Rust Be Gone! (Had Rust Repaired On My Dodge Ram).....And Now This.....

[Old Moparz]

Over the last few years or so I started to get some rust on my 2004 Dodge Ram. It wasn't "terrible" but typically what you can see is not all of the damage. Fortunately the rust was limited to the back end of the truck at the wheel well lips, the bumper and the bottom of the tailgate. The bed, cab & other places are still in great shape & it only has 112,000 miles so I decided to get it fixed. I looked at new trucks on & off & cannot believe what they go for.  

The after market parts are all available and very reasonably priced since they're made in Taiwan. The left and right patch panels with the inner edges of the wheel wells were $260 shipped from a place called "MrTailLight.com".

http://www.mrtaillight.com/product_info.php?cPath=453_485&products_id=2299

The rear bumper with all the brackets, step pad, lights and hardware along with the tailgate with a new handle, cables, latches, rods and hardware was $425 shipped. These I got off ebay from a seller called "bumber-outlet". Typical issues were that the items should have been packed better. The bumper was dinged on the end & it cracked off small pieces of the plastic step pad. The tailgate was bent in the upper corner & there was a horizontal hump in the sheet metal throughout the center. This was probably just a bad stamping but the seller made good on all of it by giving me a huge discount & sending me another step pad. I would easily buy from them again because the customer service was exceptional & the parts were shipped fast & free.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Primered-Steel-Rear-Step-Bumper-Assembly-for-2003-2009-Dodge-RAM-2500-3500/282957523543?fits=Year%3A2004%7CMake%3ADodge&hash=item41e1952a57:g:KTUAAOSwd0ha8b5G:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!12553!US!-1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Primered-Steel-Tailgate-Assembly-for-2002-2009-Dodge-RAM-Pickup-W-out-Dually/282751057972?fits=Year%3A2004%7CMake%3ADodge&hash=item41d546c034:g:WoUAAOSwmudaHDQO:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!12553!US!-1

It's not a show truck or a restoration, just my daily ride so buying expensive original parts from Dodge made no sense. I don't want to drive around a rot box and be the target to get pulled over by a cop hoping that he will be able to give me a ticket for other problems he finds.

Anyway, here are some before and after photos. The guy who did the work is local to me in NY and did the work on my yellow Plymouth Scamp back in 1992 or so. On the truck he cut out the rust in the wheel lips, welded in the new parts, sanded, prepped and primed the bumper and the tailgate, then painted these parts and did it all for $1500. All I have left to do is assemble the tailgate hardware, drop it in place & put the new license plate lights & step pad on the bumper.  

Jerry's Auto Body in Beacon, NY.

[Old Moparz]

 

[Old Moparz]

 

[TexasStroker]

Came out nice!

[Old Moparz]

Came out nice!

Thanks, I agree. 

When he did my Scamp back in the early 90's he replaced both quarter panels, fixed the driver's door & the passenger fender that had damage prior to when I got it. I bought the after market quarters for $250 & he painted the entire car including the inside of the trunk, door jambs, under the hood & as far inside the engine compartment he could get. That took about 3 weeks back then & all for just $1600. 

[stripedelete]

Nice job and good for you!   The price of pickups (new and used)  is nuts.   And the manufactures aren't enhancing the rust resistance with their profits.  It makes the decision to repair and preserve what you have more clear cut.

[hemi-hampton]

Prices have quadrupled since early 1990's. Now the Scamp work would probably be $6,400.

[Todd Wilson]

This is what piss's me off about the 3rd gen trucks. They have that inner wheel well lip support and it catches everything and causes stuff to rust out. I have a 95 Ram bought new and washed under there all the time and kept it clean and the truck is still ok. My 05 is starting to show small bubbles of rust. Its happening from the inside out and I cannot get to it due to the inner support.  I am gonna have to do this to mine before long I suspect!


Todd

[Old Moparz]

This is what piss's me off about the 3rd gen trucks. They have that inner wheel well lip support and it catches everything and causes stuff to rust out. I have a 95 Ram bought new and washed under there all the time and kept it clean and the truck is still ok. My 05 is starting to show small bubbles of rust. Its happening from the inside out and I cannot get to it due to the inner support.  I am gonna have to do this to mine before long I suspect!


Todd

Yeah, the repair kit I ordered came with the inner 4 pieces behind the quarters. Only the outer ones were needed, Jerry at the body shop said he didn't need the inner set.

