fenders

Posted by doug handran on July 24, 1998 at 21:07:00

In Reply to: Preservation /vs/ Appearance
posted by Fred Murphy on July 24, 1998 at 10:18:25

i don't think you're going to be able to avoid the
welding.you really do have to cut out all
the rot and properly weld the broken and
torn areas for a presentable job.

the big catch with fenders is that the
finish on the bottom has to be as
good as the top if you're following
the judging standards.

once you've got the metal back to approximately
the original contour, you might try using
lead as a filler material.this
is the traditional method of filling
but is quite tricky to master.the
advantages are that it can be used in
areas that flex and that it isn't
porous like the plastic fillers.

i used lead to smooth out ripples
in my fenders and for filling
dents as well.i must say
that even with using lead, a
little plastic filler is still
necessary to fill small imperfections
that appear in the lead.

i wouldn't be overly concerned with
using the plastic fillers at all.
they are a perfectly acceptable
part of bodycraft, as long as
they are used appropriately -- i.e.
thin applications and clear of
any joints or areas that flex.

i had huge dents and tears in my
fenders and i saved myself cosiderable
work by just cutting all this out
and welding in a fender well.

as far as the small pits are concerned,
i use dupont acryl-red putty for this.
this is basically the dupont lacquer
primer in putty form.you apply it
in thin coats and can usually flat it
after 30 minutes.like the lacquer
primer, there is some immediate shrinkage,
but i've never had any sinking problems
when top coated.


doug handran

:Just started working on restoring body panels on my Town Sedan and some of the body parts have typical rust pitting,holes,and broken and ripped metal.I have just recieved my second pair of front fenders and have two pairs of rear fenders.Both sets are original and have simular problems.To finish these pieces off to look presentable not perfect looks like it will require welding and body filler.Is there any other way to repair pitting than a thin coat of body filler or building the primer heavey enough to fill pitting.With repairing most of the dents they still would show some wave under black paint.I don't like using body filler but the alternative would be to purchase reproduction metal fenders.It would have cost me about the same for two sets of original virsus a set of reproduction.What's a better call patched originals or reproduction? What say Yee!


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