Steel vs Fiberglass Fenders: Why

[pmajka]

why is steel so coveted over fiberglass fenders.

Fiber glass is much lighter. Seems to be a selling point for some when involving a TL conversion, but why?

[CHILI]

FG cracks (rocks thrown up from your own tires, etc) and can sometimes become unbonded. Although, I've been told the newer epoxy types on the market are very good. I'm also concerned with if some mechanic, etc lifts up on a fender to try to lift the car (cornerballancing, new tires, etc) the fender could totally crack. Paint on FG tends to chip a little bit easier, too.

Maybe some others have additional info.

[CHILI]

BTW, my current project car has FG flares, and ducktail. I've been learning how to do FG work since they were cracked. But, they were way too thin to start with and then the PO trimmed off the lips in the rear which worsened the problem.

I also thought of the fact that I don't think you can bead blast a car with FG flares. At least I wouldn't think so. Maybe you could up to the point of the flares then back off. But, can you trust someone to stop where the metal ends?

[Hetmann]

Metal is more forgiving to the inevitable bumps and dings a street car endures. Glass is lighter for the track.

[randywebb]

for the concours or period correct folks, steel is it

beside the above...
also there is very little wt. to be saved with FG fenders and the savings is in the wrong place.

[Jack Olsen]

Fiberglass is far less durable in real-world use. Your paint will have a much shorter lifespan with it. Plus, the weight savings on fenders and flares is negligible.

In my opinion, for a mixed use car, fiberglass only makes sense for the hood, rear decklid and bumpers.

(That said, my whole car is fiberglass with the exception of the roof.)

[rattlsnak]

Two ways to look at this..

Fiberglass = track car
Steel = street car

or

if you have a good body shop connection, go with fiberglass as it will need periodic repairs.

[Flying Toaster]

If I could've paid for it, I would've gone steel on my backdate project. The FG fenders that I have on the car now took me a large amount of time to fit correctly. I had to do a lot of sanding in some areas as the lines were/are brutal. Where the turn signal boxes go, I had to fabricate my own mounting pieces as mine did not accommodate the turn boxes or the horn grills. Plus, my H4's didnt fit for anything.
My ducktail is pretty good. Had to sand the corners to match the body lines. The front bumper needed some sanding as well from its previous use it was pitted pretty badly from road debris. The rear bumper had two cracks in it that I had to repair as well.
For me, none of it was a big deal as I know my car will never be show quality. I just want a driver that looks good from 30 ft.

Keep in mind, all said & done, I dropped 145lbs.
-John

[snbush67]

John, That is a cool story both you and your car lost weight together. I think your car looks great.

[dentist90]

I've come across two other reasons for steel vs. fibreglass body panels. WARNING: the following contains graphic images which may be disturbing to some Porsche owners:
Reason 1:



Reason2:

[matt13421342]

So you're saying a steel fender flare will save your life?

[dentist90]

I've edited my post... obviously calling them a lifesaver was a bit extreme. I do believe that steel will absorb and cushion a bit more of a collision impact than fiber, but not enough to make a life and death difference. I know that 'Vettes have had fiber panels forever and no one calls these cars death traps ( except perhaps dying of embarrassment?) and F1 cars are designed to disintegrate in a collision to dissipate impact energy. My gut feeling is there is a bit more intrusion resistance with steel skin, but my opinion and a bus pass will still only get you downtown. I have nothing against plastics at all... my boat is made of the stuff!

[zzwhm]

If you ever plan to race your car, or want to sell it to someone who does, fiberglass body parts will progress you out of production class.