Gotta question: I had some damage a while back on my '34 and it raised a question in my mind. I don't have to replace my real Henry front fenders, thankfully, they are fine....BUT, I was wondering.... Once a car is finished and painted can you tell the difference between "real Ford" fenders and Brookvilles? If so, what is the difference? My question pertains to '34 Fords.....anyone? Thanks, Doug
Does Brookville offer '34 Ford fenders? Thought they stopped at '32 but could be wrong, of course. Bob
Doug, In the A's from 28-31 I learned sheet metal guages used could be different. Maybe one step lighter. Seems that Ford used a fair amount of 19 ga, "back in the..." Maybe Bruce Lancaster will offer here?
I didn't know Brookville made 34's either. Gaslight used to, and may still, and I think Steve's Auto does now. I've never installed either of the repros, but have read that they will require a bit of tweeking. 34's don't have some of the dead giveaway details (lack of dime edge on the fender lip) that make it easy to spot the repro A fenders. Once the reproes are properly fit, I'd think they should be a fine replacement.
Based on a friend's experience while fitting together an aftermarket '32, repro fenders are made of a fairly soft/easy to stamp type of steel (AK??), probably because dies are not OEM grade made for high speed and low wear. Ford tin is springy and fights back, aftermarket goes along with whatever you and your hammer suggest. This has nothing to do with appearance...no idea on that, except everything around the '32 mentioned (fenders, boards, front and rear tin, tank) required some serious work to fix lots of minor issues and a couple of major ones. Tank and end aprons were the worst...they missed fitting each other by a LOT, and neither would fit at all to original parts!
Might be nice to know someone w/a stretcher-shrinker. Dave Simard took me thru the ropes on his method using them. Suddenly all the oops, went away and fitted up as they should.
I think virtually ANY/ALL Ford (even NOS) fenders will still need a bit of tweaking... it's just the nature of the beast. The aftermarket's perhaps a bit additional. That "dime edge on the fender lip" is easy enough to replicate on Model A aftermarket fenders, but most don't mess with doing it, I guess. I'd have to agree that the gauge of the steel used in the stamping would be the only way to really tell. But I don't see too many guys walking around shows with a micrometer.
Unless Brookville is now doing something different, my experience with 34 repop fenders is there's Steve's Auto Restorations, and then there are the rest. The bead that runs around the bottom is wider and not as deep when compared to an original (or SAR) and the fronts have rather significant fit issue at the base of the cowl area. If you use all four fenders and tail pan the difference really isn't very noticeable but if you mix them with originals you can really see the difference. See the following thread for a sketch of some of the difference: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636953
Bruce correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that '32 was the year that the front fenders normally didn't quite match looking from the front. Repop fenders probably do match.
I hope this isnt too far off the topic, but when did aftermarket sheetmetal come out? I mean, was there collision repair parts available back in the day like we have now or did they have to buy NOS from the dealer or junkyard? I've heard about Argentina stamped pieces going back into the sixties. Could someone think they have an "all henry steel" car and actually have replacement fenders, but are 40+ years old. And could you tell those?
I've used glass,original & repro steel. You were asking from a visual standpoint. If it's glass, Poly Form made some visually correct versions, Funks made some pretty good steel repros and Steve's I think are stamping using ExperiMetals facilities. I'm not Mr.Picky, as long as they do the job intended while I'm enjoying the ride, I'm Fine.
I've seen NORS fenders for a '32 Ford that were probably made just a few years after the car. I think the company was Fulton or similar (I'm probably mixing the name up with the sunvisor people). Sitting on the ground they looked exactly like Ford fenders, except the mounting holes were elongated when the original Ford's were round. The price was about the same as a pair of real Fords.
My old '33 has repro fenders and they may have been Funk's. The guy who sold them to me told me that the bead on the edge was 1/16th of an inch wider than Henry's but nobody ever noticed. Greyhound did all the tweaking for me - they still owe me $2400 for the damage they caused....
Was never around Steves 33/34 fenders but the other repops have a slightly diffferent crown from left to right. had a real anal customer that this drove nuts.
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