I know we went through something similar to this before, but Gear up, you said that B&E makes the fiberglass parts for Little Dearborn and other companies like that around here?? Needless to say, Minneapolis is a lot closer to me than say, Bebops....if the products that Little Dearborn has is pretty close to the same quality, or at least decent quality, i could just as well go up there and get my front fenders.....in the catalog i checked from Little Dearborn, they didnt even have front steel fenders listed, does anyone know if they even carry them? and their price?......
These are probably questions just the Minnesota guys can answer, but it dont hurt to ask everyone
Darrell

1953 Ford F100

 

ok, Chris, Gear up, i know all you guys are hiding around here somewhere...haha

 

I was up in the Park Rapids area two weeks ago and went to see what B&E has to offer. I was impressed with what they showed me but I have no basis to compare their work to anyone elses. I know that I have nothing to start with for fenders so their product looks really good to me. They make a single piece fender as well as the two piece like the way the metal fenders come. The gell coat is black and everything looks smooth and clean. The weight of the fender is as much as what a metal one would weigh. The rep I talked to told me that they make the fenders that are sold at Little Dearborne and Carpenter and other restoration part shop around the country. The prices seemed to be quite reasonable to me. Unless I can find a really good set of metal fenders I will be going to B&E for my fenders. I believe that no matter what one uses there will be fitting and adjusting that has to be done.

Gear Up

 

haha, i knew you'd show up eventually
well, i guess that is what i was kind of wondering....since Little Dearborn is a little closer, thats who i would probably go with. I agree, my front fender selection leaves much to be desired for, and as for fit, im fabricating the whole mounting set up as i go along anyway, so it really doesnt matter to me. As long as it will bolt to the cab, and bolt to the front panel, along with the valance, everything will be just peachy... By the way, do you recall what the price was off hand? The Little Dearborn catalog I have is probably 6 or 8 months old, but i think it was 210 or 215 for a fender. Its still a lot better than the 400 +freight that i have seen advertised for steel.
Smooth and clean sounds like a hell of a deal to me
for roughly 450-500, i think i will save myself the hassle of 50 hours of bodywork
thanks for the info Gear up
Darrell

 

First of all I can only quote what the fenders for the 48-50 F-1 runs but I believe the 53-56 would be similar. They are asking $188.00 per fender and the lower piece wasn't that expensive. The single piece fender was the best value but it wouldn't give the original look if that is what a person is after.
Point of interest for some of you out there. They make go cart bodies of the 53 -56 Ford pick-up and they have the 55 and 57 T-bird as well. I'm thinking of getting a T-bird for the grandson. it would be fun to tinker with.

Gear Up

 

well i guess i cant really say... like i said, the catalog i had was ancient, so they could be down around 200, but probably not, they have to make something.......its pretty much a 6 in one, half a dozen in the other type of deal, spend the gas to go all the way up, or save it and go to 'dearborn
that probably is what i will end up doing then is just going that route, instead of spending the same money, and then 100 for shippin from Bebops
Darrell

 

I have used quite a bit of their products over time. My 50 F-1 has B+E front and rear fenders as well as running boards. I'm happy with the quality, there was some fitting and prepping to do before finishing but thats really to be expected. I put a full set of their fenders on my Dad's 40' sedan, same story. They make a very good product that is a good value and I've always been happy with them.

 

sounds very reassuring...ill be doing a lot more fittin of things before this little project is finished anyway....do they leave the holes out so you can drill them yourselves?

mason city, huh...well ur kinda in my neck of the woods then...little farther south, but not much at all

 

They leave all the holes undrilled so you can custom fit them.(A little trick is to save your old parts to use as a template for the holes, you can mate steel to fiberglass opposite of one another on the garage floor). I'd recommend not ordering them until you are ready to hang them. They build most products to order and when they arrive they are still "green". That's good because that means they are still plyable and if you need to bend, twist, or pull them into place you can. I hung mine immediatly upon arrival and let them finnish "setting up" on the truck. Just ask if you have any more questions and I'd be happy to share my experiences. Yea, I've been here in Mason City since August, I worked here back in the mid 80's, the town has cleaned up a BUNCH since then. The job moves me around a bit. Just picked my building permit to add a double garage, now I can have all the old Fords in one place!! YES!!!

 

another thing i was lookin at today, when we put the front clip on, we welded it for the wheel to be centered in the 3/4 fender hole. therefore, we now have a problem, spend more time and change the location by tearing my weld job ALL back apart and cut a couple inches out of the frame, weld it back together, or spend a little more money, use the 3/4 ton fenders, (the whole is 3-4 inches bigger if i remember the measurement correctly) and then stick some 17" rims under it to fill up the holes....personally, i like the latter. If its not one thing its 15 other, oh well.....
spent some time today smoothin out the back fenders, then came home to watch the super bowl, only to find out i didnt get the channel it was on anyway...i could still be working on it, but once you leave, you really cant get back into the mood....ill do some more tomorrow i suppose
thanks for the info 50
Darrell