Bummer with Voxy's Fender

Given that I don't have any background in sheet metal work (and that I dont have the tools to weld them as well) - I had to figure out a way to fix my VW's rusted out fenders.

I was surprised to see that the bottom part of my fenders - where the running boards/step boards are attached - is in such bad shape. I applied coats of undercoat previously and did not notice this from underneath. Nevertheless, I would have to fix them before I move on with my paint job.

In my haste to fix this - I forgot to take pictures of how it looked like before I sanded it down (my bad).

Here's how it looks like after I've stripped the bubbled up paint and sanded down the rusted part. As you can see, there are several holes there already due to severe rusting. TIP: Used a cap brush to speed up the stripping process - you can clearly see the paint history of this bug - layers and layers of paint and body filler - maybe i should just strip this bug to metal after all.

To make the fender sturdy again (without welding in new metal), I decided to use some non-sag epoxy instead. I watched a TV commercial once where they applied this thing to a boat and it survived a sledge hammer blow - this stuff must be pretty tough eh? I hope this will do the trick.

To further reinforce the epoxy I'm going to apply - I decided to put in several washers to serve as its framework. I thought of using a metal screen but this is way stronger (and readily available - had a couple of spare washers in my tool box).

Applied several layers of the epoxy on the back and front of the fender - I can even it out with body filler later on :)

Applied some on the running boards as well.

Once this stuff dries - its going to be as hard as metal!

Almost done with the initial preparations - Voxy's almost ready for her primer! :)

PS. The fan in my room broke down today - would need this fix that one first - will try to share with you how I'll fix it on my next post.

PPS. Posted several items in the Market Page of my blog! Bili bili na! :)