Thread: fiberglass fat fender question

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I am thinking about putting a set fiberglass front fenders on my 46 ford coupe street rod and would like to hear some opions from anyone who has them.

a guy in my club has them on his 46 coupe. He hates them himself. You can see little spiderwebbing in the tops but they've been on there a while. I think they look ok but unless you are at the strip, I don't see the benefit. see his coupe at www.carnutz.com

Fiberglass fenders on the street are prone to star chips...A good coat of either 3M undercoating or some of the thick bodied bedliner products on the inside will make a very good cushion and prevent a lot of the starchipping from rocks and road trash...

Thanks for the replys

Being an old Corvette fan, many time owner, and paint and body guy, I like glass bodies. For me they are easier to repair, if you have bad damage, and rust and little dents will never ever be a problem.

The star cracks are a fact, and they do happen on metal fenders sometimes too, so just plan a heavy layer of undercoat or something similar.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

Being an old Corvette fan, many time owner, and paint and body guy, I like glass bodies. For me they are easier to repair, if you have bad damage, and rust and little dents will never ever be a problem.

The star cracks are a fact, and they do happen on metal fenders sometimes too, so just plan a heavy layer of undercoat or something similar.

You make a good point, so I just ordered 2 front & 2 rear fiberglass fenders from early ford. thanks for the help

Originally Posted by retireddave

You make a good point, so I just ordered 2 front & 2 rear fiberglass fenders from early ford. thanks for the help

I'm not trying to talk anyone into anything they don't like. It's just that lately I hear a lot of enthusiasts heavily criticizing 'glass. I've worked on both, and find that there are advantages to each.

My biggest critique of 'glass bodies is that often the body details are more rounded off, and not always a convincing replica. I can also say the same about some of the replica metal bodies I've seen.

I've also done a lot of work on 'glass race car parts too...and more than half the time, the builders just want it light, so the quality can be horrible.

I have 4 glass fenders on my 39 Chevy and hate them. Discounting the star chips, they don't fit worth a damn. IMO nothing is better than the originals. I've been looking for good steel fenders for quite a while but if they are decent, they're out of my price range. I do have a nice set of 40 Pontiac front fenders that I'm considering modifying to for my 39. Just my $.02
mike

HOTRODPAINT and chopper1,good points from both sides of the fence..I have had 26 years in panel and paint,and about 23 years off and on in the fiberglass industry,so I can agree with both..One of the biggest problems I have found down in this neck of the woods,is that a great many people get into the glass trade short term,have no experience in straightening out a damage or rusty steel panel,and as long as it looks right,thats near enough..It might not necessarily fit the car its come off,but they are going to make a mold anyway,usually too thin,usually never braced sufficiently,if at all,and then they rip the plug out of the mold before it has had a chance to cure properly,,hence,a panel that doesnt fit,is usually out of shape,and a few millimetres shorter than it should be...Then the poor sucker who has bought said dodgy part brings it to me,and asks me to fit it...It looks okay to them,but a nightmare to us..and its difficult to tell them they have been ripped off..and usually the seller has moved on,or doesnt want to know about it..
As far as stars go,I put a layer of core mat into the layup,and tell the customer to give it a coat of a good quality underseal inside to help cushion the road trash,as Dave calls it..

I have too agree with Lamin8r, the trouble is the fly-by-night so-call experts that sell their products to guys and then disappear. As the old saying goes.... if it is that cheap,it will cost more in labour to make it work and look good.