1930 coupe need new left front fender

[Superhart]

I have a crack in the left front fender of my 1930 Model A coupe. I considered repairing the crack, but obviously there has been some rather extensive repair work already done previously to this part. Now I am looking into the possibility of purchasing a brand new steel fender, I will not consider fiberglass. I would like opinions on where to find the best quality replacement, steel fender. I do not have the equipment or the ability to do significant repair or welding. All I have are basic hand tools to work with. Any suggestions regarding manufacturer, supplier, brand Etc. will be welcomed. Thank you in advance to all.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Superhart

I have a crack in the left front fender of my 1930 Model A coupe. I considered repairing the crack, but obviously there has been some rather extensive repair work already done previously to this part. Now I am looking into the possibility of purchasing a brand new steel fender, I will not consider fiberglass. I would like opinions on where to find the best quality replacement, steel fender. I do not have the equipment or the ability to do significant repair or welding. All I have are basic hand tools to work with. Any suggestions regarding manufacturer, supplier, brand Etc. will be welcomed. Thank you in advance to all.

Well in a nutshell, -the reproduction fender that most people will say is the WORST quality is also considered the BEST quality reproduction fender on the market. In other words, the reproduction 1931 front fenders have quite a few issues that are severe, ...however they are the best available if you want new ones.

I will be very honest with you. If you only have basic tools & skillset, then you likely will be unable to work the new fenders because it does require some specialty tooling along with a bunch of time to do a good job. Somewhere there is a link to a How-To that I made on what is involved with re-working the reproduction fenders. Maybe you (-or someone) can find that where you can see what all is involved.

[Superhart]

Brent, you always seem to give me such good news.LOL I appreciate your information and and honesty, but it certainly does leave me confused. All I know is that I want to do a quality job on my left front fender. Originally I was told that the crack repair Could be done without even removing the fender from the car. Of course this appeal to me because the guy suggested welding/brazing, etc. to me to do quality repair. Then, when I examined things underneath the car ., I noticed a huge depression in the top of the fender which was obviously filled with Bondo. My friend and I figured out that there must have been at least a quarter of an inch of Bondo thickness in that repair. I don’t like Bondo. I also realized that it would be exceptionally expensive to take the fender off the car, remove the Bondo, and do a good metal work job to repair the defect. I. READ THAT “OUCH EXPENSIVE“. Then I hear all the stories about the poor quality of workmanship with the new fenders and my inability to do good metal work. I find all this very confusing. I am pretty good at replacing parts, etc. I have a complete set of hand tools, and an air compressor. my youngest son is a professional auto painter and I still have quite a bit of original red color left from when the car was originally painted. This whole thing is confusing and I really don’t know which way to turn. All I know is that this car is important to me , it is 100% steel. I want to keep it that way, and don’t want to take a chance of buying a original fender site unseen that has issues of its own. I can’t decide which road is the better one to take to correct my present problem. Any further comments?

[gdmn852]

Perhaps finding a good used original fender might be a good option. I recall reading the link to modify the repro fender a lot of welding and fitting around the area that attaches to the splash apron running board area . I think he said about 40 hours of work to fit one correctly. Some of the repro panels won’t even fit another repro panel without fitting and metal work.Good luck on your project.

[1930artdeco]

Here is an option, you said there was a lot of work already done in crack repair at that point. If you can, cut out that area and have a shop weld in a new patch from a toast fender. It will be cheaper than buying a new one and having to get it custom fit to the car. Or, buy an original fender and fix it up. The new ones are made from worn out dies and like Brent said, will require a LOT of work to make right.

Mike

[Keith True]

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For your situation it sounds like you only have one option.Buy a good used.I sold a nice 30 left fender to a local body shop a year ago for $500.I didn't really have it for sale,but the guy asked if $500.would change my mind.He looked at it with the thought that he could sand,prime,and paint it with little to no bodywork for a customer.He said he got his moneys worth.Since then I have been looking for a right front fender,non-welled,and I'm not finding nice ones for that kind of money.No matter where you buy new front fenders,they all come from the same place.Unless something has changed recently,there is only one maker.You are changing deck chairs on the Titanic.

[Two-Gun Bob]

Here in the Swap Meet (I have no connection to this listing):

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334818

[gdmn852]

Hello again , some what off question , but currently I am replacing the quarter panel on the roadster, this also requires much fitting at the upper deck panel and rework of the reveals from worn dies , so any panel you buy doesn’t just bolt on and paint, most of the NOS or good used are hard to find, Model As have been a favorite restoration car since the 1950,s .Good suggestion on post to make a good fender out of two, Had to go this route on 49 Buick, parts for it are basically unavailable.Note also don’t braze anything that crap is hard to work.

[Keith True]

I just sold some lower rear corners for a 30 coupe.Had a lot of interest in them,folks would much rather work with donor pices that fit instead of repros that will fit,but have to be worked first.I have a pair of coupe door bottoms right now,good and sound from the hinge down.Those really do fit better than the repros,one interested guy has told me that the repro inner bottoms are not available right now.Fenders are one of the things I would not buy without putting my hands on them.I have shipped them back and forth across the country,it is something I would never do again.

[700rpm]

First, take Brent’s advice on repros. Second, I would suggest that you remove the fender, then remove the bondo everywhere it exists. Then get a hammer and dolly kit from HF and read and teach yourself dolly work and how to shape the fender back to close to good such that the crack is aligned. Then find a welder who will listen to your problem and weld the crack to your specs. Don’t braze. As you get close to a proper shape, bolt the fender back on in its
proper position. This will help assure a good final fit, and also anchor the fender as you work on it. Once bolted on, proceed with hammer and dolly. It really isn’t hard to learn, and you’ll feel good doing it because you can watch the fender improve as you go along. Finally, when you think you’ve got it about as good as you can get it, consider finishing with bondo or a similar filler. They are easy to work with and better than than they used to be. Go slowly for a more harmonious outcome. If the fender is a lost cause right now, what have you got to lose by trying to fix it yourself? Let us know what happens.
~ R. Horton

[40-A Twins]

I first learned to weld on Model A fenders and still believe they are ideal for learning and improving your body working skills. I found a pair of front fenders at the local swap meet 2 years ago that were better than the pair on my 28, but both had dented crowns. One of the dents was about the size of a dinner plate. I made several hand tools that really helped with this repair. 1: slapper made from 1/8" x 2" flat bar. 2: dolly with a crown matching the fender, made from 1" x 3" dia steel slug welded to short length of steel rod for a handle. 3: long reach hammers with crowned heads, made from assorted bits of steel welded. The other hammer pictured is my favorite but it does not have the reach on the underside of the crown. You never want to hammer on the underside if the hammer head does not contact perpendicular to the sheetmetal. If the hammer head contacts on the edge it will leave crescent shaped marks that will not come out. The blue dye is very helpful for marking high and low spots. Spray dye on a bumpy area, then lightly block sand and all the high spots are bare metal, low spots blue. Find somebody to do the welding if you are not prepared to do this yourself.

[Bob C]

Here is Brent's how-to on the front fender.
http://www.modelahouse.com/tech/fender/fender2.html