spare tire recess fender

[Dannetas]

Hey guy's,

I want to add a spare tire tire on the side of my 1950 truck but I can't seem to locate a fender with recess locally so I was wondering if there is something like pictured in the attachment for our fenders so I can weld it in myself.

Danny

[greg_h]

you already own the piece you need. Mark, cut, flip, weld...https://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/s...ification.html

[Dannetas]

Thanks for the link

I have been thinking about that - but welding it like that never actually looks the way you hoped it would in the end. It really needs a shoulder like pictured in the example for a good finish.

Danny

[mr48chev]

I shouldn't say it but way back in the 50's and older guy showed me his truck where he had taken a sledge hammer to the fender to indent it for clearance for the spare. It wasn't too pretty but he was happy with it. If you had a pattern of the overall shape you could hammer and dolly the indent, Lots of work to make it nice but it could be done.

You do know that they did not put side mount spares on AD trucks until 1952? Before that they were mounted under the bed. The reason you don't see side mount spares on. the earlier trucks. You have to look for a 52m 53 or 54 left rear fender to get the indent for the spare. In the 70's we scrapped those because no one wanted them.

[Dannetas]

Yeah I know they appeared on later trucks. My Truck is from 1950 and still completely stock so that's probably why one isn't mounted. But I like the looks ...

They seem to be pretty rare right now and from what I have read ppl who have them wish they didn't lol. And I guess because what you say is why they are so hard to source.
On the '49 truck below I even see them on both sides though so I figured people did fabricate them. I guess a skilled person could do it - I can weld but I am not good enough with a hammer and dolly
Danny

[mr48chev]

Get an old beat up fender off something like an old round Volvo or VW and practice. No one started out as an expert when it comes to hammer and dolly work on sheet metal. Some develop the finer points of the process faster but I'd grab a scrap fender with the same general shape and see what I could do with it.

The article that Greg H showed in post 2 details reversing the piece but it still involves a lot of finish work.

I know that on my stepfather's 54 that I learned to drive in it was sure a lot easier to get the spare down from the side mount than it would have been to dig it out from under the truck like my 48 when I first bought it. I wanted a clean hot rod look so I didn't even consider putting a sidemount on it.

[Dannetas]

You read my mind. I bought two old fenders this afternoon so I have $50 worth of practice material for the weekend :-)

[mr48chev]

I'm cheap I'd have dug a pair out of someone's scrap pile but you can do a lot of pounding an shaping for that investment.

[Dannetas]

Yeah but I figured I'd now have three fenders to make one perfect one. And for 50 bucks I couldn't go wrong. They were in perfect shape - only surface rust so no patching on these besides the patch for the recess :-)