front fender patch

[inkpot]

Howdy! Since I am going to have my front DS fender off for other reasons, I have decided at the last minute to try to deal with the typical cancer at the bottom. It almost goes to the trailing edge, next to the door, but I think that edge is OK. I was thinking I could cut out the bad area and then weld in a patch panel. Probably about 10" across, and just form the curve to match the fender. What gauge steel are you guys using to match up with the original skin?? John

 

[LC_Hamma]

I use 16 ga. whenever I need to replace sheetmetal & I've done plenty of patching. That seems to not warp as much as the stock LC sheetmetal does in my experience.

 

[Southeast Overland]

I use 16 ga too. When I patched one of my front fenders I was lucky as the curved edge by the tire was OK and I had to cut off the bottom curve by the rocker b/c I have tube fenders - I simply welded in a flat 16 ga piece about 3 inches by 5 inches - worked great.

 

[jimhendrixx]

THanks for the tip. I have some welding to do this weekend.

 

[tyama]

Eventually, I'll get off my arse and do mine. What do you guys do to do the bend at the bottom? Do you put a reinforcing bracket behind it? Thanks, ty

 

[inkpot]

Thanks, guys. I figured 16 or 18. This won't be a beauty queen, but I need to stop the rust from spreading. So do you prefer to "cut to fit" the hole, or do you overlap the edges an inch or so before you weld it up? John

 

[Southeast Overland]

On my fenders I 'cut and fit' the hole. On floors I overlapped but if you overlap you have to seal the overlapped area well b/c it is a great spot for rust to start again.

Ehsan makes some nice patch panels for the front fenders that I believe include the bend. You might want to PM him.