Need rear fender lips rolled up

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tannyo
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Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by tannyo »

After loading my MGB GT up with luggage the rear tires scraped against the fender lip. When going over bumps and around turns. The lettering is almost gone on the side of the tires.

I'm not ready to have the car painted yet, but would like the fender lips rolled up flat with the fender for clearance. Does anyone know who could do the job quickly?
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by Martin Keller »

tannyo wrote:After loading my MGB GT up with luggage the rear tires scraped against the fender lip. When going over bumps and around turns. The lettering is almost gone on the side of the tires.

I'm not ready to have the car painted yet, but would like the fender lips rolled up flat with the fender for clearance. Does anyone know who could do the job quickly?
Try contacting Dave Wellwood @ 805-469-7842. :thumbs:
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by Steve Simmons »

If you just need the inner lips bent upward, you can do it carefully with a baseball bat. Don't go too far however, as these lips are part of the structural rigidity of the wings.
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by tannyo »

Steve Simmons wrote:If you just need the inner lips bent upward, you can do it carefully with a baseball bat. Don't go too far however, as these lips are part of the structural rigidity of the wings.
That sounds great. Do you have instructions? Wood or aluminum?
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by Steve Simmons »

Yeah, I guess instructions would have helped. Let me first say that I haven't done it myself and make no guarantees about the quality of results, so proceed at your own discretion. I have known a few people who have done it with success. Use a wood bat. Place the bat between the tire and fender lip. Have a helper roll the car forward and back while you guide the bat as it squeezes between the tire and lip. You can adjust how much pressure is being applied by moving the bat farther in or out of the wheel well, as the bat is tapered along its length. Always proceed very slowly and start with light pressure, working your way up as needed. Bend the lip only as much as necessary to clear the tire. You may end up with paint cracks in the seam between the metal lip and the wing, so touch these up to prevent rust. Good luck!
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by Jimmy »

Never even having seen it done myself, I'm still sceptical about the usage of a bat. My guess is that the entire fender would be flared out a bit in the process (which may not be a bad thing) due to the lateral forces involved.
I have successfully ground material off, though not on a unibody car, and also used body-shop type pliers made for the purpose of bending sheetmetal. The latter being the most sanitary method in my opinion.
But if you're in a hurry to get it done, Tanny, just drive around the block with snow chains installed.
In baseball, running into someone is apparently a "collision".
But doing the same thing in a car somehow makes it an "accident".
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by kiwimark »

Hi
I run 195/60x14's on my BGT. The fender lips have been rolled to stop scraping. The tires do not rub even under hard cornering with a load of luggage in the back. Make sure your rear spring bushes are in good condition or are the urethane replacements so the rear axle is properly located and sideways travel is minimized. If you are really worried fit a Panhard bar or Watts linkage to rigidly locate the axle.

Mark
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by Jimmy »

Mark is absolutely correct in that 195s fit - I'm running 195/70R14s on my beater with intact fenders.
However, that's with wanna-be Mini Lites, not the fancy Panasports on Tanny's car.
Since the problem is largely due to wheel width and offset, one solution would be to get a pair of negative wheel spacers.
Those, unfortunately, are rare as hens teeth and consequently costs a small fortune - if you can even find them.
Perhaps the easiest fix is to drastically reduce the weight of the GT. Using nothing fancier than a reciprocating saw, several hundred pounds of unnecessary sheetmetal and glass can be eliminated, leading also to better handling and mileage.
I'll help you do it, Tanny!
In baseball, running into someone is apparently a "collision".
But doing the same thing in a car somehow makes it an "accident".
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Re: Need rear fender lips rolled up

Post by tannyo »

Since I'm on vacation and I noticed the rear fenders/wings were already being pushed out by the tires, I found a local shop in Cambria to do it for $50.00. Victor rolled the lip and some paint came off on the inside. I'll have to spray some paint in there to prevent rust. He also pushed the fender out a little out on the passenger side. I'm not happy with the job but at least it shouldn't scrape.

I guess you get what you pay for and it'll get fixed in 2 years when/if I get the car painted.
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