New Fenders
Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2002 3:21 am
In my experience, panel beating original fenders (mudguards) is
preferable to fitting "new" ones. Rears often differ, one from the
other, especially the fit to the body tub and the shape at the rear of the
running boards. It is also almost impossible to get two that match
from behind - flare, width, shape etc. This means you need to find a
matching pair rather than just changing one.
Fronts fenders have their own set of problems like shape of the front
points, fitting to the existing support struts and the overall shape
which can completely change the car's character. The gap below the
bonnet (hood) is also a trouble spot.
I used 2 brand new Moss UK running boards on my black TC. They
were about 1 inch too wide at the front so they also needed cutting
resahaping and plenty of panel beating before they fitter and they still
don't look too good!
I did see new rears in both steel and aluminium at Silverstone last
week. I think they were on King's?? stand. They looked quite nice and
I seem to remember that they wanted 500 pounds for the pair which I
thought was rather pricey!! The only fronts in the market there were
used and really grotty.
My advice is to find a panel beater from the old school with a good
eye who can shrink metal properly and you may get a better result.
Rgds
Viv