Mark:
You wrote me asking if I have an experience with fiberglass fenders. I
currently have fiberglass front fenders on my 56. They were put on by the
previous owner in 96 or 97 when he had a frame-off done on the truck. They
are the only non steel body parts on the truck.
The fit is not what it should be. The fender parting lines (slope from the
top of fender to the side transition "line") doesn't match up with the same
line on the doors. I've had two body shops try to line them up but try as
they might they can't get the lines to match and still have good gaps
between the back edge of the fender and the leading edge of the doors. With
steel fenders you can push and pull the metal slightly and/or elongate the
mounting holes to the radiator support and inner fender wells to get a good
fit. Not so with fiberglass. In fact, now that the fenders have been off
and on a few times, some of the bolt holes are showing signs of wear,
weakening and in some cases have split out. I've had to reenforce these
areas with larger washers to get the necessary support at the bolt joints.
About two years ago I started noticing 'spider' cracks or stress cracks on
the finished surface on top of the fender surface. This was due to small
rocks that spun-off the tires and hit the underside of the fender. Being
fiberglass, the impact transferred to the finished surface. I tried several
different types of undercoating but still saw new cracks as time went on. I
also thinks some of the cracks showed up at mounting points on each side of
the firewall/cowl where the fenders are bolted on. This could be due to the
flex of the parts during driving and/or myself or others leaning over the
fenders while working on the engine. To fix any of the cracks, you have to
grind away a good portion of the fiberglass and add a layer of body filler
to support the area around the crack. Fixing some serious cracks in a
fiberglass fender could almost cost as much as buy a repro and paying
someone to hang it, fit it, and paint it.
A friend put me on to a company in Michigan that makes their own fiberglass
front and rear fenders and running boards for AD and TF trucks. He put a
set of rears on his 55 2nd series and was very pleased with fit and finish.
I looked them over and know for a fact they are much thicker than my front
fenders. There are good fiberglass vendors out there, but you have to be
careful whom you buy from.
That's why I'm in the market for steel repro front fenders. So far not much
success, but I'm on the waiting list with several vendors for the next batch
that come in.
Carl Ham
56 Chevy Stepside Pickup
Sparland, IL
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