Fender welting

[Burgamot]

I just bought a late 1931 Tudor sedan. I note that there is no fender welting on any of the fenders. Did the late 31,s have fender welting?

[jw hash]

yes they did, between the inside rear part of the front fender and the splash apron and between the rear fender and the body.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

My Friend, Ted, (RIP) HATED welt! He'd neatly caulk the joints & have his Pin Striper paint the caulking, to match the proper color!----NOBODY EVER criicized him!
Bill W.

[WHN]

Back in the sixties and seventies a lot of Model A’s were done over and the fenders put back on without welting. It can be a pain to get right. Enjoy.

[BN]

WHN, I'm just starting to install my fenders and splash aprons on my 1930 Briggs Town Sedan. Could you provide some details on "it can be a pain to get right"? Thanks.

[WHN]

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It’s been a long time since I’ve done one.

Takes at least two people. Make sure your paint is in really good shape along welting. Be careful tightening fender bolts. Use new bolts and washers.

The biggest problem we had was making the welting uniform along the full length of fender.

One of the only things I am still not happy with on our 1929 Sport Coupe. Both front and rear.

Tell me how you make out. Enjoy.

[duke36]

One can use a few dabs of weather strip cement to get the flat part of the welt to stay in the correct position on the fender 1st, but may need repositioning. Also, cut enough 'v' slits to help with curvature. The front fender welt stops short of the frame rail at the front of the splash apron area. On some '31 models, the rear fender and splash apron welt is one continuous piece tucked in to the corner /intersection. Most vendors sell 3/16" welt, while others like 1/4" which closes the gap a little better. The gas tank uses a smaller bulb diameter.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Saw one Guy use small bits of REALLY THIN, self adhesive, MAGNETIC STRIPPING, tohold them in place. Another Guy used swatches of self-adhesive VELCRO!
Bill W.

[BN]

Thank you WHN and duke36 - that helps!

[Tinbasher]

The key is to fit the welting before you install it. Make sure you cut the notches around the bolts so you have good clearance. If your building a points car look in the Juding standards how the welting was shaped. If you have a area that is difficult to pull tight (Like the corner of the front fender to the apron) you can cut strips of material about 1 1/2" wide and a 12" long and staple then to the end of the welt or stitch it on. Then you can use these strip to pull the welt down into place. (This also works on the Gast Tank) When your finished and everything is bolted up you can cut off the pull strips with a razor blade and no one will see it. A trick that works for me.

[BN]

I'm having trouble visualizing the welting for the 1930 front fender.

The JS say, "On the 1930 fender (with the front part of the splash shield integral with the fender) the welting was installed only at the joint in the shield and was the same size as the gas tank welt."
Am I correct in assuming that this "joint" is the seam where the front part of the splash shield is spot welded to the fender. Starting at the running board, it runs forward and then curves upward toward the frame and then goes toward the center of the car. Could anyone supply a picture? Thanks.

[Bruce_MO]

Easiest way to think of it is that the welting lines up with and just below the vertical front edge of the door/back edge of the cowl. It goes where the two pieces of the splash apron bolt together. Lower end abuts to the front inner corner of the running board, and the top end of the welt goes up under the body. So you'll need to make cuts in the welting at the bottom and top curves for a good fit. The top curve is pretty tight, so you'll need to make some relief cuts to take out a couple small pie-shaped pieces.






The curved area you're referring to between the splash apron "nose" and the fender is spot-welded without any welting.