My GY8 '71 Road Runner

Grabbergreendream

Well-Known Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
454
Reaction score
494
Location
Ashtabula Ohio
Nice work.
Out of curiosity, how are the fender mounting areas where they meet on top of the inner fenders? One of my fenders has a rotted spot in the mounting area that has 3 oblong bumps between 2 of the mounting bolts. I've been looking for a patch section(hint) should you decide to scrap any leftovers. I would certainly make it worth your time...
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
Nice work.
Out of curiosity, how are the fender mounting areas where they meet on top of the inner fenders? One of my fenders has a rotted spot in the mounting area that has 3 oblong bumps between 2 of the mounting bolts. I've been looking for a patch section(hint) should you decide to scrap any leftovers. I would certainly make it worth your time...
Depending on which section you need; Toward the front of my donor fender that area is ok - a little crusty. Toward the rear, it’s really crusty. You’re welcome to it if you can use it.

Donor fender:
3D705273-1DBE-4C79-B767-B4FA5279BA22.jpeg


Front section:
D25AEC09-C7F3-4794-9EAD-83FE08F3C0E7.jpeg


2E815589-6FA2-423D-B089-C45D0FAC20BC.jpeg


Back section (toward windshield), this section is pretty rough:
A2B5A4A0-B61E-4002-8C3E-42B832C916A8.jpeg


A0FDAAAC-AB9F-496B-8DE6-9FEECB5660A0.jpeg
 

Grabbergreendream

Well-Known Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
454
Reaction score
494
Location
Ashtabula Ohio
Lol! That back section is what I need. Mine had the same corrosion. Perhaps if I had the front section I could graft it in...
Let me get a good look at mine & see if its worth the fuss at this point as I have it patched up & epoxied. I will pm you to discuss so I dont muddy up your thread anymore.
Thanks also.
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
I started working on repairing the driver’s fender. I had to add a small patch to the top of the front section I’m using from the donor fender. After gettin that in, I started getting the front section welded on. After taking several measurements from the passenger’s side fender for reference, I cut most of the bad section out and began fitting the “new” section in. After measuring and remeasuring about a 100 times, I made the final cuts and tacked the front section on. I then confirmed all the measurements again and welded it in fully. I had a few blow-throughs is places but, I think it went well.

Another small patch in the donor piece:
611DEBB7-7613-4063-B81E-1DA265E51159.jpeg


4629E4D7-454F-475F-9590-8682C346799F.jpeg


Measurements for reference:
C85850BA-1CB4-46C2-9962-86F58EF44EBE.jpeg


Test fitting, one of a thousand times:
D8F00B28-FB2A-4D70-A0B4-7E8D6FC03D1F.jpeg


D063EA83-300D-48BD-9BD3-8309D11F9993.jpeg


Tacked in:
2BDF018D-FAB9-4451-BE73-5557BE4EDF80.jpeg


Welded in:
0627162F-2614-4AA1-AD19-4D0B8B01A468.jpeg


DD49BAC4-6819-4087-A71B-C794CDC1F8D3.jpeg


Flexible shape pattern fits perfectly:
51C613F7-E6FB-4FCA-AE94-9E5961BB2D95.jpeg


Thanks for looking!
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
Before:
724DD36A-268C-47F5-AEF0-221A0FDB6DE5.jpeg


After:
C21E27A2-126C-48A9-89D1-362D4ED8F495.jpeg


I then patched the lower rear section of the fender. I used an AMD panel for this. They actually make one for my car! I had to add a small patch to this as the replacement panel did not cover all of the damage. This small patch was kind of difficult to make. It has a body line in it that goes down into a sweep to the bottom flat area:

Damaged area:
B9F6CA3F-3A42-452E-9130-2ADE88FDB8D9.jpeg


Test fit of AMD panel:
41610AEB-9AAE-43FD-8F44-5000CB87CBF6.jpeg


Not quite long enough:
8512B8FB-BDEC-46E8-A309-7FCF3325EF72.jpeg


Patch panel:
C8866EE5-BA71-47C5-AA4B-A240D641F0BC.jpeg


Its got some shape to it:
0015BA61-27CD-4D73-8DF4-2A19CB72EE1D.jpeg


Test fit:
4E6450AC-F59A-46F2-959B-CB7CA5311E84.jpeg


Tacked in:
63F2F45B-3815-424C-8DCA-5A20A6428478.jpeg


Welded in:
2E887277-5CCF-44B5-9AE0-ECAC0CF54BA5.jpeg


It’s going to need a little more hammer and dolly work.
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
I had a few areas to patch on the top of the driver’s fender, as well. One section was at the front, attached to a smaller panel that bolts on to the front section of the car. I inadvertently cut a piece of this panel when cutting out the bad section on the fender. I made a small patch for this and sprayed it with Eastwood inner frame paint before welding the two together. I also sprayed the backside of the patch panel I made.

