Fender Rolling 101

[NBHAA]

"" I always preferred vice-grips and "duckbill" pliers used in stained glass work. Most people have no idea what "duckbills" are. Perfect for flattening ripples on fender edges""

Cute vice-grips on steroids, but this is not a "duckbill" as used for stained glass.

 

[49autocycledeluxe]

Cute vice-grips on steroids, but this is not a "duckbill" as used for stained glass.

I did not say these were "duckbill" pliers used for stained glass. I was showing another tool to do the same thing. we are not working with stained glass here we are working with metal.

there are lots of ways to straighten the edges. use what you have .. everybody has a crescent wrench. the end results will all be the same

I grabbed that Vice Grip picture from the internet. I actually use these on fenders as they work better. you can also use a hammer and dolly. I originally made these to put a step in sheet metal to do an overlap weld.

 

[SJ_BIKER]

EXAMPLE #8
These chrome phantom fenders are in poor condition. The front has a split in the nose and a big hole behind the fender light and it is caked with tar like substance...so I'm taking the light tray and switch on this one. Maybe it goes in a free pile...
Now the rear has potential. The braces will be drilled off and a lengthy cleaning will be needed to assure not mishaps well to the best of my ability. Has a few dents and is pretty wavy on the edges. Stay tuned. Will require cleaning and rust dissolving too. With chrome the wrench technique is a little tougher as chrome plating does not want to flex back into shape as easily. You'll tend to hear cracking and so hammer and dolly work might be better. Will know more when I cross that bridge.

Pics of the rear fender. Will need a good amount of cleaning/ derusting. So much trouble. That fenderless bike style sounds more intriguing at this time....

 

[OldSkipTooth]

This slightly off main topic but related: have you ever repaired a hole in a fender that was unneeded or in the wrong place? I’m speaking here about painted fenders or repainted fenders. I’ve used fiberglass to patch the hole from underneath and filled the top with resin epoxy then prepped and painted. It’s easy to do and great for those that can’t weld or don’t weld.

 

[TRM]

Great thread!

I've had good luck with my Harbor Freight English Wheel.

Here's a pretty banged-up Shelby fender. I started by media blasting it.

The English wheel comes with a variety of different die profiles so I found the one that best matched the fender and went to work. There is no roller handle so you have to push and pull the fender. This takes a little practice to learn how to direct the wheel where it needs to go.

For the wavy edges, I mostly use my thumbs and fingers to shape it but I have used tools like an adjustable wrench or vice grips and hammers & dollies like others have shown.

Here are the results:

 

[SJ_BIKER]

This slightly off main topic but related: have you ever repaired a hole in a fender that was unneeded or in the wrong place? I’m speaking here about painted fenders or repainted fenders. I’ve used fiberglass to patch the hole from underneath and filled the top with resin epoxy then prepped and painted. It’s easy to do and great for those that can’t weld or don’t weld.

Many moons ago I used jb weld on a ladies fender with skirt holes. Looked ok when painted. I was in my mid 20s so that was a while back. Wonder how it held up ...

 

[Schwinn Sales West]

This slightly off main topic but related: have you ever repaired a hole in a fender that was unneeded or in the wrong place? I’m speaking here about painted fenders or repainted fenders. I’ve used fiberglass to patch the hole from underneath and filled the top with resin epoxy then prepped and painted. It’s easy to do and great for those that can’t weld or don’t weld.

@OldSkipTooth It was good talking to you at the Buellton Trailer Rally this year. May I suggest you explore a welding solution to the problem of unwanted fender holes. Small 110V MIG and TIG welders are very common today. If you ask around to your "car guy" buddies someone will have one in your neighborhood. I can count at least eight different welding machines at three different neighbors within 200 feet of my house.

When filling holes in thin metals like fenders use a short piece of "flattened copper tubing". Usa a couple of small "pad type" vise grips to clamp the flat copper to each side of the hole to be filled. Using either a MIG or a TIG welder turn the amperage down low and slowly weld one side of the metal hole. Go slow, keep the heat down, and adjust the wire speed to just add the plug weld material until the hole is filled. The trick is using the copper to back up the hole while welding. Do not overheat the metal. It works well. Use a small, thin cutoff wheel to remove any excess weld metal, be careful to not remove the fender metal. This is how you fill the small barge holes in a car fender.

John

 

[TRM]

^ I agree. ^

For larger holes, you can cut a piece of metal from the same gauge metal and have it TIG welded in place. Then grind the weld as described by @Schwinn Sales West above.

Before:

Tacked in place:

Finished and sanded:

 

[Boxtubebob]

Duck bills, with a little fabrication.
I use this for both fender and drop center rims it takes out the dimples on the edges of both.

 

[Boxtubebob]

These are pretty handy as well.
Old school.