I have been looking for some fenders for some time.
I think I will endup going with some junkyard fenders, or fix my own.
However if possible I would like to buy new fenders. Problem is I can only find fiberglass.
Has anyone seen metal front fenders for these trucks?

 

Nope!

You will have to get a good pair used or fix yours. And if you have an F1 buying a decent set al repaired is going to be a long patient and expensive proposition. Kep checking on e-bay!

 

No one makes the entire fender for the '48-50. Norther Classic Trucks, www.northernclassictrucks.com, is now offering the fender bottoms but they're selling for $550 for a pair, a little too steep for me. I can fix a lot of bad fender bottoms for that price.

 

Keep checking on places like Craigs List, too. I've only had my truck for about a month. I may have just been lucky, but on my first try on Craigs list, I found 4 fenders (three good, one poor), a hood in excellent condition, and a grille assembly with one headlight ring, all for $125, and within an hour and a half from home! The front fenders on my '50 are full of Bondo, and not a very good job, at that! I figure I can recondition the fenders I just bought and then replace the ones on the truck.

 

I figured that was the answer I was going to get.
I do appreciate it though. I also remeber seeing the 550 dollar lower fender. Kinda more then I want to spend.
I will keep looking then.

 

We all wish we could get new replacement parts for little/no money, but the reality is the same as I would tell my customers when they would complain about my repair quotes vs original purchase price for their jewelry, labor costs a lot more to fix one item properly than to mass manufacture something new with cheap labor. Even if you DIY repair a set of fender bottoms it's almost certain to cost more than 550. for the pair and unless you are Chip Foose the new ones will always be better.
Then again like the lottery someone is going to be lucky sometime, but you need a lot of patience and it may never happen.

 

$550 is probably a bargain for new sheet metal. I had to buy an entire truck and ship it half way across the country to get "so so" fenders and I'm happy to have them! I may still spring for new lowers when my bank account recovers. I have to admit too that parting out the second truck piece by piece has been kind of fun. I've never really lucked into the $100 specials in my next door neighbors garage etc. but I just know my ship will come in eventually!

If you can stand to have fiberglass on your truck, some of them are really quite nice...practical too. I just couldn't cope with it for some reason.

Ryan

 

Yeah just don't want the fiberglass on it. Mine aren't so bad that I can't fix them, or have someone do it for me.
I also realize that it's expensive either way. That realization came along time ago.
I have synthetic fluid in everything except my F-1 cause I have never driven it.
But the idea now, is to drop in a V-8 probably a Tremec or Richmond trans. Mustang 2 or similar front end, if I am doing that why not a 4 link. That much right there is going to be between 6 and 10k depending on how much I want. Which I am fine with. However if I can save even a penny here and there it will all add up to something worth while given enough time.
Right now the figures in my head are between 15 to 20k for the F-1 and 20 to 25k for the Camaro, but if that ends up with a BB then I'm sure I can go over 25k.
Still playing with the 96 Silverado DD, and the 03 Silverado trailer pulling truck, so that's just that much more to spend.
At any rate they will all get "done" Cause everybody finishes their project, atleast until they get a different idea in their head.

 

LOL...they all get done, right?

Just as a point of reference, I'm at $15K and I'm going as close to stock as I can get. I'm also no where near being finished though I now have all the major components in at least reasonably decent condition. So far I've bought everything possible brand new since I had so little to work with when I started. One surprisingly high cost was shipping and transport for all the parts. I've done 100% of the work myself and it's still a bit depressing when you read on here how everyone else seems to find stuff for pennies in their brother in law's, cousin's back 40. I know I'm looking at $30K to get where I want to be and that isn't perfect. Is it worth it? Probably not, but mine is a Mercury and that at least makes it odd if not rare.

I would take your estimate in time and triple it and your estimate in money and double it, run that by your wife/significant other and see where you stand. If the conversation goes as expected, you can make a good case for finding someone else's "dream" and just buying it finished. They always sell for a discount over the cost of building. This is especially true for custom trucks since people seem to get bored with them pretty quickly and one person's idea of cool isn't always another's.

Good luck with your quest. It is like a treasure hunt!

