Front Fender Crack
 

Hi, I am fairly new to the hobby, I grew up around A's, and now have my own car, it was my grandfathers, it is an original 1930 Model A town car. I noticed today when working on the car one of the front fenders has developed a crack. It is about an inch in length and runs vertically along the lip on the outside of the fender about directly above the hub cap. I have a few questions regarding this, first, is this common? It is something I may have done wrong to cause stress on the fender? Will it get worse or would it best to get it fixed? Like I said it is an original car so I hate to make too many major modifications or changes to the car but would hate for the crack to get worse. We drive and tour our cars so I want to make sure I don't cause any further issues with the fender. I appreciate any advise and information regarding the matter. Thank you in advance!

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Cracks in fenders are fairly common. I'm no body and fender man but I would think it will get bigger. Someone else on this forum could tell you the best way to fix it.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Your answers in order.

1- Yes, it is common.
2- It is nothing you did wrong.
3- Yes, it will get worse.
4- It is best to get it fixed.

Do not let anyone fix it with a MIG welder and bondo or you will be looking to get it fixed again.

Find a shop that can hammer weld it with a torch.
This should require NO bondo.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Where are you located?
Brent Terry and Flop are two guys that would know how to fix it properly.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

The wire bead always breaks in that one place (at the brace). There's the difficulty. The bead must be repaired first and then the fender.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Welcome to the hobby and the Barn.

We can get you additional help if you were to add your location (does not have to be exact) to your information. Do you have a Town car (a car with a separate driver location) or a Town Sedan (a fancy Fordor).

The specific car makes no difference and Pete hit it on the head.

How handy are you? Do you want to fix it yourself (we can help with instructions)? Do you have the equipment needed?

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Had the same common problem, had it fixed it right away before it spread.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Just weld a 6" piece of 1/8" rod under the bead. Weld up the crack & finish it off. NOBODY will notice it, & who cares if THEY DO!!!
Bill W.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

To simply stop a crack just drill a hole above it. It can't pass the hole. Worked on the Liberty bell for 200 years now.

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

Thanks everyone for the responses, to answer a few of your questions above. I don't consider myself to be handy when it comes to body work and I would like it done right, so I would be looking for someone who can do a nice job with it. I can do the basic stuff but when it comes to this sort of thing, but I think it's best to leave to someone who has done it before :). I am located near Lafayette, Indiana, which is between Chicago and Indianapolis. To answer Mike V it is a Town Sedan, not a Town car, sorry for the mix-up there. Thanks again everyone, and if you know someone close to me that would be interested in helping me out that would be great!

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

If you had an original Mod. A fender that wasn't cracked (About 3/4 to 7/8 the way up the fender) Cherish the memory! I've only seen one on some NOS (New, Old Stock) fenders that were for sale at Hershey. It comes partially for to low an Idle speed. The body starts to oscillate and creates a moment. (Thinks physics, not time) I once watched a first class restoration idling, from the front it looked like dumbo the elephant wiggling his ears. No offense intended but it was almost funny to watch. You could see where those cracks come from. It occurred to me that if he just speeded it up a hundred or so RPM, it wouldn't have shook so much.
Terry

Re: Front Fender Crack
 

I had an old guy weld mine like they used to do it with bailing wire (a real steel coat hanger will work). It works good with the fender steel, he said it was better than regular welding material. This is where the old saying that you could fix them with bailing wire came from, they were welding with it. The repair was back in the 70s and no problems.