Jag,

Thanks but with the colour of your inner fenders in that pic I can't see any detail at all.

I bought the plain aftermarket sheet metal ones from Hot Rods. They don't have any bolt holes in them all. I will have to notch them for my Volare IFS and I want to make sure I correctly position them before I start cutting.

A few things concern me;

1. the fenders seem to have a straight edge or profile along the bottom, yet the frame drops down in the front around the rad area so it would seem to leave a fair gap at the bottom in the front.

2. The sloped edge that seems to align with the slope flange coming off the sides of the firwall. Does the slope on the inner fenders sit above or below the flange from the firewall?

2.b. When I notch the bottoms for the IFS, it looks like the entire inner fender will drop such that the sloped edge will likely be about 3 inches below the flange off the firewall...

Any suggestions/thoughts/reassurances?

I'm hoping to have them mocked into place by the end of this coming long weekend..

Thanks,

 

Fergie, the inner fenders set on top of the flange attached to the fire wall. You have the make your-own hole variety which might be much more challenging than the pre-holed units that I used. If it was me, I would set the inner fender on the rear flange and move it upward until the top edge aligns with the bottom of the outer fender. (This will make it necessary to temp hang the outer fender in place.) Once you have marked and drilled the holes for the rear, and removed the outer fender, then you will need to push the inner fender forward until it aligns with the top two holes on the rad. horseshoe. The holes will have to be marked by somebody else while you hold the inner fender in place. This will be the hardest part of the install. There is a lot of torque when its in place. NOTE: I am assuming that you have the same type of inner fenders that Mid Fifties Ford sells. Good luck, Jag

 

I knew the inner fenders were a nightmare from what people in here told me as well as friends. I decided to make my own in three piece. It was easy to install, didn't have to remove any fenders or grill parts, and it looks great. I cut out patterns with cardboard, then took them to my sheetmetal guy who cut and bent them the way I wanted. I installed them, marked where the holes needed to be drilled and put them in. Took about a half day to complete. cost = $110.00 for both sides.

 

All right Ed! I like your idea.

So Fergie, in about a week, if you haven't got these things cut and installed, just call Ed over for a cool one. Just kidding. You can do it. Just be slow and deliberate. Also, wear gloves. Raw edges are sharp! Jag

 

O.k, thanks for the encouragement/suggestions.

Guess I'll just have to pop a few frosties and study this thing a mite.

 

Help!

I got sidetracked from this step with 3 wks vacation in Scotland and Ireland and a couple of weeks catching up on other things.

I'm trying to mock up the inner fenders so I can drill the mounting holes before I paint them and the firewall and other bits....

I have the front air deflector and gravel pan mounted and I've put the (smooth ) inner fender (purchased from Hot Rods) in place. The inner fender well seems to be about 1 to 2 inches too short. As in not longer enough to touch the air deflectors. (BTW - there aren't any mounting holes drilled in the front flange of the inner fender wells either).

I know Randy had trouble with his SS ones being too long but am I doing something wrong here or what's the story?

HELP!!!!

Thanks,

 

Fergy,
first welcome back!
do you have a set of original inner fenders to check the length against? Have you contacted Hot Rods to see what they have to say? I'm using the SS inners from Mid Fifty, but I haven't put them in yet, they are not flat.

 

Fergy, Ax is right. The proof is in the measuring of the original inner fenders. That's how I found out that my SS pieces from Mid-Fifty were 3/4" too long.
As for your situation, I would expect the manufacturer to make them a bit long, not short. I mean, who knows, in this day and age, where to get an inner fender stretcher? Now, if the new and old models are the same length, then I would say you have your rad support and/or air deflectors mounted incorrectly. Are you taking pix for posterity? Jag

 

Doh!!!!!

Once again I quote the immortal words of Roseanne Rosannadana - nevermind

Too bad you get one hour to edit/delete notes on this forum...Then I wouldn't have had to leave this note out here for all you guys to find out that i had the deflectors mounted wrong.

I had them in and forward of where they are supposed to be. Now that they are where they belong, everything works out fine......

That's the trouble when it's several years between dis-assembling and reassembling...You forget how things are supposed to go together....and the facotry manual is pretty much useless when it comes to body panels (course they weren't stock ones anyway.....)

Anyway, I'm back!!! (and no smarter)

So let's just let this note quickly slide down to page 3. (so Dick - no bumping it back up just so noone misses it)

 

Hey imlowr2, any pictures of your three piece panels? A friend of mine trying to fit the front sheet metal on a 1940 Ford did the same to get a good fit with some aftermarket panels. Turned out to be a good looking ,easy to fit setup.

 

Yea Fergy, that's the picture I want to see. You could start off the instructions by saying "Please be sure not to install the air deflectors upside down as depicted in photo #1." Just funnin'. Glad you figured it out so quickly. Jag