fiberglass fender install

[backyardbill]

Has anyone installed a fiberglass fender on their spider? Like the one sold by Bruce's?

How did you go about removing the old fender? Any pictures?

Thanks.

[MJSSpider2K]

I just finished installing a replacement steel fender. The removal of the old fender is a pain in the a**. You need to drill out the spot welds all along the edges, cut the welds from the front valance, cut the welds at the top back of the fender by the door on the underside of the fender and then un-sandwich the fender up by the top of the hood. I am not sure how the glass replacements install so you may not have to be as careful as me to preserve the factory metal to re-weld to, but use caution as it is easy to cut or drill to deep.

Good luck

[backyardbill]

thanks. My fender come in tomorrow. I'll see what I have to remove after I size up the fiberglass one. I am not looking forward to this.

[andyo]

please, please, please take some photos as you do it.
I'm possibly a couple of months behind you in doing the same job
Good Luck!

[backyardbill]

AndyO:

Fiberglass fender is now attached to car. Have a look:

http://www.glocktech.net/fiat/restorati ... t%2014.htm

[azygoustoyou]

Boy Bill,
You've done a lot to that car. When do you think you'll have it on the road?

[backyardbill]

I hope to be completely done by next April, 2011.

I still have more body damage to fix, then whole body sanding and paint prep, and paint it in 1960's Aston Martin Birch -med metallic gray. Then the whole interior has to be redone maroon or red leather. Then the new roof in black cloth. Probably will also add the Michigan guy's short shifter if he still has them. And one other mechanical problem: fix or replace the power brake booster. Then I will be driving it. That's the plan from now.

[maytag]

great job Bill!

So, does anyone make a 'glass replacement for the rears? Mine were very poorly buggered in a "repair" by a previous owner.

[TulsaSpider]

I'd rather have a fiberglass hood. Do they make them as well?

[andyo]

fantastic - thanks for the update Bill
i'm gonna tackle mine end of the summer - officially another ~8 weeks away but you'd be forgiven for thinking it ended 8 weeks ago we've had so much rain!
i'm looking forward to it with a certain degree of trepidation

[SLOSpider]

Oh no the car will sit lop sided with that lighter fender only on one side I know drilling out spots welds is a bit of a challange when I did my strut towers, Good Job!

[backyardbill]

Hi Bill,
Yep - saw those - thanks.
My main questions are -

I'm not looking at painting the whole car just yet so would you recommend getting them painted before fitting?

--> No. You will have to handle the fender many times during the alignment process. That is put the fender in place, mark it in a few places, remove it, trim off some excess fiberglass here and there, remount the fender, mark some more, etc. I would wait until after the fenders are installed. Also. After tacking them up with a couple of screws or rivets, mount the hood to check for alignment.

Did you just drill through the old fender/wing or did you go all the way through?

--> I tried to just drill through the old fender with a weld cutter on a drill, but it was too hard to control and I went all the way through most of the welds. If you don't then you will have to grind off the remaining metal left on the body.

Did you rivet or screw the new fender in place?

--> I used a a couple of screws during the alignment process, then riveted (1/8" diamenter) the fender permantely. I will cover the rivets along the hood seam with rubber moulding.

And, finally, I notice you've got a 'plate' bridging across the metal valance and the new fender at the front(?)

--> yes. I had to do that because the metal lip on the front valence was to small to get a strong attachment to the fiberglass lip.

Any other tips much appreciated and sorry about all of the questions

--> it is possible to glue the fender on with fiberglass resin. Others have done that. This would make for a much more professional look. The fit between the fender and mount points would have to be near perfect. But it would be really messy affair and I decided against it.

Andy...

[Fiat88]

Nice job!How much does a fiberglass fender run?

[TulsaSpider]

I would so love to have a glass hood!!

[backyardbill]

I think I paid $250 for the fender, plus shipping, from Bruces. Actually insurance paid for it.