Corrosion plus negligence is a bad combo

"Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom" (jeremyhampson)
10/09/2013 at 11:31 • Filed to: None

So a week and a half ago, I found myself needed a beater because the clutch job on my 944 has pretty much turned into an everything job, seeing as how the PO didn't maintain it at all (fuel filter on it, for example, was dated 1995, hello reason for my hard cold start), I picked up an old beat up 86 accord hatch back (what can I say, I'm a sucker for practicality)

So, I picked it up, and I had forgot to inspect the gas line area (an expensive lesson to learn, I'm a dumbass), and I am greeted with something pretty horrendous.

Blah blah blah, order a new part, get it put in (I don't like messing with fuel lines if I can help it), here is a picture of it once it was taken out.

It obviously had been ignored for some time, but whatever, it's fixed, I got a new part in. Now, here is the question I ask of the oppo collective, what would be the best (read; cheapest while being most functional) way of repairing the area around the fuel filler pipe, so it, you know, stays in the middle of that thing and doesn't move around?

And hopefully someone remembers that picture when buying a car, and remembers to pop open to take a peek at the gas line, was a $280 lesson to do that for me.

DISCUSSION (9)

The Swedish Bandit > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
10/09/2013 at 11:38

Had the same problem on my nissan. ''Cut in half'' radiator hose + some hose clamps and a bit of gasket filler did the job just fine. Will probably work fine for a year or two but it probably ain't the best solution for the long run...

Kugelblitz > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
10/09/2013 at 11:39

Create a metal plate and bolt/dzus fastener it into place. Make sure the filler bit can be bolted into it? Might need to reinforce ot from both sides. I was going to say weld them in, but gas is a problem here. That would be the quick and dirty first idea off the top-of-my-head plan

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > The Swedish Bandit
10/09/2013 at 11:41

Yeah, to be honest I don't plan on keeping the car for forever, but I do want to resell it, but that does sound like a good plan for the interim, my goal right now is to keep it from moving around so that it doesn't get damaged. I have already replaced the actual fuel line, got a new one in, just trying to find a way to keep it in the middle of that, I don't know what its called, bracket area? Because it's moving around right now.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > Kugelblitz
10/09/2013 at 11:43

Yeah, I was thinking of maybe just using some thick gauge bailing wire to keep it in place, and maybe welding a metal plate to the vehicle and guide it through that, and then clean up the visible part of it, but as you said, gas is the issue here. I want to avoid a body shop because I know they will want to charge an arm and a leg.

MikeMeade > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
10/09/2013 at 11:49

I would head to a junkyard, and cut a similar part out of a similar car with a sawzall. Clean it up when you get home, and JB weld that sucker to the inside of the fender. You may have to grind or saw off the old rusty bits, but hopefully you can cap the new filler to prevent gas fumes.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > MikeMeade
10/09/2013 at 11:55

Yeah the new filler is good to go when it comes to the fumes, the bracket pretty much just holds it there from what I have read up on, but good catch with that JB weld, I ALWAYS forget about that stuff. I've just never done any real body restoration work before so I didn't know where to start, but that sounds like a pretty solid plan.

MikeMeade > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
10/09/2013 at 12:08

I wouldn't really call it restoration work, but it will certainly hold and it will be better than what you have now. For a beater, my requirements are pretty low. Is it safe? Will it stay that way? That should be enough.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > MikeMeade
10/09/2013 at 12:10

Yeah same here, it is sound, but I just don't want the damn thing moving around. For the time being though it sound be fine, I mean I picked up the car for $850 bucks, a working car with passing inspection for that much, hell yeah.

Casper > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
10/09/2013 at 12:14

I would just weld in a piece of sheet metal or go cut the same piece out of a junk yard car. It doesn't need to be fancy and if you don't have a welder you can at least the the piece and have someone else weld it in for you. It's not structural so I doubt that a shop would charge much... and it's not somewhere it needs to be pretty.