Front Fender mod

saudivette

saudivette

Clueless In Sandland
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
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Aussie expat in Saudi Arabia
Soonish, I'll be ready to hack into my front fenders to facilitate the grafting in of eggcrates.

I have two of these:
354991d5739a866.jpg

So should I just cut my existing fender across and cut the donor panel to suit:
354991d571366ce.jpg

Or should I cut a hole in my existing panel and cut the donor to fit it:
354991d571e3c53.jpg

I was going to cut straight across but then thought it prudent to ask before I started cutting.

Any other suggestions, pitfalls etc?
 
id do a combination of the both... id but close to the old egg crate with out gong into the wheel well, but go as far as cutting to infront of the door, so it would be like your second pic only leaving the wheel well in tact. if you just try to cut the egg crate out itslef you might not have enough room to glass it on and make it look nice, especially by the door.. but what do i know, im a newb :2nd:
 
IMO, remove the silly grill panel/eggcrate and go for the contrast I had on the side of my shark....flat or metallic black fading back to the door in body color....

that way any machinery showing inside/under gets the flat black treatment...no show....open gills....simpler is nicer.....

course I am not a chrome shop customer either....except bumpers....

:stirpot:
 
i think the purpose for the mod is so he can run the carbon fiber egg crates he had made a while back; so they match his mirrors. but thats just a guess:mime:
 
Shirley1978 said:
i think the purpose for the mod is so he can run the carbon fiber egg crates he had made a while back; so they match his mirrors. but thats just a guess:mime:
Click to expand...

Must have missed that post....I keep eyes open...curious about that....

:stirpot:
 
Shirley1978 said:
id do a combination of the both... id but close to the old egg crate with out gong into the wheel well, but go as far as cutting to infront of the door, so it would be like your second pic only leaving the wheel well in tact. if you just try to cut the egg crate out itslef you might not have enough room to glass it on and make it look nice, especially by the door.. but what do i know, im a newb :2nd:
Click to expand...
You mean like this?
3549926cb10b3a8.jpg
 
yup!.. this way you wouldnt need to worry about matching the curvature of the wheelwell and in front of the door wont be a big deal either.. but do whatever you find easiest.
 
saudivette said:
I don't know what's behind there to start with :confused:
Click to expand...

Like any car, an open space for water/leaves to drain from the Wiper cowling....also any vents you maybe have there, like on your pass side the fresh air intake flapper, the one I sealed up so it's on permanent recirculation taking inside air....thing is...my car is a convertible, mostly the top is down, which is why a stereo is such LO priority, can't hear it anyway....

:hissyfit::gurney::drink:
 
insidefwdlhwell.jpg

I don't have everything installed yet, but here's a general idea from the inside. Possibly the vapor canister will be in the way, maybe the washer reservoir too.
 
I'm not sure what is behind the gill area on your model Vette. I just swapped out eggcrates for motion still louvers (inverted 68-69 style) on my 71. My suggestion is to remove as little original glass as possible from your car, probably a couple of inches beyond the replacement gill section. Use leftover material from the donor panel to make backing/bonding strips.

Dave
 
saudivette said:
So should I just cut my existing fender across and cut the donor panel to suit:
354991d571366ce.jpg
Click to expand...

If it were me I would cut it like this. Natural line....least amount of sectioning..
that big hole will give you easy access to the back side.
You do not want to create any more work than necessary.
Take your time fitting the pieces and you shouldn't have a seam area any more
than 2" wide to work...if that.
 
Thanks guys. Where's the fender actually attached John? Once I make my cut, I'll have to break the original adhesive. Is the adhesive down the pillar, along the sill and where it meets the inner fender?
 
This should provide a decent reference.....you'll be doing the exact same thing only on a smaller scale.
http://vettemod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=956&highlight=ecklers

Note photo #15. In this photo is the same area you will be doing your section.
Your fender is glued on the same as this one....you need to reattach it the same
as shown here.

The 8115 will glue the panel on just fine if the fit is right on.....meaning fender
fits flush with door....if the fender is in to far and needs to be "shimmed" out
for a flush fit you may need to use "Vette Panel Adhesive" instead as the 8115
is a little thin and will run before it is cured if you try to lay it heavy enough
to shim a panel. Especially if you have summer like temps there right now.

Once you have the part fitted.....door gaps look good and wheel opening
lines up perfect. "V" the back side of your new piece and existing
fender...NOT THE FRONT SIDE......YET. Leave the front side untouched
till later.....this will help you achieve a flusher fit. "V" the back almost all
the way to the front. Use the fiberglass mat and 8115 and fill the "V" on
the back side. I would tape the front side with duct tape to help hold the
two sections flush with one another. Once everything is cured remove the
tape and lightly "V" the front side. If done right you should have about a 1/4" wide
strip of cured 8115 showing through.....then just fill the light "v" with 8115....
when cured sand to shape.
 
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