Well I am nearing the end of my restore of my 82 FJ45 and starting to focus on the body parts before painting. One thing that I have done in the past with a few restores is build protection for the front fenders, meaning adding a inner shield to the inside of the fender well to protect the outer from taking a beating from those nasty rocks that beat dents into the metal as you drive at
50-60 mph on a rocky road.
So I will share a few photos on how to help save those not so cheap fenders.
Of course my fenders are off and will be sandblasted and ready for pep/paint but you can do this with them on the truck but some welding needs to be done so I suggest this be done when you are replacing or preparing for paint also.
I used aluminium for my fender shields mostly due to keeping the rust down. You will need to build four mount brackets for each side made from steel and bend them (photo) so when the plate is installed you will have around one inch of space between the fender and the shield. Do not go any closer than that as if you get mud or rocks sandwiched between the shield is makes it hard to clean out. Tire size is usually not an issue with this mod. Next just take a piece of cardboard and make a template of the area you wish to cover. I have done the complete inside on some of my fenders in the past but found out that mostly the only area need was the back side of the fender so now I do just the one area as seen in the picture. Give yourself about a 1/4" on both side for clearance. This again is mostly for cleaning out mud and debris. Once you have your template do the cutting of your metal and test fit as you go. Set up your mounts to were you need them and prep the area for welding (photo). Spot weld them in place, just make sure you drill your holes before. If not sometimes when drilling the old drill bit will grab and twist the mount and your hand.
Nut plates (photo) or what ever you want to hold your shield in place, but what ever you use make sure it will hold and will let you take them off for cleaning when needed. I also use stainless steel hardware, just easier in the years to come. Consider a few bends (photo) as I did to help deflect the rocks, not a must just something I did. I also put a couple of holes in so when I wash out the fenders after a muddy ride it gets more water into the back side for flushing out. Well that's it for the fender shields, I hope some of you give this a try as it does work and will help save the fenders from that off road rash.
Take care, enjoy your Cruisers.