[Aero426]

I have an 04 that is not as bad as the OP's.  I have bought a few years with a set of $100 replica factory flares from Ebay on the rear arches.    It's worked well, and I try to keep the truck inside.  Eventually, I may have to have the patches welded in.     I have hesitated as eventually, these patches tend to fail on the edges where they were welded in.     There is no free lunch versus a southern bed or a full quarter.    Regardless, the OP's truck looks nice and should be serviceable for a good long time.  

[FJMG]

When this happened to a friends 96, we decided to remove the entire box side by drilling out all the spot welds. There were a bunch along the top, a few along the front of the box and wheel arches, and only a couple by the taillights.
I welded in a patch panel, finished both sides and then we decided to just bolt it back on.
Now he can remove the entire panel by removing a dozen bolts and wash out all the crap in the spring. It is actually easier than removing front fender.

[Old Moparz]

Bumping my old thread for the new year because I got new tires....


And $1603.49 worth of damage to the work that was just done earlier this year.  


The shop that I got the tires from has someone working there who obviously cannot drive. This supposedly happened when they were backing the truck out after they installed the new tires & turned the wheel too soon & hit the side of the door opening. Accidents happen but this is outright stupidity. The good thing is that the owner of the shop called me personally to tell me what happened & said he would take care of it. This tire place is not a large chain & has been in the area for decades so we'll see how he handles it. It was early enough in the day yesterday that I was able to stop by the body shop that repaired & painted it recently to get another estimate.

[hemi-hampton]

Bummer, are they going to bump/de dent it or replace it? LEON.

P.S. Reminds me of when mine got hit. luckily I worked at a body shop & bumped & painted it myself & insurance paid for it.

[TexasStroker]

Man that really sucks...not a great way to start the new year.  However, very stand up of the owner to take responsibility and make it right.  Definitely use your shop though.

That Mopar Performance sticker on the back of hemi-hampton's Ram bring back some memories!

[Old Moparz]

Well, tire guy is being a complete douche. 

He went to the body shop that I got the estimate from & offered the guy cash to do it for less. The body shop will not do business with him now & told me what he did. My appointment was canceled & I went back to the tire shop to find out what the hell is going on. Tire guy said it's all taken care of, get it fixed & I'll pay the body shop. 

Yeah, sure,

I get two more estimates & they are roughly $3100 & $3300 so I send a certified letter to the tire shop saying that they need to pay me the full amount for the $1603.49 estimate or we go to court. He calls me & says he will pay me in full, so I go to his shop the next day. He prints out a statement that he wants me to sign saying that the amount is $1200 & that we are done after he gives me a check.

I'm looking at this paper in his office & fuming. I get up & simply tell him, "We're done here, you're wasting my time & I'll see you in court."

This guy had the chance to do the right thing & didn't. All he had to do was pay the first estimate I gave him & my truck would have been fixed two weeks ago & I'd be gone. Now it's going to cost him more. Friggen' dickhead.

[b5blue]

What a pisser!

[hemi-hampton]

No surprise, typical.

[dual fours]

You'd think the tire dealer would be happy to pay to fix the damage and cut a huge discount on the tires, I'm guessing you got four of them. Negative feed back is bad for business.

[b5blue]

Hey I'd give the local news "help line" a shot. Lots of real time exposing bull crap works wonders around here! 

[will]

Care to name names for those of us who are local to you?

[birdsandbees]

Shops insurance should be taking care of it considering it was his rookie that Fawked it up..

[Birdflu]

Shops insurance should be taking care of it considering it was his rookie that Fawked it up..

Having owned a drive line shop for the last 27 years...that was the first thought that came to mind. I know if something like that happened in my shop (glad it never has!)...I know I'd eat it and make it 100% RIGHT and then some! 

[birdsandbees]

Yep, would be flip flop fold the top! Absolute BS otherwise.

[Aero426]

Hey I'd give the local news "help line" a shot. Lots of real time exposing bull crap works wonders around here!  

Since he has revealed his true colors to the body shop and to you,  the local TV consumer advocate could be an effective strategy.      

There's no way any reputable body shop will fix that for $1200.

He's banking that you'll fold and turn it in to your insurance company on your deductible.    

[67440chrg]

Sorry he is not a stand up kind of man. People think they can just push a victim around and not pay for their screw ups. Get the law involved.