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Old 10-23-2020, 10:21 PM   #1
plast1cman
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Join Date: Sep 2020
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Location: Detroit, Michigan
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2005 Impreza WRX STI
Silver

Default Rust and my broken heart

Bought a stock 2005 STi a couple of weeks ago and I'm falling in love with it. We dropped it off this week for a complete mid-life maintenance update. Even though we had a thorough inspection by a mechanic prior to purchasing, we both missed this rust under the battery. The engine and transmission are in great shape so we're going to stick with it and get this fixed. Does anyone have an idea of what this might cost to get repaired? The mechanic is doing his thing right now so I won't be able to take it to an auto body shop for some time. I think the part I need is the fender apron in the exploded view #51610A. Also, I'm in the Detroit area in case anyone knows a good shop.

I did a bunch of searches and I can't find any threads on rust in this location. Thinking maybe a battery leaked on the previous owner. The body has zero rust and the mechanic checked the strut towers and he said everything looks good. Hoping this won't break the bank or maybe it's something I can fix myself. Thanks in advance for any insight.



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Last edited by plast1cman; 10-23-2020 at 10:37 PM. Reason: photos didn't load
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Old 10-24-2020, 07:43 PM   #2
plast1cman
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Silver

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This is an interesting post Plast1cman. I wish I had some insight to share with you. Good luck.
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Old 10-24-2020, 08:17 PM   #3
Vancouver98STi
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V4 GF8 White

Arrow He's probably healed by now

Quote:
Originally Posted by plast1cman View Post

Thinking maybe a battery leaked on the previous owner.
Focus your concern on the fender apron.

That's pretty bad. Was the plastic battery tray missing from under the battery?
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Old 10-26-2020, 11:17 AM   #4
plast1cman
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Silver

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I'm not sure about the battery tray. The picture was sent to me by a mechanic who is doing some work. Got a quote for $2,500 which seems really high to replace just the fender apron panel.
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Old 10-26-2020, 11:57 AM   #5
Absoluteyeti
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It's in front of the strut tower so that's good. But that looks like more than just a leaking battery, it probably blew a battery (overheating or freezing). $2500 seems reasonable assuming they are doing the patch and repaint properly.

Last edited by Absoluteyeti; 10-26-2020 at 03:32 PM.
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Old 10-26-2020, 02:25 PM   #6
Dave D.
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Definitely looks like battery damage. That area has to support significant weight, not easy to fix right. If you want it to look and perform just as it originally was, $2500 seems reasonable to me also.
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Old 10-26-2020, 07:22 PM   #7
Vancouver98STi
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Lightbulb Good time to relocate battery?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave D. View Post

That area has to support significant weight, not easy to fix right. If you want it to look and perform just as it originally was, $2500 seems reasonable to me also.
If a person was so inclined, this would be the perfect time to relocate the battery to the back of the car for better weight distribution.

My other car is an '88 Fiero Formula, and it's relatively common for Fiero fanatics (yes, I'm one ) to relocate the battery to the front of these mid-engine cars for the same reason... better weight distribution.
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Old 10-27-2020, 08:39 AM   #8
plast1cman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave D. View Post
Definitely looks like battery damage. That area has to support significant weight, not easy to fix right. If you want it to look and perform just as it originally was, $2500 seems reasonable to me also.

Can you give me a little better understanding of how this panel is supporting so much weight? It mounts directly to the frame rail so I assumed the frame was supporting all the weight. I was thinking about cutting out the rusted area and making a patch out of a new fender apron to weld in. My thinking was that it's not a visual piece and I could make it look good enough. If there's a structural component I should rethink this.


Also, thanks everyone for the advice!
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Old 10-27-2020, 09:22 AM   #9
Absoluteyeti
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Red to be white

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Quote:
Originally Posted by plast1cman View Post
Can you give me a little better understanding of how this panel is supporting so much weight? It mounts directly to the frame rail so I assumed the frame was supporting all the weight. I was thinking about cutting out the rusted area and making a patch out of a new fender apron to weld in. My thinking was that it's not a visual piece and I could make it look good enough. If there's a structural component I should rethink this.


Also, thanks everyone for the advice!
The frame rail itself is probably rotten through as well based on that picture(you could test this by trying to push a small screwdriver through the rust on the frame rail) if it goes through you're in for a lot of work.
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Old 10-27-2020, 10:46 AM   #10
rtv900
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vancouver98STi View Post
My other car is an '88 Fiero Formula, and it's relatively common for Fiero fanatics (yes, I'm one ) to relocate the battery to the front of these mid-engine cars for the same reason... better weight distribution.
Do you know any of the other two Fiero fanatics?
(sorry, couldn't resist)
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Old 10-27-2020, 03:20 PM   #11
Ernest
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OP, get a second opinion. I just had my two rear towers done, one was just the seat bracket area and one was both the seat bracket and strut tower. They fixed everything for 800 bucks. I did all the labor to take out and put back the rear interior of my wagon.
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Old 10-27-2020, 03:27 PM   #12
Vancouver98STi
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Wink Don't those things catch on fire?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rtv900 View Post

Do you know any of the other two Fiero fanatics?
(sorry, couldn't resist)
Ha! I've owned and driven Fieros for the last 25 years. I've heard all the digs.
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Old 10-27-2020, 03:50 PM   #13
rtv900
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vancouver98STi View Post
Ha! I've owned and driven Fieros for the last 25 years. I've heard all the digs.
nice
a friend of mine's dad had one of those when we were kids in the late 80's
red
His dad was probably 6'-4" and at least 250 if not more, so it was an interesting vehicle for a guy that size

Honestly, until you said it in this thread I had no idea they were mid engine.
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Old 10-28-2020, 11:49 AM   #14
Wayne Suhrbier
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They are great cars if you can keep them from lighting themselves on fire.
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Old 10-28-2020, 02:48 PM   #15
Jedi03
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to OP, cut it out and weld new piece in place
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Old 10-28-2020, 03:57 PM   #16
Vancouver98STi
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V4 GF8 White

Lightbulb Apologies to the OP

Quote:
Originally Posted by rtv900 View Post

His dad was probably 6'-4" and at least 250 if not more, so it was an interesting vehicle for a guy that size
The Pontiac Fiero has a surprisingly generous amount of leg and head room. I'm 6"3" and 190 lbs. Absolutely no problem for me. Yes, the car's low... so flexible-challenged individuals would be wise to stay clear.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne Suhrbier View Post

They are great cars if you can keep them from lighting themselves on fire.
During the initial year of production in '84, there was a bad batch of connecting rods used in the 4-cyl "Duke" engine. The rods had an unfortunate tendency to snap and come out the side of the block, allowing crankcase oil to splash onto the hot catalytic converter (located right beside the transverse mounted engine) and catch fire. With plastic body panels, and a magnesium grill over the mid-engine, a burning Fiero was no easy task to extinguish. There was a recall to replace the affected run of engines, and the problem was eliminated. However, its reputation of being a fire hazard continued to haunt the Fiero well past its final year of production in '88. Kind of a shame... but hey, it's helped to keep the price down on these great little cars for those of us who enjoy owning/restoring/modifying/driving them.
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