I have what appears to be a typical problem on an older Stang. After forty some years of battery leaks and so forth my battery tray is toast but so is the fender apron under it. I saw an article on Mustang monthly where they got the new metal but cut out just the rusted part and then put in a patch to match the cut out. I am assuming a second option would be to replace the entire apron. Which would be the better way to go? Also, what would be involved in trying to replace the entire apron instead of just patching the rusted out area?
got a welder I do this deal all the time. Get one of those spot weld drills and drill out all the spot welds holding the apron on. Use an air chisel to bust them all loose. Fit in the new apron (they are cheap) and drill holes in it to duplicate spot welds and weld in the holes with your MIG welder. Paint and your done. Assuming you have all those tools.................. You could patch the bad part using the new apron material, but that would actually take longer to do unless you just want to slap the piece on and weld it. All depends on how you want it to look. I always replace. Hope this helps.
That helps a lot, thanks for the info. I am guessing that to remove the apron you would have to first remove the front fender.... The thing that I hadn't yet figured out about cutting a patch was how to have it look right with spot welds and seemed like welding solid all the way around would be a lot of heat causing a concern about warping something.
patch Yes you have to remove the fender. As far as a patch, I would weld solid using a lip on your patch piece and remember, the battery should cover up most of your work.
One thing to consider - there may be a vehicle ID number stamped on the top of that apron under the fender. For 67 and later vehicles that have a VIN on the dash, thas not a big deal. But for the older cars it can be - thats why people like to patch the front aprons.
I am ok with that one Nasa. My vin is on the driver's side and the battery is on the passenger's side...at least that is one less thing to worry with.
