[Help] Bent fender

Further to the above -- the rear (undamaged) end of the fender has
a curved shape to accommodate the tire's round profile, but the front
end was flattened by the impact and that's where it's rubbing on the tire.

Question is, how do I restore the round shape without damaging
the metal any further?

SQ
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On Feb 16, 10:38�am, Sean <no.s....DeleteThis@no.spam> wrote:

> Question is, how do I restore the round shape without damaging
> the metal any further?

You could make yourself a 3-D contoured "buck" from a pattern matching
the undamaged rear of the fender.

The buck would be made of individual wooden sections with the correct
curvature, fastened together, and then smoothed.

Next, you would put the front of the fender over the buck and pound it
to shape with a rubber mallet.

But, the inherent springiness of the metal means that you would have
to bend it to a slightly tighter curvature.

And, you would probably damage the paint, so you'd need to repaint the
fender with genuine Suzuki paint.
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.. wrote:

>> Question is, how do I restore the round shape without damaging
>> the metal any further?
>
> You could make yourself a 3-D contoured "buck" from a pattern matching
> the undamaged rear of the fender...

Thanks for the clue... like so many other things I thought
this was gonna be easy.

SQ
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On Feb 16, 11:07�am, Sean <no.s... RemoveThis @no.spam> wrote:

> Thanks for the clue... like so many other things I thought
> this was gonna be easy.

Another possibility is to find a custom fabricator who has a machine
called an "English wheel".

It takes unpainted flat sheet and hammers it until it's curved in two
directions.

Unfortunately, your part is painted already.

Recent EPA requirements call for paints with very little volatile
solvent in them.

So manufacturers are painting vehicles with acrylic paints that chip
when hit by a flying bug.

So your paint may crack when you bend the part back to the original
shape.
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Sean wrote:
> Further to the above -- the rear (undamaged) end of the fender has
> a curved shape to accommodate the tire's round profile, but the front
> end was flattened by the impact and that's where it's rubbing on the tire.
>
> Question is, how do I restore the round shape without damaging
> the metal any further?

A sandbag, a shaped hammer and a helluva lot of experience. Else, just
pay someone to do it.
--
St. John
Humpty Dumpty was pushed.
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Sean wrote:
> A fiberglass truck canopy fell over on the front wheel of my S40,
> landing on the front of the metal fender, which is now slightly bent
> downwards, enough to rub on the wheel.
>
> The fender isn't scratched, but there are two abrupt bends
> on the bottom edges, one on each side where the metal
> was forced to bow out.
>
> I don't know much about body work - can I fix it myself?
>
> Should I (a) use a rubber hammer (b) wrap it in cloth and squeeze
> it in a vise (c) try bending it back with my hands (d) take it
> to a body shop?

Don't know what they do now but the tools we used when I was much
younger were hammer and dolly. Harbor freight has a set for 20 bucks
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=31277.
Not used that set but it seems to me that even the Chinese are going
to have to work at screwing up a hammer and a shaped lump of steel.
Hold the dolly on one side, tap GENTLY the other side. I think you'll
be surprised at how much control you have with relatively little
practice. Plan on repainting afterward--if you want better results
than a spray can then plan on spending for painting equipment--entry
level HVLP, which requires practice to get good results, will cost you
about a hundred bucks, anything else that can give a decent finish is
going to need a compressor. You might be able to rent professional
equipment.

A good body shop _might_ be able to fix it without repainting and if
they can that coule easily end up cheaper than doing it yourself.

I'd get several estimates and go from there.

Note that like most things mechanical, if you don't know what you're
doing it's possible to screw things up beyond economical repair.
Price a new fender and be sure that you're willing to risk that
amount. You really need to make an assessment of your own mechanical
aptitude before you start pounding on metal.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
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J. Clarke wrote:

> Plan on repainting afterward--if you want better results
> than a spray can then plan on spending for painting equipment--

It's a powder flake slightly bluish gray under a glossy finish
that looks way beyond my painting skills.

> Note that like most things mechanical, if you don't know what you're
> doing it's possible to screw things up beyond economical repair.

That's the concern all right. Well I have a few old fenders that
I can practice on (and wreck). The technique with the sandbag
and hammer sounds promising.

SQ
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