I would like to know if there is a good way to repair a 55 f100 front fender that is thin and pitted from the inside on the lower 1/3 .if I sand blast it ,there may be a few holes. solder,braze,weld,lab metal,or scrap it ..? its not really a small spot,but all over the lower parts. is spray welding an option..? not jb weld. the upper 2/3 is very nice. I can not find a better one .

 

Maybe clean it up real good with a wire wheel on your grinder and then put some lead on it. I guess that was a technich back in the day. My truck has some on the gas tank and one spot by the windshield. Not sure if the hot lead would cause warping though on such a large area. I,m sure someone who is more experienced in body work could give better ideas. Patch panels or a chunk off another fender maybe.

 

WITH LIMITED SKILL AND TOOLS , I WOULD GET A SHEET OF 18 GAGUE METAL , and something like a file folder . Use the cardboard to make a pattern of what you need to replace . Make sure you go high enough on the fender to get to solid old metal . [ place to weld too ] Then using the fender as a buck bend the 18 gauge to the shape of the area needing replacement . now turn the fender over and fit patch to the inside of the thin fender , It will take some time and grinding . Just keep at it until you get a reasonable fit . Now sandblast or clean the rust from the inside of the fender . Spray with rust cutter or something similar and let dry . Next day clamp patch panel to inside of fender , and mig or tig weld into place . Clean up the welds and paint with a heavy coat of paint or bed liner Now start on outside of fender get rid of any small hanging parts , and coat with thin layer of plastic . You now have a strong lower fender . Will you get an award for best bodywork , NO , But it will do the job and you did it yourself . Also the more time you take the better it will come out .

 

Now you are sounding like my wife; start a sentence and never finish it.

 

There you go. Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...kenfender.html

i think the best way to fix them is send them to Bob.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment.

Dave, I have to disagree with your method, if I read it correctly. With the procedure you're advocating you're going to get is a double wall that will eventually trap moisture and debris.

The are three ways of doing this, the correct ways and the not so correct way.

First, buy a new fender. Mid-Fifties and LMC has new steel fenders listed for $350, plus shipping. There are also sellers of new and used fenders on eBay. This is the best IMO.

Second correct way would be to cut out and replace the bad metal. I would measure the affected area, and as Dave suggested, use a piece of cardboard to make a pattern for the piece of new sheet metal, the new fenders are made out of 18 gauge steel so I'd use that. This could become pretty trick because the '53 and up fender has a compound curve and lip around the wheel opening and you'd have to form these some way, either by using a body hammer or dolly or some other type of metal working equipment. Then you had to weld, grind and fill to make it nice.

The third way that I'd suggest, which isn't the best way but probably the easiest for a DIYer with limited skills and equipment, is to blast the inside and outside of the fender. From the inside coat the metal with a product like POR-15 rust encapsulator, lay a sheet of fiberglass matting over it, apply another coat of POR-15, making sure to impregnate the fiberglass matting fully and to another layer of fiberglass and more POR-15. The POR-15 will adhere and seal to the metal a lot better than having an other layer of metal welding against the inside. Then sane the outside smooth, applying a coat of plastic filler and sanding smooth.

Since your truck is a F-100 makes things are a lot easier than if you had a F-250 or larger truck. Parts are a lot more available for the F-100 than they are for the larger trucks. If you had the larger truck you would only have the option of finding a better used fender or repairing it. If you took your fender to a shop to have it repaired it would probably cost as much as buying a new fenders from one of the many reproduction parts vendors.

I'm not in the body shop profession, I worked in the industry for some years many years ago and have been playing with my own stuff. There are pros on this board who will have a different opinion on how this should be done but I'm trying to come from the angle of a DIYer with limited tools and skills.

 

LMAO! I know that woman

 

I think we all do and then we're suppose to know what they are talking about.

 

There is no quick and dirty way to fix rusted thin/perforated panels except to cut out the thin metal at least 6" past the damage and weld in new metal. If you can't/don't want to do the work yourself, it would be money ahead to buy a set of the steel or FG repro fenders. If the front fenders are rusted thru, it's likely you have more rust elsewhere, and it would be a good time to invest in a MIG welder and some metal forming tools and learn some old fashioned body work.