Thread: Fenders:Glass or Metal?

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Well today I took my fenders back out to check them out and from the looks of it I need at least one new fender for the front. The guy put some screen from windows on the back and covered it with some cocking and some hard crap that is not bondo that's for sure. I thought that maybe I could make a new peice but with all the curves in this section there is no way unless I had about 20 years of metal work under my belt. The rear fenders are the same but I think after a ton of hours of preparing with cardboard and thinking and cutting the metal out I can do them.
What I am wanting to know is, if I get new front fenders should I go with steel or glass? Chevsofthe40s has only fiberglass and I like all steel cars but not sure if glass fenders are good or not.
What are your guys' suggestions on this?
Thanks for any comments or info.

Shawn-

On a steel car, it's better if you can get steel fenders - or fix the ones you have. However, there's absolutely nothing wrong with good glass . . . emphasis on "good." You may need to get two front fenders, though. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want one glass and one steel.

In your shoes, my priorities (in order) would be:

1 - try to fix the steel fender.
2 - find another steel fender.
3. get two glass fenders.

This car has a steel body, running boards, aprons and four glass fenders.

That's a sweet car you got there. A guy at the hot rod meets I was talking to the other day had one just like that but had the panel window in the back (no window). I am not sure what you call those exactly. But anyways, he made his own fiberglass body from that body line right below the window that goes all the way around and up and made his own roof that looked REALLY good. He said he used over 28 gallons of glass. He made the running boards, etc and they blended in with the fenders really smooth, etc. I would try fixing these fenders I have now but the rust is in the parts with all the curves and would be hard as hell to get to. Do you think the fenders on www.chevsofthe40s.com would be any good?

That would be a sedan delivery you saw.

I have no way to tell what quality these guys put out. You need testimonials from actual customers - or a personly look at the product.

Having gotten burned on my Gibbon body, I did quite a bit of research on glass bodies and molding.

Here are some questions I would ask:

- Hand laid or chopper gun? (I don't think I'd buy another chopper gun body or part unless it was the only thing available.)

- What's the Temperature Distortion Point (TDP) of the glass resin? (For automotive use, it should be around 180 - 190 degrees F to prevent cloth "print through.")

- What's the ration of catalyst to resin he tries to get? (It should bein the 1% to 3% range)

- What's the ratio of cloth to resin? (It should be at least 40% mat to 60% resin. 45% glass to 55% would be better. Lower than 40% cloth is not good.)

If they can't or won't answer the questions, be skeptical.

Beware of companies that tell you that you shouldn't paint your car in dark colors. That means they have not confidence in their resin, and the TDP (see above) is too low.

Companies that suggest a heat cure (sun or heat lamps) are suspect also. Again, the TDP is probably too low. The glass should cure via chemical action - not a heat lamp.

FMX---We would all like steel fenders on our rides. That being said, there is the cost factor to consider. Steel fenders cost about 3 to 5 times as much as fiberglass ones, if you can even find someone producing the fender you need in steel. If you have expectations of finishing and driving the car in this lifetime, then probably fiberglass is the way to go. You can always get the car up and driveable, then go to swap meets and look for original steel fenders. I have built cars with steel fenders and with fiberglass, and I find that fiberglass fenders are more user friendly to work with if you have to do any screwing around with them to fit the contours of your car exactly. Many people are running fiberglass fenders on 1928 thru 1936 cars, where there is a lot of unsupported fender hanging out in the wind, with no difficulties. On a car like your 48, the bulbous shape of the fender and the fact that they have a supporting flange all the way around will make them even stronger. The only thing I can say about glass fenders is that you should coat the inside surface with something like spray or brush on truckbox liner, to prevent stones from flying off the tires and causing "star-cracks" in the gel coat, which will show up in your paintjob. I am running a steel body and box on the roadster pickup, with fiberglass fenders, grillshell, hood, and splash aprons. Remeber---the car you are building is going to be a hot rod. Nobody will know that you are running glass fenders except you, and the touchy feely crowd at the car shows. In my opinion, running fiberglass fenders really has no down side, and its a heck of a lot cheaper.

Thanks for the info guy's. I will try and get pictures taken tomarrow and posted up on here this week and tell me what you think I should do here if possible.
Thanks again!

I put a glass front clip on my 65 C-10 with glass inner fenders. Since it was wrecked I decided to go with glass because it was cheaper and lighter. I've only had it back on the road for a couple months, and I already have a "star" in the glass on the front corner. I thought that the inner fenders would protect it a little more, but ... I guess not ... If you decide to go with glass I definately recomend applying the bedliner coat for added protection.

Here is a pic of the glass front cap. Aside from the "star" issue, it came out pretty good.

Nice c_10!!!

I will look into the glass some more, thanks for all the info guy's. I haven't been on because no net so I have to go to the office to get online. I will be back on daily in a week or so. You truck looks really nice, and yes if I go with glass I will definetely coat it. I have a lot of rubberized undercoating, would that work you think?

I don't know about the rubberized undercoating. The advice I gave you on brush on truckbox liner is knowledge from a magazine. My first hotrod, the 31 Desoto coupe had steel fenders all around. The front fenders were a pair of model A fenders that were so rough a restorer gave them to me, and the back fenders were steel trailer fenders that I molded and bobbed. By the time I had rebeaded and patched the front fenders, I had close to 150 hours in the 2 front fenders alone. My next rod, the 27 roadster had no front fenders and glass fenders on the rear. I never put anything on those glass fenders, and I never had a problem, but "popular knowledge" has it that you should put a resilient inner lining (coating) on glass fenders to absorb the shock of stones flying up off the tire and hitting them.

They sell spray on bed liners in rattle cans now also. Rubberized undercoating may work. it does dry plyable and could very well, absorb a shock from a stone or such.

Alright, only thing is that I will need to find a GOOD rubberized undercoating in a spray can that won't come off easily, the stuff I have now, if you rub it with a finger it is like brittle kind of and crumples off almost. Hard to explain really.

The best spray can under coat I have used is the PAINTABLE rubberized under coat.

I am with the truck box liner idea.If it was a show car or gunna be a really nice ride .I would go as far as to have a bed liner company spray the good thick stuff on em.I am sure the roll on or sray on stuff would be fine for a every day driver.But the a bed liner company spray on would be the best .When the pros spray this stuff its almost a 1/4 inch thick and if I saw some ocassional burnouts in the future it would sure be nice not to worry with a thin coating!!