[DrewPT]

When you enlarge the photo of the front wheel well area, there is a granular texture under the paint that I did not see in person--it looks pretty smooth without even thinking about it. Is this appearance in the photo normal? I just want to make sure it's not rust--I can't believe it would have enveloped the entirety of the unibody metal in this section. You will see obvious rust where abrasions have occurred from past work in this area.

 

[rumb]

That is not normal. looks like fine sand/dust or something under the paint. If it really bothers you sand it down and repaint.

 

[dmarti02]

Looks like overspray that was almost intentionally grainy. Doesn't looks like rust however.

 

[DrewPT]

Thanks guys, I'll be correcting the visible rust in a week or two before the engine goes back in, and we'll see what the surrounding areas reveal.