58-59 Fender Rot

[squirrely_1]

I am a brand new to the classic restoration world..I am learning so much from this forum , and i appreciate it very very much ! I have a question about saving a rotten fender on my 58...I have the typical rot above the headlight bezzel...How do i form the new sheet metal to patch in above the headlight? Do they make a patch for that portion, cuz i cannot find one..Or does anyone sell a template, or mold? i don't wanna buy a whole new fender for a small portion of rot?

Thanks !

[Kabwe]

I repaired some 58 fenders and did not use patch panels. Just cut out the bad portion and use some 18 gauge sheetmetal and shape it to fit what you cut out.

58 Fender repair



I ended up cutting the front portion out and made a better patch to get a nicer edge. You notice it in the final pic.

[Daze57]

geeeezzzz you do nice work !

[squirrely_1]

thanks for the inspiration, i was gonna try to do this....the pics will help out a bunch!..If i may ask, did you just eyeball it against the panel that wasn't rotted, when it came to blending the new pieces in ?

[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by Daze57

geeeezzzz you do nice work !

Thanks man, I really appreciate the compliment.

Originally Posted by squirrely_1

thanks for the inspiration, i was gonna try to do this....the pics will help out a bunch!..If i may ask, did you just eyeball it against the panel that wasn't rotted, when it came to blending the new pieces in ?

No I used the panel itself as a reference. Before I cut out anything I made card board patches and then I transferred that to metal. I then bent and shape the metal until it fit to my liking.

[squirrely_1]

Thankyou so much! your fender work looks great! can't wait to see it with paint on it..

[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by squirrely_1

Thankyou so much! your fender work looks great! can't wait to see it with paint on it..

Oh I did all that work for nothing, because I'm not using those fenders. I put a 55 front clip on my truck.lol