Preserving a W123
 

85 300D 177K miles. Trying to fend off the tin worm.

There's a section of sheet metal beneath the front bumper. It's body colored and subject to a lot of road rash type damage. This section, can it be removed or is it welded into place? I would like to fix the road rash issues as the part is not rotting out at this point. Can anyone suggest how I best might fix this area? I am thinking to sand it down as best I can, front and back, prime it with (?) por15, some eastwood product, or anything else known to protect well against rust and that would wear and hold up well. The back side would also be addressed via Por15 etc. I would then want to paint the outside portion to match the car's color. I'm thinking to go to paintscratch.com and have them mix me up a couple of rattle cans of the right color.
I have this area to address as well as the arches at the wheel wells and a little right in back of the rear wheels. The car is really in good shape and is a daily driver that I want to preserve as long as possible.
Any suggestions, including links to articles/vendors is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I know the part you speak of. I wouldn't spend too much time on it.

I would just clean it up a little and hit it up with some flat black Rustoleum.That way it blends in and is preserved.

If there is rust, there is a rust converter. That you can do the spots with.

Are you going for a show car, frame up resto? If so, disregard.

Perfect. Nope, not a show car. I had a coupe that got severely ugly in that area, I just want this old sedan to hold up a bit better. I'm going to be tackling as much small rust as I can since there's really not a whole lot. I'm trying to stay off winter roads until the spring rains but may need to use the car now since I wrecked my wife's little SUV.

I did more or less what you said in the first post - angle grinder wire brush, metal ready, POR 15, tie coat primer, stone chip paint, colour coat, and then a clear coat top...


Was it worth the effort? We'll see!

I think that center piece is just held in by a few screws and can be easily removed. The fenders sort of wrap around and under on the corners. Soak the screws in penetrating oil if they're rusty, then remove and have at it.

See this thread for a pic of a semi-mangled one. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/bodywork-repair-paint-tools-tips-tricks/287061-headlight-frame-smashed-w123.html

The bends show where it disconnects.