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Zachalanche
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2008
- Messages
- 250
- Vehicle Year
- 1989
- Engine
- 2.9 V6
- Transmission
- Manual
- Total Lift
- 4
- Tire Size
- 33
For those of you who have added fiberglass front fenders to your truck, you already know there aren't many options for replacing the inner fenders, and relocation of the airbox, wiring, and ignition coil is required.
I drive my truck in the winter a lot, and My door hinges are rusty enough as is without my tires blasting them with snow and salt. Inner fenders may not be a necessity for most, but they were for me. So, I thought I would share my solution in case there were others in the same boat.
Here is the truck with the new fenders & old inner fenders.
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not a chance that these could even be modified to reach the edge of the new fenders.
I started by making a paper template
notice the two bolts in the middle, these were the original mounts for the old inner fenders. they work well as a reference point.
Next I purchased a 4X8 sheet of 1/8" thick ABS. I found it for $45 and ended up using a little more than half of it. I traced the template onto the ABS and used tin snips to cut. it worked pretty well, but I did get some pretty good arm pump by the end.
I made sure to cut the ABS a little bigger than needed. its always easier to cut more. I also intentionally cut the plastic to stick out past the fender a little to protect the fiberglass from anything the tire may kick up.
Fiberglass fenders don't come with much of a lip, and can be a bit fragile. However, there was enough lip to handle an 8-32 fastener. I used 10 of them on each fender to distribute the load, and to make sure the plastic conformed to the shape of the fender.
I bolted the ABS into place using the two bolts referenced above. this held the ABS in place while I drilled and fastened it to the fender.
not much room for error here.
The lip on the fender is not flat, and the top of the bolts can not be reached. I had to make my own T-bolts by welting 3/16 rod to the head of an 8-32 screw. There is probably something like this available somewhere, but I already had the materials and a welder.
once everything was bolted in place, I used a torch (a head gun would have been better) to soften the plastic in areas where I needed to mold it around the structure underneath ABS heat molds very easy, once warm I used pieces of wood to push the plastic into place. I held it there until the plastic cooled, and the finished product had a very factory look to it. Still needs some final trimming on the plastic, and the bolts can all be cut short. with some drilling The factory airbox , coil, and wiring went back in their original locations, and the inner fenders appear to be as robust as the originals.
I drive my truck in the winter a lot, and My door hinges are rusty enough as is without my tires blasting them with snow and salt. Inner fenders may not be a necessity for most, but they were for me. So, I thought I would share my solution in case there were others in the same boat.
Here is the truck with the new fenders & old inner fenders.
not a chance that these could even be modified to reach the edge of the new fenders.
I started by making a paper template
notice the two bolts in the middle, these were the original mounts for the old inner fenders. they work well as a reference point.
Next I purchased a 4X8 sheet of 1/8" thick ABS. I found it for $45 and ended up using a little more than half of it. I traced the template onto the ABS and used tin snips to cut. it worked pretty well, but I did get some pretty good arm pump by the end.
I made sure to cut the ABS a little bigger than needed. its always easier to cut more. I also intentionally cut the plastic to stick out past the fender a little to protect the fiberglass from anything the tire may kick up.
Fiberglass fenders don't come with much of a lip, and can be a bit fragile. However, there was enough lip to handle an 8-32 fastener. I used 10 of them on each fender to distribute the load, and to make sure the plastic conformed to the shape of the fender.
I bolted the ABS into place using the two bolts referenced above. this held the ABS in place while I drilled and fastened it to the fender.
not much room for error here.
The lip on the fender is not flat, and the top of the bolts can not be reached. I had to make my own T-bolts by welting 3/16 rod to the head of an 8-32 screw. There is probably something like this available somewhere, but I already had the materials and a welder.
once everything was bolted in place, I used a torch (a head gun would have been better) to soften the plastic in areas where I needed to mold it around the structure underneath ABS heat molds very easy, once warm I used pieces of wood to push the plastic into place. I held it there until the plastic cooled, and the finished product had a very factory look to it. Still needs some final trimming on the plastic, and the bolts can all be cut short. with some drilling The factory airbox , coil, and wiring went back in their original locations, and the inner fenders appear to be as robust as the originals.
