Fender gaps

Chris333 · Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 10:34 am Post subject: Fender gaps

Just started taking my fenders down to bare metal inside and out and fitting them to the car.

The car hasn't had fenders on it in years and the PO did some body work with brass along the edge where the fenders meet.

There are some gaps. They are less that the width of the fender beading, but I don't know what I'm doing. So how tight does the gap need to be?

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theKbStockpiler · Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 4:12 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

It looks like the wheel housing is bent up somehow.
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Chris333 · Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 6:16 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

Oh I'm sure it is.

So I should try to get both surfaces flat to each other?

Chris333 · Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:09 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

Just happened to be watching a car show on TV and they were working on a Beetle. The guy was using a flat chisel to pound in the 4 sides of the nut insert to push it back into the quarter panel.

Guess that is my answer.

theKbStockpiler · Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:22 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

You have to figure out why it's not as convex as it should be or how did the metal get shrunk to flatten the curve there? Confused

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My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask. Smile

Chris333 · Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 10:40 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

The show I mentioned was RMD Garage and they were working on a 67 Beetle. The guy working on it said he had been working on VW's his whole life and this was a trick he knew for when the bolts were over tightened and pulled the insert out.

The episode is on Youtube, but they want to charge you to see it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZKNU3lfzPs

60ragtop · Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:00 am Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

my trick is to just thread a bolt into the nuts and tap the bolt head with a hammer to set the nut back. trick I learned from an old time body guy.
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Rick
Certified Mechanic by the State of Michigan in 1977
ASA certified in 1987
Certified Hunter Wheel Alignment Master Technician 1986

Chris333 · Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:22 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

Well I used the "pound the nut" trick and some other shaping.

Just to follow up:

dodgerodder · Samba Member Joined: April 25, 2010 Posts: 170

Wow, that really came out great, good job!

Only guessing, but was the fix tapping in the fender nuts (that were pulled outward), & tapping out the slightly sunken area of the quarter panel?

Looking at your before pic, looks like the front fender nut was the worst offender maybe

Amazing how a few small adjustments make a huge difference
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=699235

Chris333 · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 8:11 pm Post subject: Re: Fender gaps

I did sink the nuts a little deeper, but also did some hammer work to smooth out the quarter panel.

At the start I just had no idea if the beading would hide it all or not.

dodgerodder · Samba Member Joined: April 25, 2010 Posts: 170

You’ll have no problem now. Since you now have nice even gaps without beading, it will look great with

Also would be good to straighten the fender mounting lip too

They usually get out of whack too
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My 66’ build thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=699235


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