Hey bodymen - what do you recommend to patch the holes in this 1936 Ford, p***enger side fender? The rest of the fender is fairly sound. Any suggestions to repair the crack in the driver side fender? Thanks.
Here's a trick if your not into fabricating panels. Make two cardboard patterns of the fender. One from the front to the rear, the second one from top to bottom. This will give you two sweeps or curves. Now take these out to the wrecking yard and find a panel that fits the shapes. Instant patch panel. Check roofs and trunk lids first then go to front fenders. It works and makes a nice job of it. The Old Tinbasher
Stud, for the rust, cut some sheet metal out of the deck lid or hood of a 60's hulk for patch material. New sheet metal is a different alloy so it does not weld very good. (or so I'm told). Cut and form the stock to match the contours of the bad areas and weld it in. What I did for the cracks at the top of the wheel arch is bend a piece of 1/2" EMT conduit to the same radius as the wheel opening and grind all the galvinizing off then weld it to the roll on the fender lip. This will strenghten the fender so it wont fatigue and crack again. I only welded the fenders rolled edge to the conduit. Now go ahead and cut out the bad section and weld in new metal . This was the first time I had attempted a repair like this and it has held up well for the last 15 years on the road. Mitch.
Oh God, please don't do this. Every time I turn a fender over at a swap meet and see this I cringe at the hours it will take to remove this hokey repair. First step: learn how to weld sheetmetal. Practice on something you can throw away. Practice alot. Second step: Clean your fender (all the way, not just a quick grind of the surface) and see if the crack will weld as is (not missing chunks). If not, cut a 1 inch strip of new metal, trim out the crack to allow the new strip to fit in there exactly, and **** weld this strip in place. Don't be afraid of new flat sheetmetal. It will weld just fine. And you don't need to clean old paint/dirt/rust off of it. Get some 20 gauge cold rolled at your local supply house. You can probably bend the new stuff by hand or with hammer and dolly to fit the curves of your fender just as easily as you could rebend some used metal from a newer car.
I agree with most all of this, but use 18 ga. cold rolled when you buy-also, I cut mine back about 2" on either side of the crack(I was worried the metal around the crack had fatigued)- Looking at your pictures, you have a compound curve on the front fender (that has rusted through-you will either need to find a replacement panel (I'm not aware of one for a '36), or make a new piece-that will be a trick, and I would either tuck shrink it or use a lancaster shrinker-then, you are going to have to roll the edge, and that could be done with a hammer form- It looks like you have a few areas that are swiss cheese-I would weld in pieces to repair theose also, as they are thin-
The crack is no big deal - metal around it looks solid. The other fender looks very thin, i bet if you look up from inside it'll look just like a planetarium. It won't take any heat at all and will just disappear. Depending on your skill level i think i'd be looking for another fender or find somebody that you trust and let him do it. That fender is going to take a lot of work to save.
The advice from the person about not welding in the 1/2" emt may be fine if you are working on a 100 point car, but if it is going to be a daily driver and you have limited skills and/or money, it is not too bad of an idea. I repaired a fender, that was absolutely trash and the fender was not avaiable from any sources, by bending a 1/2" solid round stock to the exact shape of the fender. After sandblasting the inside of the fender and rod to bare steel, I drilled 3'16" holes along the outside edge of the fender on the lower curve every 4" and then fastened the 1/2" rod in with about twenty vise grips. When I was satisfied that the shape was correct, I plug welded and ground the welds smooth. I then Squeegee 3M bonding adhesive into the gap along the inside of the fender to keep out any water that could get in. It in not a repair that is sanctiond by the AACA, but it meets my needs and pocket book and if anyone reaches his fingers under to see what I have done, they will find the razor blades that I welded in just for that person.
The Jalopy Journal
