I have to repace a fender on my 71. I'm just looking for and do's or dont's or any advice anyone may have. I'm debating whether do attempt it myself. I'm good with bodywork and painting on regular cars, but never tried fiberblass. Your input is welcomed.

Thanks!

 

http://www.glas-ra.com/home.html

Two volumes for C3s. Purchase both.

This is reasonably good if you can find a copy. It may be out of print.


71 rear fenders are SMC; most of the rest is press molded polyester. If you purchase repair materials compatible with both types of fiberglass, you'll be fine.

 

Thank you!

 

The biggest difference in doing body work on fiberglass verses steel is when you sand a steel body it stops when you get to the metal in fiberglass it just keeps going. It’s real easy to sand the edges and corners off.

 

Do, do it yourself. Don't be in a hurry. Align and dry fit many times before you bond. Grind all bonding surfaces and keep clean. Mix materials as instructed for a given temperature, etc. Do wear all the proper safety gear, as you don't want to breath fiberglass dust, get it all over your skin, or drag it into the house after you are done. I find fiberglass is so easy to work with. Take your time and enjoy the project. I am sure you will be pleased with the results and the fact that you did it yourself.

 

You shouldn't have any trouble doing it with your skills. Once you get the new one bonded down, the rest is bodywork not unlike what you would normally do, other than a few different materials. When I first had to knock off a fender from my car, I spent weeks thinking about it, learning, etc. Heck, once I actually got to using the tools, I had it off in 15 minutes and the new one on in an hour. It gets faster from there on.

I started with the Ecklers DVD video (#2 I believe). I recommend it, even though it's kind of pricey. What I did after sanding the paint off, down to the fiberglass, was to carefully take a cut-off tool and make an incision down the length of fender at the gap where the fender and the upper surround meet. I used the technique that Ecklers promotes which is to use a wide chisel and a 4lb hammer and work your way along the incision (basically along the body seam) from one end to the other giving sharp blows. Doesn't seem like anything is happening until suddenly "thud" and the seam breaks free (just like splitting a wide section of wood). I used a toothed 2" wide cement/brick chisel that worked great. I had it anyway for other uses. Then you just remove other areas as needed. I know other guys use the heat gun method to 'soften' up the bonding agent and it seems to me that this would work better, but I haven't had a need to try it lately. So if it were me, I'd apply the heat gun method and the chisel method. Should come off pretty easily.

To install, grind down the bonding agent on the existing filler strip and get the 'right' stuff from Ecklers or another shop. I used a hand sand blaster to blast the areas where the bonding agent would adhere to on the backside of the fender. Looking at my original, it looked like the factory did the same thing to give the fender something to 'bite' to. Get it to fit like you want it, I used a couple screws in a few places to locate it where I wanted it, then using masking paper in the shape of a cone, put the bonding agent in the cone and apply the bonding agent like cake maker would apply frosting to a cake. Put your fender on and locate using a couple screws. Apply tape or use whatever clamping means you wish to clamp into place accordingly. Be careful not to clamp too thight that you get 'divits' or low spots in the new panel from clamping devices. Fill in whatever screw holes you need to afterwards. I "V'd" out the gap and applied fiberglass filler and matt along the seam to make a nice and 'invisible' repair. Then, grind/sand down as needed. Apply 2k primer and once dry, apply your filler over that and bodywork as needed like you are used to doing.

One key thing I would pay attention to if you want your final product to look 'factory' as much as possible is how the new bonding agent squished out of the seam. What I mean by that is, take a look at your panels now where they meet the body. You will see that they applied a bead of bonding agent, then the fenderd and other parts. Some of the bonding material 'squishes' out. Try to add enough, but not too much that it too squishes out on your repair, but not so much that it seems un-natural. Don't take your finger afterwards and smooth it down or it will, again, look like an aftermarket repair. Undercoat when finished.

Good luck,

Mark G

 

Hi mta,
I'd think that if you can replace the fender at the original bonding strip your job will be much easier.
Here's a couple of pictures to show the strip's location, hopefully they'll help you. Note that the front clip is really 3 main pieces... the hood surround, and 2 fenders; then the lower valance is added.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

 

Alan, good comment.

Note: When I said in my above post 'make an incision down the length of the fender' I should have indicated the incision should only be about 1/8" deep. Don't cut the bonding strip. Just grind down the depth of the panel you are removing. A grinder would work also.

Mark G

 

I have some pics of the rear fender replacement in my profile that may be some help. I too would recommend the books and videos that have been mentioned so far.







Glassing in the seam after bonding.





After epoxy Primer.




ikwhite

 

Really nice work

 

There are some really good videos on YouTube showing body panel removal. The guy used a heat gun VERY carefully and a little bit at a time with a metal putty knife to separate the panels from the bonding strips and bird cage. Do a search. Looked really easy.
Good luck.
Glenn

EDIT: Here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E6YC5Iys_I

 

Rather than grinding the daylights out of the damaged fender, or quarter panel, or whatever, another option is to heat along the bonding strip with a propane torch. It will soften the adhesive bond. I mean really get it hot. We've used this method on big rig hoods for more than 20 years at Ryder Trucks bodyshop.

Itchy fiberglas gives me fits and the less grinding dust, the better.

 

Thanks for all the great info, it was a big help.

 

Careful there. Fiberglass will burn.

 

Yeah, I would use the heat method. Grinding makes a real mess. The other thing too, is that these SMC panels are incredibly tough. Pulling apart is very difficult, and breaking them apart is NOT easy. Better to remove in one panel. I learned some things in this thread too.

Mark G