Here's the damaged area of...
Here's the damaged area of the fender. You can see that someone tried to fix a number of cracks or creases that probably resulted from an unplanned meeting with something a bit more solid than the fender. The plan calls for cutting each section out completely and installing patch panels in their place.
A Fitting Fix For A Finicky FenderIt's inevitable that after 75+ years, those original Deuce fenders you just scored at the swap meet are going to require a fair share of finessing to get them as perfect as you desire. Years of abuse and neglect have most likely left their mark in the form of tears, cracks, dents, holes, rust, and improper techniques from previous repair attempts.
Most body shops 50 years ago not only used different and perhaps more archaic techniques to fix these trouble areas than what is now employed, but the level of fit and finish back then was also not what it is today. While lead or brass filler was often used in the past to repair damaged surfaces, these days body fillers such as Evercoat Rage Gold or similar fillers-coupled with a good welding technique such as the TIG process-is the method of choice when it comes to bodywork and sheetmetal repair.
This is the exact situation Cal Tanaka found himself in recently after a customer dropped off what was supposed to be a near-perfect Deuce front fender. It was in need of some obvious metal repair along the portion near the frame rail, but the rest of the fender appeared to be OK. Upon further inspection, however, it became apparent that there was some questionable bodywork under all that paint and filler in other areas as well that would have to be addressed. As is common when it comes to dealing with old sheetmetal, that small imperfection on the surface turned out to be quite a larger problem, one that would have to be tackled using the proper repair techniques.
The lower bead line on the...
The lower bead line on the fender is toast, Cal has trimmed a piece from a donor fender to replace it. Ford used wire inside the bead to maintain its shape, so that will have to be replaced as well. Also note the brass left over from a previous attempt at fixing the damaged area; this will be removed as well.
A number of patch panels are...
A number of patch panels are fabricated to replace the damaged areas and carefully tacked into place using the TIG welding method. The new bead section is also installed at this point.
Here we can see that the offending...
Here we can see that the offending areas have been cut out completely, including the damaged bead section, and replaced with new patch panels.
One thing to point out that's...
One thing to point out that's very important when any repair work is done that may alter the original shape of the piece is to bolt it down either in a fixture, as shown, or to do the repair with the piece installed on the vehicle. Oftentimes the distortion caused by reworking the area is enough to change the original shape, which can make the entire job pointless.
With the new pieces tacked...
With the new pieces tacked in place, the entire work piece is subjected to a bit of preliminary hammer and dolly work to get the entire surface straight.
A variety of different hammer...
A variety of different hammer and dollies are used, depending on the surface being worked. Companies such as TP Tools provide a plethora of options when it comes to selecting the right hammer or dolly for every application. Swap meets, on the other hand, are also a great source of vintage tools, and have provided Cal with many of his.
The patch panels and bead...
The patch panels and bead section have been fully welded into place, and the high spots ground down using a cutoff wheel at a perpendicular angle to the work piece. Cal knocks down the welds using this process, as it reduces not only the time it takes to smooth out the welds, but uses less expensive cutoff discs in the process.
As you can see, it leaves...
As you can see, it leaves a much lower weld bead that can then be finessed by file or sanding disc to prevent any heat warping caused by excess grinding.
To check for high and low...
To check for high and low spots, the entire repaired surface is sprayed in Dykem layout fluid and then block-sanded to reveal any high or low spots.
...and then block-sanded to...
...and then block-sanded to reveal high or low spots.
With the high and low spots...
With the high and low spots revealed, hammer and dolly work is used to further finesse the work piece.
A light skim of body filler...
A light skim of body filler and this old fender is as good as new.