation being a production jig. Hmm maybe something to add to job 1, since quality is job 1 it would be job 1+ (not two): quality plus ….

Nice to see you learned how to count.

 

[dollybud]

There is plenty open under the 2024 to allow for air to move, I know this because I have a lift in my shop and have had the car on it, I have also removed the inner fender wells as well as the protection that runs the full length to take a look for other things regarding jack rails.

I'm going with they will not acknowledge because they don't want the cost associated with this poor design to end up on their doorstep.

I agree. I’m not to concerned as I wont keep it more than 2-3 years top.
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