Paul Brogren wrote:
> One of my fender flares fell off on the way to work today. I saved it, but
> I'm not sure if I want to re-install it. The department of transpertation
> here in Colorado uses mag chloride on the roads in the winter. My fender
> wells and panels are in fairly good condition with a little rust.
>
> Because of the corrosive ice control would it be better to take them all off
> so I can spray them off easier. Or will they rust / corrode at the same
> rate with or without them installed?

I've got all the flares and that running board/step ugliness off my 88
YJ and there's not much at all in the way of rust under them.. the only
places are where the screws have worn paint off the holes (only where a
screw was slightly lose). One or two very minor spots.

If you REALLY want to see some rust that you had no idea was there...
take off all your hinges. The windshield, door and hood (on the cowl
side of the hinge) were hiding a decent amount of rust. The windshield
hinge is a real PITA to get off and on, but I'm glad I did take it off,
I will be sandblasting where they were before painting. A year or two
more and I'd be doing sheet metal work on the spots instead of sandblasting.

I almost left them on because of the relative scarcity of sheet metal
rust on this Jeep (more frame rust than anything else). But I wanted
stainless hardware anyway, so I pulled them off and discovered that I
had a good bit more prepping to do :)