Fender Rolling Party

[911st]

That is my kind of party!

Well done.

[safe]

I have a problem with the tire rubbing the fender ~1 inch above the lip, resulting in blistering the paint work.... I have -2 degrees, 27mm bars etc.
Can you carefully roll the fender, lets say 1/8" - 1/4" to get som more clearence?
That small of a change should be very hard to see unless compared with another car.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by safe

I have a problem with the tire rubbing the fender ~1 inch above the lip, resulting in blistering the paint work.... I have -2 degrees, 27mm bars etc.
Can you carefully roll the fender, lets say 1/8" - 1/4" to get som more clearence?
That small of a change should be very hard to see unless compared with another car.

Magnus,
This is true, but for the front fenders only.

I assume you're referring to the rear fender. If the tire isn't hitting the fender lip (you say about 1" above the lip), rolling the lip isn't going to create more clearance where it's actually needed. The solution is either a narrower tire, use a different wheel offset or reshape the fender shape. Do you really want more negative camber?

You can also raise the vehicle height, but you probably don't want to do this unless it's really low. Constraining the suspension with stiffer springs, shocks and raised ride height are just momentary measures. One good roll over a dip in the road at speed will compress the suspension to the contact point.

Sherwood

[rnln]

I like this kind of party. Anyone in SCal host one, let me know please

[Drew001]

Originally Posted by rnln

I like this kind of party. Anyone in SCal host one, let me know please

Me too!
Especially in anticipation of ordering a set of Zuffenhaus wheels in the future.

[safe]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Magnus,
This is true, but for the front fenders only.

I assume you're referring to the rear fender. If the tire isn't hitting the fender lip (you say about 1" above the lip), rolling the lip isn't going to create more clearance where it's actually needed. The solution is either a narrower tire, use a different wheel offset or reshape the fender shape. Do you really want more negative camber?

You can also raise the vehicle height, but you probably don't want to do this unless it's really low. Constraining the suspension with stiffer springs, shocks and raised ride height are just momentary measures. One good roll over a dip in the road at speed will compress the suspension to the contact point.

Sherwood

Yes, I'm referring to the rear fender. I have 205/55-16 on 7" Fuchs, narrower tires is not an option, neither is raising the car.
It was the option to slightly reshape the fender with a "roller tool" that I was interested in, if it was possible. The paint might be hurt, but as it is right now I need some new paint anyway...
I don't want to add a carrera flare or anything, but a slight reshape should be pretty invisible.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by safe

Yes, I'm referring to the rear fender. I have 205/55-16 on 7" Fuchs, narrower tires is not an option, neither is raising the car.
It was the option to slightly reshape the fender with a "roller tool" that I was interested in, if it was possible. The paint might be hurt, but as it is right now I need some new paint anyway...
I don't want to add a carrera flare or anything, but a slight reshape should be pretty invisible.

If I understand your previous post correctly, the interference you have isn't at the fender lip, but above it, in the panel itself (quite normal at the rear):

"I have a problem with the tire rubbing the fender ~1 inch above the lip, resulting in blistering the paint work.... I have -2 degrees, 27mm bars etc.
Can you carefully roll the fender, lets say 1/8" - 1/4" to get som more clearence?
That small of a change should be very hard to see unless compared with another car."

To repeat, if the tire isn't contacting the fender lip, then rolling over the lip won't provide the relief you're seeking.

Sherwood

[safe]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

If I understand your previous post correctly, the interference you have isn't at the fender lip, but above it, in the panel itself (quite normal at the rear):

"I have a problem with the tire rubbing the fender ~1 inch above the lip, resulting in blistering the paint work.... I have -2 degrees, 27mm bars etc.
Can you carefully roll the fender, lets say 1/8" - 1/4" to get som more clearence?
That small of a change should be very hard to see unless compared with another car."

To repeat, if the tire isn't contacting the fender lip, then rolling over the lip won't provide the relief you're seeking.

Sherwood

You have it right, its not hitting the lip, its rubbing above it.

But my question wasn't about rolling the lip, it was if it was possible to use the same tool to reshape the fender where the tire is rubbing, slightly extending the flare of the stock fender.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by safe

You have it right, its not hitting the lip, its rubbing above it.

But my question wasn't about rolling the lip, it was if it was possible to use the same tool to reshape the fender where the tire is rubbing, slightly extending the flare of the stock fender.

If the roller could extend to that area, it would be sort of like 1/2 of an English wheel. However, English wheels need to be on both sides to stretch and reshape, and English wheels made out of plastic/rubber aren't going to faze the metal. In addition, are you expecting the paint coatings to stretch?

A body hammer and dolly in the hands of an experienced sheet metal craftsman is what you're looking for.

Sherwood

[safe]

I thought so too.
I'll have to rely on more camber and bigger torsion bars then

[jpnovak]

As with any project the right tool will make any job easier.

Since I am the one that rolled the fenders above let me shed some light on the process. The tool uses a polyurethane roller to effectively shape the fender. I rolled it with three angles to get a smooth transition without cracking the paint. The amount of metal stretch involved was small and did not exceed the elasticity of the paint.

If you want to stretch the fenders wider you need a different approach. As Sherwood mentioned a hammer and dolly technique works great. Not really for the faint of heart and body and paint work will be required when finished. Here is my work on the ST project years ago.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=121226&highlight=roll+ST

The other option that will leave a smoother surface and reduce the overall time is a pneumatic plannishing hammer. there are some small handheld ones that have a 12" throat and are made specifically for such modifications. I have one but prefer to do the initial shaping by hand. The ability to direct the hammer blow to a specific angle, when used appropriately, is more important for the final shape. The use the plannishing hammer for final smoothing. It as this point where multiple small blows work well.


Best of luck on your project.

[Tsunamiboy]

Anyone thinking of rolling fender lips must keep in mind that if there has been any skim coating of body putty you may have some flakes popping off so not just paint may be a concern

[911st]

One more deg of neg camber will give you about 3/8"

[Canada Kev]

It looks like there is quite a bit of fender lip inside there. How much is normal? I seem to have only about a quarter inch folded inside. Perhaps they were trimmed in the past.

[kenikh]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

"The thing is, rolled fenders can be put back. Trimmed can't be so easily."

Milt,
What's the process in returning rolled fenders back to the orig. configuration? You know what happens when you try to unbend a folded hem (aka rolled fender).

Sherwood

What tool do you use to put them back? I have had no luck...

[911pcars]

Kenik,
Some caveats about rolling fender lips.

My position has been it's difficult if not impossible to "unroll" a fender lip short of replacing the panel (or the lip) or by extensive massaging of the fender edge.

It's also impossible to replace material once trimmed (ground, cut) off a lip, but in that respect, trimming specific areas is more accurate and provides a better-looking transition to the remaining fender lip. And in the front, only selected areas of the fender radius require massaging for needed tire clearance.

In addition, if maximum clearance is achieved by rolling, the resultant edge will be a hem where the metal lip folds back onto itself. If existing paint is a consideration, no paint coating will survive at this extreme edge angle.

In the area of corrosion protection, a rolled lip must be somehow sealed from the elements. Otherwise, the narrow, U-shaped edge will allow dirt and moisture to accumulate, and the more acute the bend, the more likely contaminants will be trapped. When rolling a fender, there's always the likelihood of the body paint cracking. It can happen on the other side of the panel too. A cut edge, like the factory lip, is less likely to trap road debris and moisture, and a sealer can be easily applied to coat the exposed, trimmed edge

Sherwood