Fender repair 101

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Trevor Gates
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Fender repair 101

#1 Post by Trevor Gates »

I thought I'd post some pics of a fender repair I recently did with Jack's input. The pictures pretty much tell the story. It's been a lot of fun "de-rusting" (as my kids call it) these fenders and applying new techniques I've learned.
Paper template to establish curve of fender/door and gap.
Paper template to establish curve of fender/door and gap.
Initial lines marked for cuts, previous rust repair is now visible.
Initial lines marked for cuts, previous rust repair is now visible.
Exterior skin removed and closing panel exposed - some rust, but not bad!
Exterior skin removed and closing panel exposed - some rust, but not bad!
Rust cut out and small patch TIG welded in.
Rust cut out and small patch TIG welded in.
Top of the weld bead ground/sanded down.
Top of the weld bead ground/sanded down.
Coated to last another 50 years.
Coated to last another 50 years.
Our new fender piece in the raw - flat sheet stock.
Our new fender piece in the raw - flat sheet stock.
El Cheapo English Wheel bought used.
El Cheapo English Wheel bought used.
Roll put in metal to match the fender shape.
Roll put in metal to match the fender shape.
Another angle from the side.
Another angle from the side.
https://www.instagram.com/trevorcgates/

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Trevor Gates
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Re: Fender repair 101

#2 Post by Trevor Gates »

Part 2.
Paper template transferred to back side of repair piece.
Paper template transferred to back side of repair piece.
Bead roller set up in the vice.
Bead roller set up in the vice.
Close up of the dies used.
Close up of the dies used.
Forgot to take a good pic of this stage, but here it is laying on the hood with the edge turned up after a few passes through the bead roller.
Forgot to take a good pic of this stage, but here it is laying on the hood with the edge turned up after a few passes through the bead roller.
Checking initial fit and gaps to find the metal's best location.
Checking initial fit and gaps to find the metal's best location.
Repair piece trimmed to fit.
Repair piece trimmed to fit.
Backside of metal coated with weld through primer for protection.
Backside of metal coated with weld through primer for protection.
Dykem layed out on the fender for scribing the line to be cut and cleco's utilized.
Dykem layed out on the fender for scribing the line to be cut and cleco's utilized.
Detail shot.
Detail shot.
Old metal cut out.
Old metal cut out.
https://www.instagram.com/trevorcgates/

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Trevor Gates
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Re: Fender repair 101

#3 Post by Trevor Gates »

Part 3.
Metal cut out inside the scribed line.
Metal cut out inside the scribed line.
Repair piece cleco'd in, flush with fender.
Repair piece cleco'd in, flush with fender.
Welded in.
Welded in.
Checking the weld. A little hammer & dolly, but nothing excessive.
Checking the weld. A little hammer & dolly, but nothing excessive.
Repeated on the other side.
Repeated on the other side.
https://www.instagram.com/trevorcgates/

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Jim Karaba
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Re: Fender repair 101

#4 Post by Jim Karaba »

Nice work

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Brian R Adams
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Re: Fender repair 101

#5 Post by Brian R Adams »

Doctor, do you make house calls?
Welcome to the era of policy-based evidence-making.

Difficile est saturam non scribere (Juvenal)

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Glen Hamner, Jr
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Re: Fender repair 101

#6 Post by Glen Hamner, Jr »

The humor around here is top drawer!

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Craig Richter
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Re: Fender repair 101

#7 Post by Craig Richter »

Dr. Gates didn't mention it, but this patient belongs to my brother-in-law, P.A. My sister gave him a beautiful Ivory '60 Coupe as a present for graduating from Pharmacy school back in 1965. He named her "Lucretia". Lucretia's had her ups and downs over the years, but Trevor (with Jack looking over his shoulder) is bringing her back. What fun!
 

John Ward
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Re: Fender repair 101

#8 Post by John Ward »

Craig,
Is this the car from your Brother-in-law from Lake Arrowhead ?
Also the car that is mentioned in your book ?
 

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Craig Richter
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Re: Fender repair 101

#9 Post by Craig Richter »

Hi John,
Forgive me for not coming up to Lake Arrowhead to see you, or my beautiful sister and her husband for that matter, but my plate has been over-full lately. I hope Mandy and I can make it up to the mountains soon. Plenty of stories to share...
Yes, of course, this is the same car you saw last year, and the same car mentioned in "...Porsche Fly". Next time you see her she'll be back to original Ivory with many, many little changes to make her fun again. It just takes so long to do all this work, and I'm anxious to get her over to Austria and show her the Alps!
 

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Trevor Gates
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Re: Fender repair 101

#10 Post by Trevor Gates »

I’m doing a repair on a customer’s car and thought I’d add these additional pictures that show a technique I’m using on the closing panel that the fender attaches to. The same paper template can be used for both the outer skin and closing panel. As this is a very common area to rust, I hope this can help someone else tackling this area themselves.
DF8037F1-6F70-4260-8C9D-8A9E2313CAEA.jpeg
DF8037F1-6F70-4260-8C9D-8A9E2313CAEA.jpeg (2.43 MiB) Viewed 1399 times
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B3BA5684-0275-436C-BC69-8283243F0D3A.jpeg (2.62 MiB) Viewed 1399 times
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490CFEA6-55A6-4CCE-8FA4-A6E38DFCC9E5.jpeg (2.74 MiB) Viewed 1399 times
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02ED7EE4-82A0-45BE-93AE-6E7A53015DDB.jpeg (2.98 MiB) Viewed 1399 times
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75BDCE73-F07B-4AC7-956C-CC8224F43B2E.jpeg (2.79 MiB) Viewed 1399 times
New closing panel courtesy of Stoddard/NLA Parts.
New closing panel courtesy of Stoddard/NLA Parts.
C05ABD8C-E41F-4E43-BDC1-988109027CC7.jpeg (2.92 MiB) Viewed 1399 times
https://www.instagram.com/trevorcgates/

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Phil Planck
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Re: Fender repair 101

#11 Post by Phil Planck »

Great tip Trevor.
Thanks
Phil Planck

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