Need to patch this section I cut off (red arrow):
09943F00-57DE-4AE5-A61D-2BB54E738D93.jpeg


Painted:
B6C8F2BC-3E8C-45B3-BDAD-D4AA87515B9B.jpeg


243351F7-C0AB-413C-905D-D67EF5BBDA54.jpeg


Ready to weld:
227EBE0D-C713-48F2-B9D5-64A97DCA3FAF.jpeg


Welded in:
A3D06AA4-F838-461C-9784-7E754EFAD091.jpeg
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
On to the passenger’s side fender. I had to replace the same rear bottom section with an AMD panel. I also had a few sections on the top that needed to be patched and numerous holes from slide hammer “fixes”. Before replacing the bottom section with the AMD panel, I had to try to straighten out a messed up area near the wheel opening just above this panel. I also had another area at the front to try to fix. There were several small dents/depressions in the metal. I fixed them as best I could.

Next!:
A6A88FAA-B28D-4922-BA7D-FB1D3CD7F97C.jpeg


I had to try to fix this first:
90030D74-5315-46CC-B1A1-0AEE72FA936E.jpeg


Welded on:
637D856D-6683-4AC8-B6D6-4954C22622F0.jpeg


This is the best I could do:
50E1804C-971A-4820-9079-854EDE564EF8.jpeg


Another patch:
69DA5724-9A9D-4133-AADA-AFA2EE547988.jpeg


Here too:
5EABC263-E455-46BA-97C5-2575835350F4.jpeg


Fixed:
1B383191-53DA-4245-9C54-5DD18723944B.jpeg


Here too:
95B57C3B-0EFC-445E-B239-26C5BA37C92C.jpeg


Got to try to fix this too:
76232746-A03F-4257-986A-CC29CB0519D4.jpeg


Best I could do:
A68A7DF2-9043-487B-A488-71A15D4CBF29.jpeg


Thanks for looking!!
 

Nxcoupe

FBBO Gold Member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Jul 4, 2021
Messages
2,033
Reaction score
2,101
Location
Red Lion, OH
And I burnt the crap out of my finger with mig wire! Idiot!!

View attachment 1446992
I always wear gloves for that reason. I forget sometimes, but I am quickly reminded why I wear them. You are doing a great job saving those fenders that a lot of people would have called 'scrap'. I'm like you, I'd rather save it than spend money
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
Can't say "Like it" but can say YYYEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW!! SON-OF-A BITCH!!!! That hurt!!
Metal work looking good!!
Murphy’s Law got me. I always wear nitrile gloves when working on the car. I also wear my welding gloves over them. For some reason, I forgot to put my welding gloves on. I guess I was just in the groove, puttering along. A big piece of molten wire went flying, burnt through the nitrile glove and got stuck in there. Had to rip the nitrile glove of fast. Terrible!!
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
I finally figured out why both fenders were tack-welded to the header panel. I found broken bolts in the first two holes on both fenders. I drilled them all out and re-tapped them.

32129D9C-9AB5-4840-8205-ECA7F0FABF61.jpeg


It never ends!!
 

JDmac72chrgr

FBBO Gold Member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
2,075
Reaction score
3,897
Location
NJ
Am I wrong here, WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN FASTER & EASIER TO WELD NEW BOLTS/NUTS INTO HEADER BEFORE PLACING FENDER ON??? Also easier to align/shime fender?? :lol:
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
You would think! I’m not surprised though, given the amount of shady things i’ve found so far on this car!
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
On to the fender inner-support bracket things - I have no idea what they’re called! AMD includes the bottom section of these brackets with the lower fender patches. Nice! Most likely because if the bottom of the fender is rotten, so is the bracket behind it. One of the brackets is a lot worse than the other. Both will need the bottom section patches and one will need almost a complete rebuild of the top section. Super! And, AMD does not make a patch for this. I’ll have to try to make a patch for this area. There are a lot of bends, angles, shapes and off-sets in this area. I started by making a masking tape template. Looking at this, I decided the only way I could make it is to do it in three pieces. After constructing the pieces, I welded then together. I think it came out ok, I not happy with the large round and square holes I had to cut into it though.

Not good:
40ABDBA7-862B-4FFD-A3BC-214005A642FB.jpeg


Not good either:
0473E37C-0D51-48B9-B1FD-7BB3C7363A71.jpeg


Either is this, no patches available for this area:
FACF4B1E-49F0-4C2A-9AE2-A4930C96A057.jpeg


AMD does make these patches:
4E8CDA8D-B254-4793-A04F-0451119C8E68.jpeg


Use the “good” side for a template:
5043F6A3-F1FB-4484-8CF0-258D4474EA96.jpeg



Tape template:
ABDD0277-8387-4E2B-B128-DBF1AF0EC603.jpeg


First piece, angles match original:
AB36F363-FD44-4621-B6DA-28ECD3CD2D46.jpeg


First piece done:
5F46294B-0BF7-4ABA-B19F-A86F298DD698.jpeg


All three pieces rough test fitting:
8D317C59-121A-4224-BA79-137D5509C6D9.jpeg


Welded up:
8FA4865D-7AB8-4620-B049-312A88A0B862.jpeg
 

ct71rr

Chad
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:50 PM
Joined
Aug 16, 2013
Messages
917
Reaction score
1,099
Location
Massachusetts
Template still fits:
5C60DEAF-D1BA-4038-A0A0-5D51A80BA27C.jpeg


This is where it will go:
818E5DAC-C34C-4009-A0D6-68C5B2AD3A52.jpeg


It wasn’t the easiest part to try to make. I did the best I could.

Thanks for looking!
 
Top