Nnnoooooo!!!!! Rust? What to do?

That's a tough location for  hidden rust on most cars due to cowl drains*, but may be an easier repair than a door bottom.    I would figure out where the cowl drains on the automobile, and make sure it isn't clogged.   I would check the passenger side closely, as well.

* EDIT- and stuff tossed up from the front tyres.

Tom Suddard said:

In reply to Toyman! :

Ah okay, got it. This is what I was referring to. 

Unfortunately, Tom wins. His eyes are better from 500 miles than mine were in person. The bubbles are almost invisible without a light shining across the surface but they are there. 

So I'm back to decision time. This doesn't appear to be extensive. While I had the light out I went over the rest of the rockers and lower fenders. This is the only spot showing blisters. The undercarriage and frame are also rust-free.

I have done extensive rust repairs before, but I'm not the best when it comes to painting. With that in mind, plan A is going to be a trip to a paint and body shop to see what they say. If I can get out of there for less than $2k, I'll probably let them fix it. If it's over that, I'll go to plan B and do what I can to slow it down and let it ride. This isn't a show car, it's a driver. It doesn't have to be perfect. While I don't live in a desert, I will be keeping the car in a climate-controlled shop which should keep the rust devils under some control.

Apparently, Rolls Royce and Bentleys from this era are prone to rust in this area due to debris accumulation behind the fender from trash and mud thrown up by the front tire. I'll have to pull the fender liner and get a good look behind the fender. 

I can't remember.  Is that fender a bolt on part like most vehicles or did RR decide to go all British and make it part of the unibody.  If it's a bolt on part I'd just keep my eye out for a replacement fender at a price I'm willing to pay and then get it painted to match when time and budget allow.

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

The Pick-n-Pull yards of lower Fairfield County are simply littered with tattered green Bentleys. I shall keep my eyes peeled.

I... What?

I'm having a lot of trouble making sense of the Venn diagram of having both lots of Bentleys and having Pick-n-Pulls...

I mean, yes, sure, but also "huh?"

That would sure make used Bentley ownership feel a little less chancy.

In reply to APEowner :

This car is body-on-frame so the fender is bolted on. 

I have never seen a Rolls or Bently in the scrap yard. I'm going to have to do some digging. 

Jesse Ransom said:

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

The Pick-n-Pull yards of lower Fairfield County are simply littered with tattered green Bentleys. I shall keep my eyes peeled.

I... What?

I'm having a lot of trouble making sense of the Venn diagram of having both lots of Bentleys and having Pick-n-Pulls...

I mean, yes, sure, but also "huh?"

That would sure make used Bentley ownership feel a little less chancy.

Have you met Joe Oak?

The good news is that's usually a very easy place to do rust repair. You can take the fender off to work on it, and it's not near structure so it's unlikely to turn into a cascading horrorshow. It's probably not a compound curve so fabricating a patch is straightforward, and I suspect those panels are not super-thin :) Then get the body shop to do the paint work.

Turns out there is a place in Greenville SC called the Luxury Junkyard. They specialize in Rolls and Bentley. 

Toyman! said:

Turns out there is a place in Greenville SC called the Luxury Junkyard. They specialize in Rolls and Bentley.