79vetter

Hi Guys, I'm new to the forum here. I've got a '78 model that I am working on I am trying to remove the whole front fender + top so I can replace it because it has been in a wreck before. I looked through some of the old posts about grinding on the bonding strips but I am still unsure of how to do it. I don't need to keep the old fender.

I have an angle grinder but not sure of these:

1) what kind of disc should I use?
2) Can I just grind through the outside of the fender (through the fiberglass) until I hit the bonding strips?
3) how do you know where to grind if you are doing it on the outside of the fender?

Any other tips?
George

crazywelder

Are you going to remove one fender and entire surround or do you want to replace the damaged fender with a 1/3 fender that includes just the top of that fender?

79vetter

Yes- looking to replace with a 1/3 piece that would cut in around the headlight.

crazywelder

In this case you don't need to find the bonding strip because you will be removing the entire part. Once you have the new part, make marks on your car to show where the new panel ends on top of the cowl and at the headlight area, These will be your splice areas and you don't want to cut past those lines. Since you are not saving the fender and that portion of the surround, one method would be to carefully cut away the outer skin with a cutoff disc staying away from the bond areas and break the body pieces away. Some of the bonds might be loose from prior damage. Once the inner structure is visible you can separate the bonds. You need to be carefull with the hood surround to inner skirt bond, the skirt is fragile and you don't want to damage to top edge of the skirt. Cutting everything away makes finding the bond areas and separating them easier or you can separate the bonds from the outside with a knife and hammer. Which ever way you are more comfortable with. You probably know what parts need to be removed to do this job.

If you were going to separate the fender from the surround, you would find the bonding strip by grinding of the paint down to the strip which will reveal 2 lines about 3/4" apart the entire length of the fender. You would grind away part of the filler between the lines and separate the bond with a knife or chisel and hammer towards the damaged panel not the panel you are saving.

79vetter

thanks - I managed to pull and scrape some of the fender off so now I can see the bonding areas. It looks like it may have been replaced before. Not sure what the pinkish bonding stuff is.
1)What is the original bonding strip made of? I'm trying to figure out if I still have them and need to buy new ones.
2)Also what kind of disc is normally used - one that goes on a drill or on an angle grinder?

Mark G

You're doing a great job. At this point, I would grind the broken fiberglass and remaining bonding agent down with an angle grinder. I just used a metal grinding wheel when I did mine and it worked just fine. I think using something on a drill is going to be time consuming, but...

As far as the bonding agent, some use Lord bonding agent that Ecklers sell. I used Vette-bond II on mine. It's like bondo in consistancy. I liked it because it was pinkish in color like the original. I made a paper cone, like a cake decorator would make and put the mixed bonding agent in it to apply (just like the Ecklers video). The working time is short so the cone makes application faster. Plus, if you put on a thick bead, it'll squish out and look like a factory bonded part.

Prior to bonding my fender, I marked all the bond points and sand blasted those regions on the back side of the fender. That makes for a very good bonding surface. My fender was smooth (SMC), yours may not be smooth on the back and can just grind. For alignment, I dry-fitted mine and drilled a hole in the front and rear which I stuck a screw in so once I had the bonding agent applied, I could quickly ensure the right fit. I pushed my fender down with my hands to the right level and used packaging tape (strips) on the top of the fender curve to hold it ...and vise-grip clamps here and there where needed.

Good luck,

Mark G