It's rusty here in the midwest, they use a ton of salt.

Here's a weird idea:

I am wondering if it might be feasible for someone to create a panel -like using a 3D printer -using the patch panel as a template?

Does this area carry structure?

 

Also, if someone has done this panel replacement, I am looking for threads...

https://www.millsupply.com/auto-body-rust-repair-panels/subaru/

nice hit!

 

find a rust free one and cut it out.  call every yard that has one and see if they'll cut and ship. www.car-part.com   they generally don't ship large parts though if yo'ure wanting an entire rear quarter. 

 

around here the rust gets so bad that repairing a panel buys you a few years before it's rusting elswhere or the parts adjacent to the panels up underneath are cancerous.   kind of a long term battle. 

 

the same reasons you don't want to do it yourself means it won't happen - Cost (financial, time, and opportunity costs to be specific), And then a group project variables are even more complicated pay up front, or later who holds the money, what if they disappear, quantity requirements, too small of a market, how long, who is going to send a good one for a template, people request different shapes, sizes, years, models, primed or not, shipped overseas...et.al.  All that for a part that like 7 people want and most only want one if necessary - not preemptively buy one because they love it and plan on keeping it 10+ years. there will be a couple of those, but very few.

I was more thinking of getting the mill supply panel and seeing if there was anyone in the world with a printer that would give it a shot.

No financial incentive (needs to be cheaper than the currently available $30 part?) and resource intensive 3D scanning and printing and logistics organizing people/financing/shipping/costs make it a tough fit.  

These are large parts, beyond the scope of most of the entry level printers...but even then it would still be hard to pull off. 

 

someone posted a a year or few back that he had access to a printer and wanted to produce stuff for Subarus, got lots of suggestions.  find that thread? i think it went nowhere though. 

From what I have learned with designing plastic housings, thin shapes like something that would normally be made from thin sheet metal are not printable. This was from industrial 3d print shops, and a small part was a few hundred dollars.

Thanks, Dave that's good solid info!

"From what I have learned with designing plastic housings, thin shapes like something that would normally be made from thin sheet metal are not printable. This was from industrial 3d print shops, and a small part was a few hundred dollars."

 

It must be nice to live where such an idea is silly, and people cut them up and give them away regularly.

 

I'm just trying to think of how to get a million miles out of a car I like. What would I pay...? Hard to say, but I do know many people in many fields that might help me. I'm not saying my buddy at NASA is going to be able to make Suby panels, but there might be things I haven't thought of. Even a chunk of something would fit that section if it could be molded or cut on a cnc machine or ? You could flare the fenders or whatever,...just thinking...

Edited August 26, 20169 yr by rrgrr

They are incredibly rare here also, CT. And yes, I intend to keep driving them as long as possible, even if I have to mill my own parts out of blocks of aluminum. If I had all the time and the money, I'd replace all of the steel with 316 stainless.

 

I have 2 in very good condition presently, and I intend to stay ahead of the rust. My previous ones, by the time the areas that show got bad, so was the internal "frame" / structural parts, so fixing the outside with plastic wouldn't really solve the problem.

My last old Subarus I drove 10 years each (except the 'vert, which was more of a rescue) and rusted before they got 250k  

I didn't even try to preserve them. They are using a Lot more salt now.

I've done some undercoating, but I do abuse my car like it was meant to be, IMO-what's the point if you can't drive it in winter or whatever? 

If I thought I could seal it, wrap it, or make plastic/fiber panels, I would like to see how far my Suby can go...

I made flaired fiberglass fender panels for my ea82 wagon but never finnished them I went with steel flairs instead but fiberglass is easy to work with if your looking for stock pieces just cover the area you want to reproduce with seran wrap and glass over it make it real thick and work it in to the corners and use that as a mold then you can make fenders all day long

Edited August 27, 20169 yr by ferp420

That's interesting, sounds like a mess! maybe I'll give it a try...I will make a thread and start taking orders if I decide to get into it

why is it you don't want to source used panels or use those ones in the links above?

 

 

ut I do know many people in many fields that might help me.

there's your starting point, ask them, buy them lunch, invite them over, sell it.

I don't weld, and I don't see much future in putting more steel in this particular spot.

II don't see much future in putting more steel in this particular spot.

HAAAA!!  so true!  seriously!  good thinking.

 

how sure are you it's only external rust? 

 

if the rears are rusted it's usually subject to the law of diminishing returns.  once you cut those off there's rust underneath that's much harder to properly treat/repair and continues to get worse:

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi1235.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff427%2Fchrisb65%2FMiscellaneous%2F97impreza3_zpsf92f7d38.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scoobynet.com%2Fscoobynet-general-1%2F986583-classic-impreza-and-rust.html&docid=Fy2gxyk7Kwy03M&tbnid=Hr0io_08PGz8TM%3A&w=1024&h=768&bih=839&biw=1164&ved=0ahUKEwin4ayb3OTOAhWCYiYKHcYKCckQMwgfKAMwAw&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi1235.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff427%2Fchrisb65%2FMiscellaneous%2F97impreza3_zpsf92f7d38.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scoobynet.com%2Fscoobynet-general-1%2F986583-classic-impreza-and-rust.html&docid=Fy2gxyk7Kwy03M&tbnid=Hr0io_08PGz8TM%3A&w=1024&h=768&bih=839&biw=1164&ved=0ahUKEwin4ayb3OTOAhWCYiYKHcYKCckQMwgfKAMwAw&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

 

where's those pictures of people's rear struts blowing the rusted mounts out into the cabin of the car? those are awesome.

If there's a market I could source them from the cars over here I've scrapped many a Subaru and the wheel wells have all been good, here in the NorthWest i

could even bang out a few new sets for a price ( new sheetmetal ) , show a picture of the complete patch panel you desire , show the car and outline the panel size you need

Edited August 28, 20169 yr by Scott in Bellingham

https://www.millsupply.com/auto-body-rust-repair-panels/subaru/

That's a great deal!

I ordered a set and they look good.

Not sure of anything, just hopeful...My car came from out West a few years back, it was pretty clean when I got it. The paint was sunburned, mostly. I did some under coating, and had it painted 2 years ago. The rust I can see is eating the round part of the outer fenders, it's where the crap collects driving in salt.

If there's a market I could source them from the cars over here I've scrapped many a Subaru and the wheel wells have all been good, here in the NorthWest i

could even bang out a few new sets for a price ( new sheetmetal ) , show a picture of the complete patch panel you desire , show the car and outline the panel size you need

 

How about for an Gen2 / EA81?