Front Fender line holes gone

[AZ_Ryan]

He seems to be forgetting there is a load of unprotected metal under the car, admittedly the floorpan is undersealed in the UK. Mine went through it's first salty winter with minimal damage and I have treated it for the future and will keep an eye on it.

If you don't agree with him you are wrong unfortunately! I know a few other people like that!

Not only that. But you can remove all the liners and panels under the car and will find tons of rocks everywhere. While I agree blocking that hole is probably a good idea long term due to the exposed K member, it's not going to seal up the whole area against water, salt and all debris. Driving a car in a wet and cold climate has consequences in the underside not matter what.

Sponsored

 

[glenng6]

@fishinrich ..... you won't have to wait 50 years. Probably two years will show damage concerns. With those holes right behind the front wheels dirt, stones and in some places salt will be fired at high speed right down the inside of the underbelly pads. As my Mustang tech - who owns a supercharged Mustang - said, not only that but a lot of those areas are real close to extremely hot exhaust components that will radically speed-up the corrosion to critical parts. I just don't get some owners who seem to brag that they aren't afraid of some rust. For $100 and 30 minutes of time I find that sort of answer ..... well, readers can fill-in their version of the word stupid. Watch Tony Unica's video. BTW he builds Mustangs from the stamped forms that he purchases from Ford you can see some of the body panels in his video. He has forgotten more about Mustangs that most people on this forum will ever know. Respectfully, help your Mustang - educate yourself and spend a flippin' 100 bucks on the fix or at least do what @glenng6 did....hats off to his creative solution. Hope it lasts. If not I'm sure he'll re-do it.

With the amount of tape left on the roll I can re-do my hack 50 times! Glenn

 

[steveo1960]

Has anyone tried using a product like one of the Eastwood rust inhibitors or frame coating products and spraying it into the area behind the fender hole? After cleaning it out of course. Is it feasible or is it just going to make a mess and possibly overspray onto the exterior paint?

 

[Will2]

Wow glad to see something was finally done. If I understand correctly, not all 2025's got this fix.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

Wow glad to see something was finally done. If I understand correctly, not all 2025's got this fix.

Correct. They started halfway.

 

[glenng6]

I just had another thought concerning these holes. Why not spray the inside of the hole with foam insulation and then cover the hole with the T-REX tape I suggested? I would make sure there isn't any moisture in there, and if stones/pebbles are present, the foam should stop them from rattling! Actually, I think I might check into this possibility. Regardless of the method anyone chooses, I doubt it would hurt to fill the void, so to speak. Any structural/environmental engineers out there that know if there is spray that has soundproofing and insulation attributes? It could be a win-win situation! Glenn

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I just had another thought concerning these holes. Why not spray the inside of the hole with foam insulation and then cover the hole with the T-REX tape I suggested? I would make sure there isn't any moisture in there, and if stones/pebbles are present, the foam should stop them from rattling! Actually, I think I might check into this possibility. Regardless of the method anyone chooses, I doubt it would hurt to fill the void, so to speak. Any structural/environmental engineers out there that know if there is spray that has soundproofing and insulation attributes? It could be a win-win situation! Glenn

Foam will just hold the moisture in. Plus there is no reason to fill the space. There are voids under every trim panel in the car. Block it off and call it a day. This ain't rocket science folks.

 

[Zig]

Foam will just hold the moisture in. Plus there is no reason to fill the space. There are voids under every trim panel in the car. Block it off and call it a day. This ain't rocket science folks.

But it is ‘rock’ science.

 

[Gregs24]

Has anyone tried using a product like one of the Eastwood rust inhibitors or frame coating products and spraying it into the area behind the fender hole? After cleaning it out of course. Is it feasible or is it just going to make a mess and possibly overspray onto the exterior paint?

Yes. I did exactly this. After this winter and about 3k mile of driving I had a good look inside the holes. The car frame had a few stone chips but no rust and the brace had a few minor chips and slight rust staining of those chips - very minor. I treated with Kurust and then sprayed with aerosol underseal which matches the rest of the underbody on UK cars. A month later it is all completely as it was when I did it. I will monitor and retreat if and when required.

