body and interior Excited but nervous...new fenders

[NYNick]

So...a big box from Restoration Design showed up today! That was fast! I ordered the parts Tuesday, and here it is Thursday afternoon and they're in my driveway...thanks guys!

 

I got two front floor pans and two front fenders. The fenders LOOK fine, but of course, it's the fitting that worries me. I'll test fit them this weekend, but right away I can see the tab that meets the upper door frame is bent in, not up. First I'll just lay the old fender inside the new one, to see how that goes, but having read some threads about these W&N fenders, well, I'm concerned but committed.

 

After I test fit them to the car, I'll update this thread.

 

Here are some pix.

Edited May 26, 2016 by NYNick

[eurotrash]

you got W&N fenders from Restoration design?    I hope it wouldn't have been more cost effective to just buy direct..?

[Mike Self]

Suggestion before installing the new fenders to keep 'em from rusting (or from rusting as fast as they would otherwise!):

 

Stand 'em on end, with the trailing edge down.  Then pour your favorite anti-rust paint down in that slot that's formed by the fender skin and the attachment bracket.  Let 'em sit for several days so the paint will dry.   You'll note that down at the bottom that slot is nearly an inch deep.  That's why 2002 fenders rust out a their trailing edges.  

 

I did that with new fenders on my '73 back around 1988 or 89--I used plain old Rustoleum damp proof primer--from a can--literally poured it in.  Still no rust after 25+ years...

 

The factory put schutz in that slot, which was fine until it pulled loose somewhere.  Then water got in and eventually rusted out the whole seam.  Took less than 18 months on my 69's original front fenders before the seam started bubbling...

 

mike

[danco_]

Pay close attention at the body lines of the new fenders. I found that my replacement fender on a previous 2002 had a very pronouced body line at the knee level - it was a much harder body line than the door or quarter panel. It's very noticable and I hated it. 

 

Good luck! 

 

[harold]

Are these the OEM fenders (around $500) or the aftermarket (at around $100)?  From the pictures they look like the OEM versions.  The turn signal opening is formed correctly, and there are no wrinkles in the top horizontal surface.  

 

I have installed the OEM fenders from W&N, and if anything, the body knee line is a little less crisp than the doors.  The only fit issue I had is at the door, where the gap is not perfectly uniform and getting them flush to the door is difficult - there is no real adjustment of the fender or the door in this direction.

 

Harold

[NYNick]

These are the aftermarket fenders from W&N. I suppose I might have saved money ordering direct from them instead of Restoration Design, But I figured after converting EU to $, plus shipping from Germany, it would be the same price or close. BTW, the OEM fenders from W&N are $700 US, each! These were $160 from RD instead of100 Euros from W&N ($112 US before tax and shipping). I think both prices are bargains.

 

Mike's tip about rustproofing beforehand is much appreciated, and smart. I never would've even considered such a thing, and I'll definitely do it.

 

They do seem to have some over sized holes for the bolts, and I would therefore imagine fitment play in one direction or the other. I guess we'll see maybe this weekend when I try them on for size.

 

Thanks fellas.

 

Nick

[Russell74Fjord]

17 hours ago, mike said:

Suggestion before installing the new fenders to keep 'em from rusting (or from rusting as fast as they would otherwise!):

 

Stand 'em on end, with the trailing edge down.  Then pour your favorite anti-rust paint down in that slot that's formed by the fender skin and the attachment bracket.  Let 'em sit for several days so the paint will dry.   You'll note that down at the bottom that slot is nearly an inch deep.  That's why 2002 fenders rust out a their trailing edges.  

 

I did that with new fenders on my '73 back around 1988 or 89--I used plain old Rustoleum damp proof primer--from a can--literally poured it in.  Still no rust after 25+ years...

 

The factory put schutz in that slot, which was fine until it pulled loose somewhere.  Then water got in and eventually rusted out the whole seam.  Took less than 18 months on my 69's original front fenders before the seam started bubbling...

 

mike

 

Or consider auto body seam sealer. There are various varieties, consult with your local auto body supply house. The caulking gun type is maybe $20 a tube and has a high concentration of rubber in it and very permanent, unlike household caulking. That is why its $20 a tube. The self leveling two part I used on the inside of my doors is much harder once it is dried and more plastic like. I did just the tube stuff on my one aftermarket fender, every nook and cranny, no rust after 20++ years. And I have used this same tube seam sealer other places, not car related, really durable.

 

Oh, and I used it between the fender and valance, to seal up that seam some, and smooth it out, No issues. Although as pointed out by someone else on this forum, "not original",,, ! really not that noticeable, and not going to chip, rust.

Edited May 27, 2016 by Russell74Fjord
more to add

[TobyB]

Quote

getting them flush to the door is difficult

Yes, especially if the profile of the fender is different to the door's.

 

This is where 'bolting on' new fenders goes to 'restoration'- ideally, you fit the rear of the door to the rear door gap,

then fit the fenders to the front door gap.  But often what works in back doesn't work in front, so you start by racking the

doors to get it closer, spacing the door hinges, then doing metalwork to the fender 'attachment' shelf  and the lip on the body.

It's one of those iterative things- you go 'round it about 3 or 4 times if you're lucky, a dozen if things are really messed up.

And 'really messed up' might just be a combination of door, shell and fender that don't agree with each other.

More than once, I've fought with everything for hours, gotten frustrated, grabbed another door- and been almost spot- on.

And once, cutting, tweaking, and re-welding the door solved 98% of the fit issues in about half an hour....

 

The 'body cavity wax' will also seal up that crack in the rear of the front fender pretty well, too.

 

Check your 'primer'- sometimes, it's really well stuck to the metal, and other times it wipes off with lacquer thinner.

 

Good luck!

 

t

[harold]

Yeah, the green stuff (not good enough to be called primer) on the floor pans wipes off with lacquer thinner.  Don't paint over it.  It's only good to keep them from rusting in shipment.

 

H

[bento]

5 hours ago, harold said:

Yeah, the green stuff (not good enough to be called primer) on the floor pans wipes off with lacquer thinner.  Don't paint over it.  It's only good to keep them from rusting in shipment.

 

H

Unfortunately, the body shop I had install new floor pans left this stuff on and applied POR15 over it. A shop vac took it all off in strips. I refinished the inside floor on one section, been procrastinating on the other three.

 

Then there's the exterior side of the pans to be redone... really not looking forward to this.

[NYNick]

8 hours ago, bento said:

Unfortunately, the body shop I had install new floor pans left this stuff on and applied POR15 over it. A shop vac took it all off in strips. I refinished the inside floor on one section, been procrastinating on the other three.

 

Then there's the exterior side of the pans to be redone... really not looking forward to this.

Are you guys saying I have to remove the green 'primer' and then prime them for real before sending them out to the body shop for installation?

You can't prime over this stuff? Geez.