I'm going to try to repair this fender

[Ken Henry]

Wear something over your ears so you can still enjoy the sound of your flathead after hammering on that fender. My 2 cents! I think it could come out ok

[Zeke3]

I have used a piece of electrical ground rod to use as a template for the shape of the rolled edge on the rear fender on my 37. It is about 1/2" in diameter. I made small individual patches for tears or rust out and would bend them over the rod to form the rolled edge, and cut off the excess after welding.

I would worry about getting an English wheel unless you want to make the whole fender from scratch. I don't think the wheel works on a weld. You might also check out Dagger Tools in Michigan, they offer a lot of tools for metalworking.

[aussie merc]

good on you hope it works out well, your willing to take the time and put in the effort should be more of it they wonder why trades are dying

[deuce_roadster]

You can do it. Get the book "keys to metal bumping" which I think was a text used in autobody repair schools. If you go to my MISC folder, I posted pictures of a 34 sedan delivery that I fixed, and it was my first go at metal working. I had good metal workers telling me how to go about it. I finished it in about 1983 and it was my LAST lacquer paint job. Did acrylic enamel after that and now single stage urethane.
As others have said, have the fender bolted to the bed side or it might not fit later.

[robib]

Wooden slappers and other wooden tools move more metal than you can imagine. Body hammers and dollies are needed as well, however, because they are metal they will stretch what you are trying to straighten at the same time. Bring the fender into shape with wood and then finish off with the body hammer etc. Shrinking is another topic for another time.

[sugarmaker]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I will be watching this. I do not have the metal working skills to finish metal as I have seen some folks on line. There is a forum that is dedicated to metal working Trying to remember the name of it. Its www.meetmetal.com I think? Found it Here it is. My daughter says I am a "connector"! I did not know that but I guess if the shoe fits wear it!

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/index.php

This metal working forum is just awesome for this type of work or you could get ideas for your project too.
Regards,
Chris

[Oldbluoval]

I’m a fairly experienced metalworker. I’d say that’s a challenge. You could make a useable fender……it doesn’t look like the metal is really solid enough to be able to re-form and/or weld successfully. But ever say never! Go for it
I’d suggest going on YouTube and watching several/many of Wray Schelin’s instructional videos.

“Is it Taboo or something to put a price of 3/16 " wire it the fender behind the lip....I actually thought some years had them factory......anyway I have to hold the torn fender aligned somehow”

Depending on what you can tolerate. Adding rod around the opening will make the fender appear it was done at a junk yard. Imho

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

I’m a fairly experienced metalworker. I’d say that’s a challenge. You could make a useable fender……it doesn’t look like the metal is really solid enough to be able to re-form and/or weld successfully. But ever say never! Go for it
I’d suggest going on YouTube and watching several/many of Wray Schelin’s instructional videos.

“Is it Taboo or something to put a price of 3/16 " wire it the fender behind the lip....I actually thought some years had them factory......anyway I have to hold the torn fender aligned somehow”

Depending on what you can tolerate. Adding rod around the opening will make the fender appear it was done at a junk yard. Imho

But tucking the rod into the fenders lip won't look wrong. I have fixed a lot of cracked fenders by bending 3/8" or so rod into the curve needed, then drilling holes along the bottom of the lip and plug welding the fender to the rod. This isn't for concourse, but if some care is taken, will look like it was done in a workmanlike manner. Many of the farm trucks I've owned have the weld over the crack and now the weld cracked. I doubt it would crack with that rod welded in. And don't forget to seal the heck out of the repair as it will hold mud and water. I hope you share your progress with us. Both Stu'Truckdog' and I are embarking on tonner rear fenders that aren't available aftermarket and good ones are near impossible to find. Thanks!

[MSmelcer40]

I certainly will share my progress. Thanks for all your input

[rockable]

Don't forget to buy a shrinking disc. You will definitely have stretched areas and if you try to smooth that out with an Englis Wheel, you will have more.

