Fender rolling made easy

[MANichols1]

For those of you wanting a bit more tire / fender clearance on your 911 and looking for an easy way to roll your front fenders, I've got a great resource for you. RollYourFender.com. After spending a lot of time trying to find a better way to do it besides the commom advice; using a bat, crimping, cutting, etc, I stumbled across David at RollYourFender. As you may know, Eastwood sells a great fender rolling tool ($400), but does not offer a Porsche adapter. David has fabricated an adapter and will rent you his tool for $65. You pay the shipping. This was the best $65 dollars I've spent in a while. David was great to work with. Job was simple, took less than 30 minutes per side and I experienced almost no paint cracking. The end result was a clean evenly rolled fender. If your looking to roll your front fenders, give David a try.

[Uncle Enzo]

WOW..this post could not have been more timely. My 15x7 are rubbing nicely and I needed to roll the fenders. I was about to steal my kids baseball bat!

[JQ911]

If somebody in NJ is willing to rent this, I will share cost for it as I also need to roll my left fender but I am afraid I can't doing myself. Is it just a straight forward process?

[Driven97]

From what I've read you have to take your time, go a few degrees of fold at a time, and be patient.

I've seen it done pretty quickly and violently on a Focus once, the procedure is pretty simple.

Looks like on the 911 all you really need to do is about 11:00 to 1:00 on the fender.

[Flojo]

exactly Matt!
take your time!

heating and RE-heating the paint in intervals of the semi-degree rolling step by step is REALLY important!!
I did this 3 times on other cars and it works perfectly.
also be reminded, that you mostly do not need to go all the way round but mostly about an area of 20 to 30 cm, so from the top middle 10 to 15 cm left and right.
this also reduces the danger of spoiling your paint.

and dont forget to clean the inside first.
and when done dripple some wax inside the created seam/fold.

good luck!

[MANichols1]

Using this tool is definitely the easiest, most effective way to roll up your fenders. Anyone can do this. Heating the paint is key to prevent cracking and most importantly taking your time.

I had some minor stress cracking of the paint near the 11 & 2 o'clock positions. I simply touched them up with clear coat and brush to seal the surface.

[weseeeee]

That's a nice looking system. I used a pipe and took my time rolling an inch or two tops before backing it up. Taking your time is very important!

[RSBob]

Any concerns about them becoming dirt and moisture traps at the top part of the arch? Seems like the inside fold would have the most stress on the paint which would crack and lead to rust. Or do people seal the new folded crease with something?

[Flojo]

I'd not seal it.
Best actually is to leave a tiny gap so that you can barely fine-tooth-brush the gap.
betweens cures, just poore in some liquid wax (we have "fluid film" called stuff).
it will gather dirt but it prevents rust.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Flojo

I'd not seal it.
Best actually is to leave a tiny gap so that you can barely fine-tooth-brush the gap.
betweens cures, just poore in some liquid wax (we have "fluid film" called stuff).
it will gather dirt but it prevents rust.

For some, the maintenance procedure you describe is part of a normal weekly process with a toothbrush, cotton swabs, etc. For others, this could be a bit much, especially when the ambient temp. is –30ºF.

I suggest covering bare metal with rust inhibitor. Once dry, add a sealant (silicone caulk or equiv) so moisture is diverted elsewhere.

Better yet, don't roll it. Instead, identify and trim the offending areas of the lip that interfere with the tire. A right angle grinder and wheel is perfect. As in many procedures, the best way is often not the easy way. Good mechanics seldom say, "Good enough".

Sherwood

[theclaw]

I was lucky. The guy who sold me my 9's and 10's had one with the adapter I could use. Easy job. Everyone is correct, take your time, soften the paint and roll it out. Very straight forward job.

jeff

[PushingMyLuck]

What exactly does the tool do? The orange roller wheel just smashed the metal upwards?

[80-911SC]

Originally Posted by PushingMyLuck

What exactly does the tool do? The orange roller wheel just smashed the metal upwards?

it just gives a little nudge .. smash not a good word ... you adjust out and make a pass ... then out a bit and make a pass ...

Unless you are a little more on the redneck side like me ... then you jack the car up put it on a jack stand .. put a jack under the control arm push the arm up .. put a base ball bat in the gap and roll the bat between the tire and the fender ... tap the jack and repeat ... I did do it with the heat gun warming the paint and did in small movements .... worked well ... I have done this on more than one car and never had an issue but you need to be carefulllllll ... with the "right " tool it should be easier ...

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by Driven97

From what I've read you have to take your time, go a few degrees of fold at a time, and be patient.

I've seen it done pretty quickly and violently on a Focus once, the procedure is pretty simple.

Looks like on the 911 all you really need to do is about 11:00 to 1:00 on the fender.

Exactly! I have the same roller and if you rush it, your fender will bow outwards. Unfortunately, I never used it on my Porsches as I don't have the larger bolt circle adapter from Eastwood.

[tazzieman]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Better yet, don't roll it. Instead, identify and trim the offending areas of the lip that interfere with the tire.
Sherwood

= collateral benefit of weight saving to offset the bigger wheels

[JQ911]

^^^ This is what I just did today. I decided to just trim the affected area so I won't worry on dirt piling up if I rolled my fenders. I marked the affected area where tire hits fender lip and extended length a bit. Total length that I trimmed was 2 1/2 inch. Placed painter's tape so I won't accidentally hit the paint while grinding/trimming.

Affected area


Marking it


1st pass of trimming


A little filing here and there


Result (needs a little more filing or sanding to smoothen the edges). As you can see, the previous damage it did to my tire. I will continue sanding/filing edges tomorrow and apply touch up paint as I was running out of natural light and I had to modify my cousin's airbox

[911pcars]

Suggest a more subtle contour, and less of an abrupt gap. Leave some lip behind for structural strength.

Sherwood

[PushingMyLuck]

Can you post a photo from further back? It's hard to see where exactly this chunk you removed is located on the fender in relation to the tire.

[MANichols1]

Wow JQ911. Worried about dirt pilling up, but OK with trimming off the inner fender. Hence the very reason for posting about this tool. Amazed that some are willing to cut the front fenders on these beautiful cars.

[SilberUrS6]

I rolled mine with the rental tool on eBay. Worked fine, I heated the paint, rolled a little, heated the paint, rolled a little, heated the paint, lather, rinse, repeat.

Looks good, no cracking, doesn't rub. 8s and 9s, BTW.