My early fender beads are not broken or cracked but have spots where the round edge has been flattened. Is there some way to round them out without having to peel back the fender edge again. Tapping or s****ing the edge seems to realign the edge but doesn't do much toward making them rounded again. Or is that what filler is for ???????????????? As always, appreciate free advice.
32, 33, 34 ford pickup. Almost identical to 32 p***enger fenders in construction. I believe model A's had the same type wire roll bead on them.
Make a tool or dolly that is the correct contour of the fender bead. Weld it to a heavy piece of rod, or strap. Use it with a hammer to tap out the flattened bead, on a sandbag, with a hammer. Then you can also use it to planish it smooth. The length of the dolly would depend on the curvature of the bead you are trying to straighten. I'd make it as adaptable as possible to use in all the places you need to. But if I had to, I'd make a longer one for straighter areas, and a short one, with radiused edges, for the curved areas.
You might be able to get at the top edge of the bead with it all rolled up, but the bottom can only be reached by unrolling the lower edge and maybe even pushing the wire out of the way. Carefull when unrolling the edge, as old metal doesn't like to be bent in new directions. The hard edge will probably crack, especially after you return it to it's original shape. I guess you have to decide if having a straightened edge with weld on it is better than an edge with filler on it.
I think you're right, I maybe should leave it the heck alone especially since I will end up filler skimming the fender anyway. I really don't want to take a chance breaking a bead or the wire.
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