What was between the fender and the body?

[Zeke]

When the factory bolted on the front fenders, what was used as a sealant? Was it a white, soft putty?

[Zeke]

Well, 28 views so far. I have fenders from 2 two cars and they both have the white dumdum, or whatever it's called in there. I was planning to reasemble with a type of soft material that comes in a roll with removable backing. It's black.

Anyone?

[pwd72s]

I don't know, Milt....just giving you a bump in the hope that somebody does. Your post got me curious...

[mjmoran]

Zeke, I can get back to you next week. I have a car getting a bit of rust repair at a shop where the owner was the body guy at Polaks in the late 60s and 70s. He has put so many 911's back together he does it in his sleep now. Hopefully he is doing mine while he's awake though...
If they kept with the same stuff though, my 89 has the white putty/seam sealer between all the panels.


Good luck.

[Zeke]

Thanks for bringing this back up. I think the white putty is the stuff and I also think it CONTRIBUTES to rust! This is in the theory stage, but it seems (no play on words) to trap water. The ideal sealant would guard against water and dirt entering the hood weatherstripping channel, yet allow any accumulated water to drain out. To that end, I am planning to use a black (butyl?) tape and a bead of body polyurethane caulk on the top of the seam. In my theory, this should provide an avenue for water to escape. The reason water can get out is that the black tape doesn't totally fill in the area between the flanges, but it keeps the metal to metal contact at a minimum. This, I assume, is to reduce or prevent body squeeks.

More as I go along. I have posted some fairly comprehensive body work threads on Pelican. I don't usually cross post between forums, but will in a pinch. If anyone would like links or even some of that stuff over here, I'd be happy to oblige.