 

[MAT1955]

@Gregs24 ..... because when people post comments that can result in serious damage to a vehicle or be harmful to them it should be our obligation to reference (and more authoritative - in this case Tony Unica and Hein at DIYvan.com) countermanding posts. Hopefully, now that Ford has now corrected the issue (judos to them) it will die a quick death and yes, I am guilty of responding in kind with sarcasm but geez in this instance there is so much overwhelming evidence(with pictures) from so many genuine and authoritative fellow owners - on so many forums and threads - when someone (who does not appear to have done any research on the subject) yet belittles the concern I see red - actually Race Red. But, yes I should curb my comments to not reflect annoyance with another poster as that doesn't contribute well to any discussion.

 

[Gregs24]

@Gregs24 ..... because when people post comments that can result in serious damage to a vehicle or be harmful to them it should be our obligation to reference (and more authoritative - in this case Tony Unica and Hein at DIYvan.com) countermanding posts. Hopefully, now that Ford has now corrected the issue (judos to them) it will die a quick death and yes, I am guilty of responding in kind with sarcasm but geez in this instance there is so much overwhelming evidence(with pictures) from so many genuine and authoritative fellow owners - on so many forums and threads - when someone (who does not appear to have done any research on the subject) yet belittles the concern I see red - actually Race Red. But, yes I should curb my comments to not reflect annoyance with another poster as that doesn't contribute well to any discussion.

You seem to be incapable of accepting there are multiple options available for this 'problem' not just the one you are involved with. I have the evidence of my own car in front of me so I don't need to rely on third party evidence.

As to your posting nature - I accept that as an apology

 

[hoodscoops]

I just had another thought concerning these holes. Why not spray the inside of the hole with foam insulation and then cover the hole with the T-REX tape I suggested? I would make sure there isn't any moisture in there, and if stones/pebbles are present, the foam should stop them from rattling! Actually, I think I might check into this possibility. Regardless of the method anyone chooses, I doubt it would hurt to fill the void, so to speak. Any structural/environmental engineers out there that know if there is spray that has soundproofing and insulation attributes? It could be a win-win situation! Glenn

that is worse. Foam will trap mositure and rust faster

 

[glenng6]

He seems to be forgetting there is a load of unprotected metal under the car, admittedly the floorpan is undersealed in the UK. Mine went through it's first salty winter with minimal damage and I have treated it for the future and will keep an eye on it.

If you don't agree with him you are wrong unfortunately! I know a few other people like that!

No, I'm not forgetting anything. I don't know if you saw the post where I showed what I did to my two holes, and the only reason I did anything is because of all the chatter about plugging these holes. There are many alternatives to the problem other than spending a lot of money to solve a problem that shouldn't have happened at all. Now, there are all sorts of problems that can be caused by driving our cars in the Northeast during bad weather. I doubt they will happen to mine because it doesn't leave the garage if there is crap on the roads or they are wet. I've been caught in one sun shower in the 10 months I've owned it, and it has been hand-washed 3 times. I'm not very concerned about these issues, just trying to help out those who feel the need for a viable solution. Two or three feet of inexpensive tape I would consider a cost-effective solution. Even if it isn't permanent.

Gregs24,
The entire undercarriage of my car has been undercoated, and the majority of exposed undercarriage panels don't contain holes and cavities that will retain stones, salt, and moisture. Otherwise, this subject wouldn't be a thread! These side panels can and probably will do that over time.

fishinrich,
To answer your question. Yes I believe it will help. If you block the holes, the amount of moisture entering this space will be minimal if at all. And if you cover the holes and spray in foam insulation, how is moisture that can't get in going to be retained? I doubt much would happen because of thermal issues because those same thermal issues would likely occur whether the holes are covered or not.

Lastly, if anyone wants to address me, do it directly. Don't speak about me like I don't exist! If I care to respond, I will; if I don’t, I won't! Glenn

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Yeesh. There are some really sensitive people on this forum.

 

[glenng6]

Yeesh. There are some really sensitive people on this forum.

Sensitive or impolite?

Sponsored