[tom1948]

good luck with the fender, the best advice I can give you is; study the dents for awhile, find the point or points of lmpact,and work back from there. Matt at iron trap had a tutorial awhile back where he worked a bad dent out of a fender did a respectable job too.

[v8fordman]

Here are some pictures of a '35-'37 pickup fender I repaired. It was rusted off in the front, crushed from the side and had a stake pocket in the top which was useless to me. (I had already cut the stake pocket out and pounded out the lip when I started making pictures) I like trying to save things that normally should be thrown away and this was one of those. The only good part of this fender was the lower rear section which gave me the incentive to repair since this is normally what is damaged. Give it your best shot. I have documented fixing this fender and perhaps will submit it to a magazine for publication from the perspective of an amateur. I am NOT a metal working guy...just someone who enjoys his quiet time under a welding helmet. Notice I do have it fastened to a homemade fixture and an original fender brace is attached. I believe it must be rigid to keep things in line so you have a good fit when everything is finished. I fixed the right rear bead as well which is why I have shown the pair in the last picture.

[Mart]

As stated above, try and locate the source of the impact and apply the reverse. You might try jacking out the big whammy in the rear part. I'd be trying to bend , pull and push things into better shape before reaching for any hammers.
As long as you're going for the farmer fix look it'll be great.
Mart.

[MSmelcer40]

V8Fordman,wow you did a great job.Im hopefully going to be able to save it...My alternative is to source a steel fender.the drivers side is much better and I'm confident I can remove the dent.I just don't want 1 fiberglass fender on my project...Thanks so much for your time

[JWL]

Those fenders are very rare. As far as I know, only fiberglass replacements are available. It will certainly be worthwhile to repair that steel fender.

[Frank Miller]

You can look up pro shaper on you tube and learn some stuff. You can make patterns and gauges from the left fender and turn them around and they will fit the right side. It lets you see how the metal needs to move to achieve the correct shape. Do not rule out cutting out some of the worse spots and making a patch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z05Zw65GQp4

[B-O-B]

Bandit Billy has a good thread on repairing the fender on his 40 P U. He does the slicing & welding bit to remove the stretch of the fender when too large to shrink. His post is on the H A M B. check it out.

[v8fordman]

You will definitely have to slice some to remove the tension created by all of the stretching that has occurred. As others have said, stay away from the hammer as long as you can. I bumped most of the original damage out by using body dollies to do my hitting. I did invest in different shapes of Martin dollies. (the best in my opinion) Best of luck...you can do it.

[Mike Mayer]

that looks like a great winter project

[rotorwrench]

I started out rebuilding wrecked helicopters but most of the metal I worked was aluminum. It gave me the interest in metal shaping. I haven't been on the Metal Meet site for a while but I picked up a lot of ideas there and from a DVD by David Gardener over in the UK. Some folks like me, make all of our own tools for shaping. If a person has the where-with-all to purchase shrinkers, stretchers, and wheels then go for it. It does save time but I've also seen where a good shaper can use nothing but a O/A torch and basic hand tools to fabricate whole fenders from flat sheet. It just depends on how much time a person wants to invest in a project. An old stump with a bowl shape to the working end and a hammer made from an old wood baseball bat is a good way to start. Shot bags and a steel table are good. You can never have enough different hammers and bucking bars to shape stuff. I turn old chisels into swaging tools since folks will give away old dull ones. I must have dozens of regular files and different body files. A person can use part of an old leaf spring to make slappers. Wood slappers are good for finessing metal but it depends on how much work is needed.

Like any art form, there are a lot of things to learn. Welding and heat shrinking with an O/A torch will take some time to master but it works well when you get the hang of it. Part of metallurgy is knowing how to use heat for various purposes in fabricating and finishing a sheet metal part. Hammer welding is not really all that difficult but you have to get a feel for how the metal is going to react to what ever you do to it.