The potential for rusting on the surface between the fenders and body has always bugged me. I've restored VW's and dealt with the same issues. I've cleaned, sandblasted, prepped the surfaces before painting on my 49,will leave the fenders pulled out from the body for painting and reassemble with the correct beading. My fronts were starting to have the rust and pitting creap out onto the fender and body, so even with good prep, the potential for future rusting will be there.
Are there any other things to do to protect the surfaces? Would it make any sense to run a bead of sealant along both sides of the fender beading before tightening the fender bolts or would that make it worse?
