A question for you tin benders

[muddyboots]

The left rear fender on my 1990 Ranger is rotted out and I'm looking to "fix it". Obviously bondo isn't the way to go, but I am not a welder. Instead of spending the cash to have a pro do it, could I possibly use 18 gauge galvanized and a boatload of rivets to rebuild the wheel well, then smooth it out with body filler? I'm thinking it would hold up better than bondo and wire mesh, but I'm not sure about the rivets. Would aluminum rivets react with the steel and galvanized steel? Would the galvanized steel react with my trucks steel for that matter? Would rivets even hold it on for a decent amount of time (maybe five years or so)?

I'm not looking for perfect, just good enough to ensure that my bed doesn't turn into a pile of rust in this Southern humidity. I plan to spray black Grizzly Grip along the bottom sixinches of my truck and it's gonna be bumpy and malformed looking anyway. I'm pretty sure I can bend and beat a decent replacement out of sheet metal, but I'm not sure what kind of metalI need to find, and like I said, I'm no welder. This truck is my main form of transportation, so I don't want it to be down too long, although in a few years it will be turned back into a field truck when I start digging again.

[Kyleb]

Flat surface or curved? If you're dealing with a curved surface, you could do a fiberglass layup that could match the current profile.

If it is a flat surface, you could probably get a local welder to patch it for not a whole lot of money.

If you go with a riveted repair, use Monel pop rivets. Stronger and more corrosion resistant than aluminum poppers.

[muddyboots]

it's a wheel well, so it's a curve meeting up with a flat surface.
I'll check into local welders-work is tight right now so I might well be able to get it tacked on cheaply...Thanks fpr the heads up on the rivets!

[Enemy Ace]

ebay a new fender, they are pretty cheap. I paid @ $80.00 for a new fender for my 95 jeep grand cherokee counting shipping. you can also order spray paint to match your car online.

[muddyboots]

Dude...This is a 20 year old farm pickup. The clear coat is peeling and the base coat is powdering where there is no clear coat. If I had 80 bucks to put into a new fender I would put it into a hood latch first lol! I'm running around with a ten dollar set of hood pins so I can change the oil without using my wrenches to open the hood They make slip on replacements for the wheel wells but they're 65 bucks a piece and good old 22 guage steel sheet metal will do just fine for now.
It's getting fixed up a little at a time--needs a whole new ac system, a bit of rust removed, and a paint job. I'm thinking about spraying it in yellow UV proof bedliner so it'll be more or less scratch proof.

The big problem is time. I'm working my ass off tryign to learn Spanish and hammer out all the writing Millsaps has me doing...

[Enemy Ace]

Well.....the only thing I can think of to say is that you can't polish a turd.

[muddyboots]

you watch me buff that stinker! It's gonna shine like a hershey bar

[The Inspector]

Ever consider a visit to your local boneyard? buy a whole new (to you) bed, or rip the old one off and build as do-it-yerself flatbed.