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body repair panels

xxxt101

Full Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2009
Messages
10
Hi I have a 2002 av 1500 and love it but i noticed above the rear wheels it has started to get some rust bubbles under the paint , what i was looking for was rust repair panels , does anyone know where i can get them cause im going to fix it right because i plan on keeping it for a while.  THANKS 


 
Rust repair panels might be able to be purchased at your local auto body supply shop, but I can tell you that you won't be happy with any rust repair other than removing the rust completely. If you are seeing the paint bubble the rust is already through the metal and coming up over the paint.

If it is small enough you can easily repair it with fiberglass body filler. I would grind off as much rust as you can then use the fiberglass as you would any normal body filler.
 
I have this too....also a 2002 model. 
This is a very common problem for early Avalanches. 
The rust comes from inside the panel...

Chevy put a piece of foam between the panels...it holds moisture and causes the rust in that spot. 

Later Avalanches dont have the foam and dont' have the rust...

 
If indeed there is foam in there you can either buy or have spray rust proofing put into the panel to "fill" it up. We use it in body shops when repairing a frame. Just a thought.
 
Thanks for the info i already had these repaired once so this time I'm cutting out the metal wheel well and welding new ones in place so the rust is all gone , but I'm having problems finding the the wheel well repair panels but i know one thing all the foam is coming out of there before repair is made .That way i can get some undercoating in there after repair. I see they make them for the Chevy trucks but cant find them for the av.    any help would be appreciated

 
I'm not completely sure. Have you tried going to a body supply shop and asking them? They usually have catalogs for replacement parts. If a body shop was to do a similar repair they would order a new part from a GM supplier- you may have to do that yourself. Also, because of where it is you may not be able to find one- you may have to cut out the area and weld in a custom fitted one. Rust sucks my man. Let me try to find something for you.

Edit- I actually did a rust repair job for my mother in law a few years back. Her Malibu's gas filler area was completely rusted out and I bought a fiberglass mesh from Autozone to fill it in. I ground out the area completely, put this filler in and mudded the rest. It was a good job and held fine...until she totaled it out 4 months later. If where you are talking about is around the wheel wells; not the dog leg, a similar repair done right could be just as beneficial. However, if the rust is in the dog leg you have to weld a new panel in-a quarter panel! :E: You don't want to go hacking away at the dog leg and attempting welding new panels to old.
 
I have been checking on this as well for my 04.  So far I have not found anything other than the whole side for replacement.  I have been looking though at suburban parts as they do have smaller skins for replacement
 
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