Fender removal

[TJMack]

I want to remove my fenders and kick panels below the doors for repaint. Can someone please give me a little guidance on how to go about it? It's a 1929 Tudor.

[Dick Carne]

I am assuming that you are looking at painting all of the fenders and splash aprons to include your headlight bar, horn and rear tail light brackets (black). If I were doing this, I would begin by disconnecting the battery, followed by similarly disconnecting the wiring from the both the headlights and taillights as well as the horn. From there, I would probably remove all of the lights themselves, and then the headlight bar. At this point you may want to remove the radiator splash apron and the hood shelves before starting on the actual fenders. The front fenders are secured by nuts and bolts along the running boards and splash aprons, but if you are doing this by yourself, I would make the connection with the front fender support/brace the last one to remove (this should allow you to keep the fender in its proper position until you are ready to remove the fender). Rear fenders would be next, but since these have fender bolts that are mounted on the body, there is not the same need, in my opinion, to keep the fender bracket as the final connection, and in fact it might prove better to remove the bracket entirely before removing the fender(s) itself. Next would be the running boards (at this point only four bolts each). Before you will be able to remove the splash shields, you will need to unbolt the body bolts so that the aprons can slip out from either side. There should also be another single nut and bolt set-up at the rear of the apron that will need to be removed as well, before these will slide out. Good luck to you on this project. I hope this may help,

[rotorwrench]

If a person can come up with enough stuff to crib or jack up the whole body, it would help to get it up off the frame just enough to remove the aprons and deal with the body blocks and webbing that goes on there as well. It's quite a job but it's been done by plenty of DIY guys before.

[WHN]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

If a person can come up with enough stuff to crib or jack up the whole body, it would help to get it up off the frame just enough to remove the aprons and deal with the body blocks and webbing that goes on there as well. It's quite a job but it's been done by plenty of DIY guys before.

Please read this a couple of times. Unless you want to do a half ass job? I would say that this is the minimum that should be done.

If your going to take the time, get it done right.

Enjoy.

[fordcragar]

Have you considered having a body shop paint the pieces and on the car, or most of them? The headlights and h/l bar could be removed, as well as the bumpers. I know that this might not be the compromise that you would want, but what you were suggesting is (in my opinion) a major job. It all depends on what you want, how much work you are willing to do and/or pay for.

There are some shops that would do a nice job.

[TJMack]

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Thanks to all who responded. EXCELLENT input!


It sounds like getting the front fenders off, and particularly back on, can be quite a chore. I'm not a "purist". This is a great driver, not a museum piece or trailer queen, so the first thing I'm going to do is to see about having the fenders blasted in place so that I can repaint them myself. If that isn't practical I'll tackle it.


I did check with a body shop about having them do it. $2200, which I thought to be a bit expensive. I know, all the body guys will say "Oh, that's a good price". But it's not in my book

[chrs1961815]

You are not going to be able to blast them in place. It is all or nothing. A lot of work goes into fenders, depending on what you have.

[WHN]

Take the back fenders, running boards, radiator grill, headlights, head light bar, and engine cover off. Then prepare and tape everything. Unless your fenders are really rough, or you don’t take your time. Everything will work out fine.

I would think that a lot of cars are done this way. I in fact have one. It has received many trophies at local car shows. Take your time. Every Model A does not have to be taken apart.

Removing the body is a major job. At that point, you might just as well do a restoration.

Enjoy.

[rotorwrench]

The body would not have to be removed. A lot depends on the condition of the fender welting. If it's in good shape then painting on the car is certainly possible. The one area that will be difficult to get a good spray coverage on is the area between the body and the aprons the way that they interface. Nothing will be done to repair any areas on the interfaces where corrosion begins when old paint deteriorates. It deteriorates on the bottom more than the top and painting in the fenderwell areas would be way more difficult if not impossible to get good results. It sounds sort of like polishing a turd.

[old ugly]

depending on the condition of the splash aprons and if they just need a cosmetic clean up of the visible area, or do they need attention under the body?
if it is just for outer cosmetic , i would prep and paint the aprons on the car. mask them off and cover the car.
the fenders come off without too much effort.
quality and condition of the part and of the car, and the quality of the final product are things to consider. as well as how much the extra work will benefit the outcome.

sometime doing the prep work with the parts attached is easier because you have the part held steady while working on it.

[old ugly]

my sedan is an old restoration 1980s . i looks ok from 10feet. it probably looks like a model A that is being used by a family in the mid 1930s.
i look at it an think , it wouldn't be that hard to make it look new again.
i also look at it and think model A fords only looked new when they were new, they got used and if they got damaged they got repaired to the standards of the 1930s and to fit the owners budgets. and sometimes no repairs at all.
so the body and paint of my car has imperfections inflicted upon it from being used. parked beside the other members cars mine looks weathered. parked by itself it looks good.
i like the feeling that i can put on my news boy cap round glasses and coveralls and i also fit the 1930s time line. if the car was made new i don't know how i, myself can be made new, so for now it gets the attention it needs to make it function good and the attention to preserve its current body condition.

to add this car is a rust free car no rust repairs have been done to it, just painted 30+ years ago.

lots of the paint repairs that i do, when needed, are with parts still on the car, masking taped up and sometimes with a spray bomb. not always urethane.

so not every car has to come all apart and restored and not every piece needs to come off the car to be fixed and painted.

in 1930 that splash apron probably would have been left on the car unless badly damaged.

[TJMack]

WHN and Old Ugly, your posts are spot-on!! Old Ugly, you could be talking about my car. I've decided to follow the route you guys suggest. I'm going to leave the aprons on as they are not bad at all. I can scuff them and repaint. The fenders I'm going to take off and have blasted. I can then prime and paint them. I'm not body man, but can get by well enough to meet my satisfaction.


Thanks again to all.

[TJMack]

Well, that was the right decision. I had the passenger side front fender off in a little over an hour. The rest tomorrow.

[old ugly]

Originally Posted by TJMack

Well, that was the right decision. I had the passenger side front fender off in a little over an hour. The rest tomorrow.

nice!
post some pictures
we all like pictures

[MickyD]

I got my 28 roadster out of the paint shop and they painted my side aprons on the car. All other stuff was taken off and painted. It took me more time to put the car back together then to take it apart. I am very happy with my paint job. Good luck with yours.