Fender upper surface day one!
 

Well I spent today stripping the upper surface of my 29 tudor rear fender. I found lots of nasty surprises!

I think if you are thinking of getting an A you are better off getting an original car with all its original paint, rust, and dents rather than one like mine that has been "done" and looks pretty with new paint. You never know what is hidden under that new paint!

But don't worry. I have the time and determination to bring her back to where she should be even if it involves undoing all the previous "restorer's" mistakes.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

I agree an unrestored car or one in primer might be a better deal,you pay less and a shiny paint job could be hiding the sins of the world!

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

I to found some "surprises" under my trunk lid when I refinished.

Don't know if I mentioned it before, but what I found that works great for taking off paint and other stuff was a HF small 4 1/2 grinder (currently selling for $9.99) and a fiberglass disk on it. Both HF stuff for a very low price. This disk will leave the metal very smooth and shiny with not to much effort. If you have questions, PM me.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Thanks for the tip. I have a craftsman angle grinder and used a 3M "sandblaster" disk. It works really well, but that fiberglass disk might be good for giving the metal a nice finish. I just got a 25% off coupon so a trip to Harbor Freight is in order to stock up on Evaporust. I'll look for the sanding disk while I am there. Again - Thanks.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Does not look that bad.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

I agree it doesn't look bad at all . Mine all loked much worse when I started on them .

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Sure,
let me know when you stumble about a Model A Roadster that has all its original paint. Would be a perfect companion for my Model T Roadster that has all its original paint. Of course, I would never paint such a car, not in a million years, and not for a million dollars.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Mine would have more bondo now.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

If yours was already done and looked pretty, why did you need to take it down to bare metal? I would bet most every model A fender would be similar. Unless it was done by an old school panel beater and metal finished there will be bondo or at best lead work.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

I would sell those and buy straight and shiny good quality repros. Why cause yourself headaches ?

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

I bought a NOS 28-29 rear fender at Hershey this year for $150.00 I thought that was a good deal. Saving the parts that have been on the car sence new is what "Restorstion" is all about.Bob

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Three reasons:
1.) Flaws in the "pretty" fender's paint were not an issue at 10 feet, but were obvious at 1 foot and indicated something was not right underneath.

2.) I really enjoy this work. You see about a year ago I was imprisoned in Danbury Hospital for a week (not fun at Xmas time!) for a stroke. Luckily I seem to have no long lasting effects from the event. I thought that getting back into the hobby and resurrecting old skills and knowledge would be good for me. At least that is the excuse I gave my wife! ;)

3.) When it comes to my restorations I admit to being afflicted with OCD! Who ever gets this car after me will be getting one that is as perfect as I can get it!

When I was still teaching I used to drive my students crazy by telling them, 'If it takes this much effort (picture me holding my hands about 36" apart) to complete a job, and this much effort (now holding my hands about 38" apart) to do it perfectly, why not to do it perfectly! In my world we replace the phrase "good enough" with "good as I can do it".

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Sarcasm - I get it. A "survivor" roadster may be a rare find, but original tudors are still out there. I was just admitting I was fooled by a model A that was repainted to make it look good to sell, and that I'll need to do as much work as if I had bought an unrestored car.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

I know where an all original 30/31 roadster will be for sale that has one spot of rust on the bottom of a floor pan. It had one maroon paint job back in the 40's or 50's. But the paint is faded, and cracking like old original laquer does. It's a really cool car. Still has the original top and I think it even still has the original upholstery in it that's in good condition. I'm not sure how much he will want for it, but I did some work on the car this last spring and it's located in Fort Worth, Texas.

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Reminds me of the line "Good enough, nobody will ever see it." Most people will see it. Bob

Re: Fender upper surface day one!
 

Your reasons are very good. Go for it and have fun!