Ryan

 

Personally, I think I can fix a repairable set of lower fender for a lot less than the $550 tag of the new ones. I know I can because I've done it many times. My latest set were on a set of F-2 to F-6 fenders. These fenders were a total lost cause, most people would have chucked them because they were so bad but I did them just to do them. I also hate to scrap vintage tin if I can see some life left in them.

This clip was a lot worse than it looks






I would guestimate the time I put into them was about 40 hours. Sure if I added my time and multiplied it by $50 I'd have well over $550 in them but I do it because I like working the metal and seeing what I can accomplish. I don't have a lot of fancy tools, I do have a good MIG welder and basic body tools. I use whatever I have on hand to form metal. It's my hobby but I just have my time invested and can use the $550 for something I can't repair or make myself.

If your fenders are worse than these and you don't have the ability to do this kind of repair yourself then I guess you'll have to cough up the money to find a decent set which isn't going easy or have some one do them for you, either way it's not going to be easy.

 

A lot of the cost of repair is where you start from, not just in the original tin price, but in tools and labor. Even if you DIY, you still must make a commitment in tools and have the skills or be able/willing to learn them. A suitable Mig is 500.00 alone, plus another 3-500. in welding accessories plus another 3-700.00 in basic tools and expendables and even if you amatorize the cost over a number of repairs you still have a major investment in each. If you have to pay someone else to do any of the work the cost skyrockets.
BJ, you stated you have ~ 40 hrs into those fenders, but how many hours did it take you to learn the skills required to do them in 40 hrs, or at all?
I'm the last person trying to disuade anyone from DIY body work, Since I do all my own, jst trying to get kcb to understand the realities, and then weigh the price of new vs repair.

 

A person has to start somewhere. If a person doesn't have the exact tools and skills then they should acquire them. It's not an over night endeavor, I agree it takes time, but you have to start some time. Today is a better time than tomorrow. If a person doesn't try they'll never know if they can do it.

 

I hear all your arguments either way.
I will say this. I have done now body work. So my F-1 and my Camaro which needs atleast the drivers side floorboard along with alot more. I am going to learn body work. May take a little practice, but I will get their. I do know how to mig, which is what I am going to buy. However that will still be practice, been a few years, and I have never welded on body panels. It's all good though.
I also understand having 15k into a project and being half done. I also understand that my idea as of now is expensive right now, then to finish paint, seats, upholstery, lights, shocks, tires, rims, guages, ect... probably will put me well over 15k, that is more of a rough figure for the major parts.
For the worth, depends. For alot of people no. As far as I am concerned if I put 100k in this truck and my Camaro, 200k it's worth it to me. I have no intention of getting rid of anything I have, other then my 5x8 cargo trailer.
Part of the idea of a v-8 and not really caring about the money spent, (granted I am not rich and it will take a few years) is that I can drive the *&^% out of it and have fun with it. Why spend the money if it's going to sit?

For the fixed set of fenders, if it takes me 200 hours, ok whatever. I just need to go slow, I will get it if I do it myself. Mine also look worse on the truck right now.

 

kcb,
great attitude! Do an advanced search on my user name on this forum. I have posted a lot of information on how to do body work, form patch panels, weld and finish along with tools and equipment to buy and what can be made.
I don't know if it is still on sale, but Northern Tool had a killer price on the Hobart 140 Mig welder, a great welder for the price with everything you need to get started save a tank of sheilding gas and some good wire. The best parts are it plugs into any standard 115 V outlet and shipping to your door is free.
Now go buy a sheet of 20 ga cold rolled steel and start forming panels.

 

I am not going to buy a welder for a little while. I also want a 220. Might have to go home to use it, but I will have a shop within an hour, hour and half drive.
I just moved into my house so along with getting everything I own sorted and out of the garage cause I can barely open the doors right now, I just bought a tool box, and a bunch of little stuff. In time though.
Don't think I said it before, but my Ford is in IA and I am in TN. But as soon as I get some property and a shop up if their isn't one already, I'm making the trip back to get it.
Figured if I could find some then I would get them while I could find them, cause other then the one 550 dollar set of lower fenders I have only seen fiberglass.