Cutting Euro Fender Turn Signal Hole

[rollandburn]

Hi, I'm looking for a new fender for my '85 euro and wonder if the only difference between the euro and non-euro fenders are the hole for the turn signal? It's been much easier to find affordable (re: used) non-euro fenders over here in north america and I'm considering the DIY route if it's possible. Is that hole something that can be carefully cut into a non-euro fender? The car is a couple of hours away so I can't go out and take a look, thought I'd ask here... not sure if the sheet metal is stamped or has a negative relief for strength or if it's literally just a hole. Thanks!

[bkreigsr]

Leave it off - no one will ever notice. - unless it's required in Canada.
Think of the weight savings!
Bill K

[Puma]

I have a driver side Euro fender I might decide to part with.

[Lyle O]

I have thought about doing this to my US spec '87 because of the safety factor (better visibility for drivers next to you), and did some research here. See this thread from DRACO. Looks like just two holes. The only thing not clear to me is where/how the wire harness is routed; I don't see any plugged holes on my car. This makes me think the Euro fenders have more than the holes for the light; they may also have holes to route wires. If anyone out there with Euro fenders cares to chime in, it would be interesting...good luck.

European Side Marker Light Location

[SilverWT]

Originally Posted by Lyle O

Looks like just two holes. The only thing not clear to me is where/how the wire harness is routed; [/url]

Just the two holes, the wiring is routed through the rear closing panel that is attached to the tub and then bundled up with the wires for electric windows and electric mirrors. You can see the location in this pic of my '84 UK 3.2.



Mark

[will hung]

The previous owner of my car drilled holes to install Euro side lights. My car is a ROW car, but it's a 79, it didn't have them originally. So the wiring used to add the lights is really hokey. I'm actually weighing options to remove them without having to repaint my fenders.

[rollandburn]

hmmm ok, thanks for the feedback. I'll take a closer look at the fender this weekend to see what sort of cut out the original has... cheers.

[Bill Douglas]

I did it myself about a month ago. I measured and measured and.... then marked out the holes. The big one was too big for any drill bit I had so I drilled a series of small holes to make the circle then used an abrasive stone in the drill to tidy up the hole and to remove any sharp edges. The small hole was just a 8 or 10mm so that was easy. So in other words, no big deal just half an hours work.

[pete3799]

Yup... same fender.
I bought a used (euro) right fender for my 79SC ROW. My car doesn't have the side markers.
Not sure what year the fender I bought was but I had to weld the marker holes and also the antenna hole (my ant. is on the drivers side).

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I did it myself about a month ago. I measured and measured and.... then marked out the holes. The big one was too big for any drill bit I had so I drilled a series of small holes to make the circle then used an abrasive stone in the drill to tidy up the hole and to remove any sharp edges. The small hole was just a 8 or 10mm so that was easy. So in other words, no big deal just half an hours work.

Sounds like a step drill bit (Unibit?) might be perfect for this. They're designed for sheet metal, making super clean burr-free holes, and are designed for oversized holes (up to 1 1/2 inches is easy!)

[Bill Douglas]

In my best foreign accent "NOW you tell me."

Yep... That would have worked fine. At least the gunshot blast looking hole I did will be covered by the side indicator which is quite a bit bigger than the hole.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

In my best foreign accent "NOW you tell me."

Yep... That would have worked fine. At least the gunshot blast looking hole I did will be covered by the side indicator which is quite a bit bigger than the hole.

Eh, I don't think they're a well known tool. I learned about them because I worked an electricians shop, they use them for custom electrical box knockout, making wire routes through steel wall studs, etc. Super cool for some very specific things, but not a replacement for your normal set of drill bits.

[c-w203]

Is it possible to run wires to turn signal in front fender and connect them there?

[rollandburn]

This is all great to hear. Spent a small fortune on a step drill bit to get through the wheel well (sway bar install) and will be happy to put it to use again.
thanks again!


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