Best Source for a New '30 Front Fender (Fordor Sdn)

[Skibb]

For our 1930 restoration car we need to buy a new left front fender, which vendor offers the best. The current one was reworked once too many times by previous owners.

[RonC]

Search the forum there is lots about front fenders. I believe there is only one manufacturer of new front fenders. All 1930-31 models use the same front fenders.

[JOES31]

Repo fenders will take time to fit. They just don't bolt on. You will have to re-drill grind and bend the fender to make it look correct. If you can find some original fenders that are somewhat decent they will fit much better. That said I couldn't find originals so I bit the bullet and got reproduction metal fenders. They also make Fiberglas that will fit better than the metal repo's.

[Mike V. Florida]

This may help, written by Brent and posted by Bob Johnson;

http://www.modelahouse.com/tech/fender/fender2.html

[Tom from Drippin']

Try Bert's in Denver, Colorado (closed today) for a good original, but used, fender.

[Skibb]

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Thank you all for your advice.

Yes, Tom, waiting for Berts to open tomorrow. And, I thought I saw in a new Berts catalogue with two different fenders one regular grade and one better. I left the catalogue on my buddies work bench but will know soon.

[Bob Bidonde]

A reproduction fender is going to cost you $550 plus shipping, and it will need fitting by a sheet metal fabricator. When all is done, you will have perhaps $1000 or more into the fender, so consider restoring an original to get the best fit for your money.

Find a restorable original fender and take it to a good sheet metal fabricator who charges a flat rate. Choose a fender that has no significant corrosion damage, but dents, tears and breaks in the bead can be dealt with.

Before painting and while the fender restoration is in progress, have the fabricator test fit the fender on your car with the fender support you intend to use, and with the headlight bar in place. It is good if you bring your car to the fabricator's shop for the test fitting.

[Skibb]

Thanks Bob for your insight. We worked and worked on the "orginal" fender. Problem is that a previous restorer (who went South on me) messed up but good. He made a ski jump out of the fender, cut it short and it's got more bondo than Gene Krupa.

The car is about 40 % done, not driveable. We did our best; so, we'll take a crack at one from Bert's next time we work together in two weeks. In the photo the fender looks okay but it's not placed right and is short by a quarter to a eighth of an inch and curves the wrong way.

[dumb person]

But it looks like mine? You can probably sell your old one on ebay to someone like me.

[Skibb]

Originally Posted by dumb person

But it looks like mine? You can probably sell your old one on ebay to someone like me.

Oh that's a good....ty

[Doug in NJ]

Originally Posted by Skibb

We worked and worked on the "orginal" fender. ... In the photo the fender looks okay but it's not placed right and is short by a quarter to a eighth of an inch and curves the wrong way.

I have been working on fitting a repro fender (bought last October at Hershey) to my car. Ironically, it is also short by a quarter to an eighth of an inch...

Doug

[Skibb]

Doug, I keep trying to post but getting kicked off, so my reply is way late. In any case our fender put us beyond reality in trying to repair it. The link from MikeV above might provided an answer.

We called Berts but none of us liked giving in to that *#@# fender.

Your website is great and those photos of your restoration are super. Job well done. The other photos provided, those of the original 1931 Sedan, are invaluable.

We started at the left rear inner fender panel which was outta shape and had a mountain of bondo pushing the fender backward. We spent a couple days cutting the old panel out, shaping and welding the new. The photo shows rust because So Fla is in it's rainy, humid season now; we'll fix it right soon. Wish I had the answer.

[Skibb]

So we put the new fender on last weekend. We had to do what Brent and others have suggested to close the gap between the fender and the running board. What a job that was. Now to make it pretty.