Splash panel replacment Question

[MadRiver]

Howdy all.

In spending a bit of time under my 250 this past weekend, I discovered the only spot of rust on my beloved car -- one of the splash panels at the rear of the front wheel arch has some dreaded tin worm. Thanfully, everything else is unaffected, and it caused me to go over the car with a fine tooth comb again! Other than this offending spot (which has kept me up at night two nights running fretting about it), the car is solid as the rock I know him to be.

Anyway, is it possible to replace the splash panels without removing the fender? I can't quite see from the TRF catalog whether they use nuts and bolts (which would require access to both sides) or just screw in.

All guidance is, as always, greatly appreciated!

B.

 

[Simon TR4a]

No, you must remove the fender to get access to some of the bolts which secure the splash panel to the body.
Sorry to bring bad news!
Simon.

 

[Alan_Myers]

Hi Bill,

Simon is right, the fender will need to come off. Thankfully, that's easy on most TRs.

If you do remove the fender, it's an ideal opportunity to extend the scuttle drain out through the rocker, to help minimize any chance of rust getting started in the area behind the splash panel. It's also a good time to paint everything with some rust preventative. I liberally used a rattle can of Rustoleum red primer in that hidden area on my TR4, in about 1979 if memory serves, and there is no rust to be found in there today.

Also, TRF's replacement splash panels are powder coated, or you may be able to have just yours media blasted and powder coated locally. PCing would hold up much better than the original semi-gloss black paint, I'm sure.

Fender removal and internal painting would actually be a highly recommended project for any newly purchased TR. If the car is still wearing it's factory paint, the hidden areas and the attachment flanges got little more than a mist of paint at the factory. Apparently some cars were later sprayed with Waxoyl or similar (my '62 was), which helped for a few years, but eventually dried out and started allowing moisture to get into the nooks and crannies.

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[Guest]

That's strange that you all should say that. I recently replaced both the splash panels on my TR6 (from TRF) and did not have to remove my fenders at all. Just dug off the crud and they unbolted right off. Call Dave at TRF and ask him. I wanted access to the inner fenders to check for rust (none). Are you guys sure about that? Maybe the TR4 has a different setup.


Bill

 

[LastDeadLast]

Same here. I didn't have to remove the fenders on my 6. The splash panels from TRF are very nice BTW.

 

[MadRiver]

Interesting! I've heard from a couple of 6 and 250 owners who report that the splash panels can be removed without removing the fender! Guess I'll find out!

Although fender removal is easy, the downside for a 250 is that the fender beading is body color and on many cars that have been repainted (mine included) they were repainted with the fenders on, which means damaging the paint where the fender meets the beading to remove the fender. There's also the issue of the stripes, which are painted on over the beading. So, hopefully I can complete this task without fender removal!!!

Wish me luck!

 

[swift6]

Didn't have to remove my fenders either. Bolts are accessed through the wheel well and the seal between the splash panel and the fender allows for some movement. Pretty straight forward unless everything has been covered with undercoating.

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