The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop reproduction AD front fenders

I was at a car show recently and saw a very nice early 55 restoration. The gentleman purchased it as is and didn't seem to know much about his sweet truck. One thing that struck me was, on the front fender there was a lap weld seam between the headlight hole and the grille. He became enraged at my less-that-delicate (in his opinion) question if it was a reproduction fender. I responded by telling him that I was not familiar with 54 and 55 fenders and was just asking so I may expand my knowledge. Well that didn't help. The car show was about to erupt into a Battle of the Aged. So my long-winded question is, did reproduction fenders ever come with this lap-welded seam?

well you coulda been a bit more 'diplomatic', like "original steel fenders?" [him: "of course"], you: "huh, never noticed they had that seam" .... which repros apparently do ... although Carters page shows a painted fender with that joint appearing filled/finished, possible the factory did so

Bill

Not sure if it was an original fender or not but I've had two, one off my panel and one off a parts truck, that did have that overlap/seam or whatever. I remember the "seam" being shorter than the links above and more at an angle.

...who has one stripped down?

It 'seams' the re-pops come as a two piece pressing as my friend Neal just discovered.
He's knee deep in a rebuild right now and bought new front fenders for his GMC,they too came with the join.

My reproduction Front fender has the same joint.

Bill (red58), you are absolutely correct about me being more diplomatic. The problem was that the guy overheard the repro comment made by me to my buddy. I would have used different language with the owner, but that sauce had already shot out of the sick cat. The joint in question was not like the pictures above, it ran horizontally from the head light to the grill.
Tact-challenged Carl

My 1954 original fenders have a visible filled seam between the headlamps and the grill, but no apparent seam going downwards from the headlamp.

The reproduction 1954 fenders have a much larger seam that goes downwards from the headlamp (that we will fill/smooth and make invisible). We'll have to consider putting in a "faux filled seam" between the headlamps and the grill, if the reproduction fenders do not have a seam there??

Tim, do you have pics of your original 54 fenders? Were the seams the same on both sides? The ones I saw were different. The left one went from the lower edge of the head light hole and angled down slightly towards the grill (a short distance). The right one went from the top edge of the head light hole straight over to the grill (a long distance).
Carl

Thanks Gus, and here are the two front fenders for the '50 after
chemical striping, no seam under the headlight opening:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/138319368

DG

Carl,

I think you are correct. I'll take photos and post them (and, of the reproduction fenders). I have a set of original fenders in primer that we decided not to use (we'll use the reproduction fenders, unless they are not good fits).

PLEASE NOTE: my comments are in response to the first post, 1955-1st fenders. I know nothing about 47-53 fenders (as displayed in the 1950 image by Denny).

Dad, that pic shows the seam low on the head light, angling downward on an angle toward the grill on the right fender. The truck which I saw last week had that very feature on the left fender. This guy's right fender however, had a much larger seam up high at the top of the head light going straight across to the grill. Thanks for posting the pic.
Carl

Here is a comparison of reproduction vs original 1954/55 Chevrolet truck front fenders.

Perfecto, Tim! That is exactly what I saw on the sweet 55 at the car show. Interestingly enough, the owner's body man covered and smoothed the lower, vertical seam but not the top, horizontal seam. It was a really nicely done truck regardless.

Carl,

Now I have to decide, after filling both seams - do we fake the original seam?

My '54 GMC has the seams angled from the lower headlight to the grill, original fenders. TC, I used those lower holes in the fenders for the park light wiring since I couldn't figure out where else to run it.

Just a guess but could that hole have been for wiring leading to
fog lights?? Or possibly a tooling hole used for the forming process??

DG

I'll check my Suburban regarding the use of that hole.

I bought a set of used 1953 fenders off a fellow and noticed one of them has a seam between the headlight opening and grill opening....

John

Sorry about that, brother. Whether you do it or not, I will not say anything out loud if I should see your truck at a show.
Carl

I am not the kind of person who minds, Carl

In fact, I post information about my Suburban in the windows when I am at a show. I ask people to tell me the three things that do not appear to be original style/appearance.

I've never seen a seam in a front fender for an AD anywhere. So, I suspect that if you are a total purist and decided to reproduce a repro seam, hats off to you, but I have always worried that someday, when the torch is passed to the youngin's, they will start reproducing repro flaws and not know it. That is when you know you have lived way too long!

Take a look at my photos Deve, and you will see an original "seam" in two original AD (1954) fenders. That seam is in every 1954 A-D fender I have (about 8 front fenders).

I'm not disagreeing Tim.. I believe you, but in all the 47-53 Chevy and GMC fenders I have or have purchased over the years, after blasting, I have never seen a seam. Interesting indeed!

???

Different years Deve

This thread is in reference to original 54, 55.1
Not the earlier AD's

Oh, my bad. Details! LOL! Not sure why they would change the process for that minor style change, but okay.

I have a 52 3100 with a 54 front clip on it. I just went out and checked both front fenders and they both have that diagonal seem from the headlight bucket down toward the grill.

I thought all AD originals were w/o seam?

Refreshing to hear, Tim. Most people that I run into at shows are like you. I happened to run into one that wasn't like that at all. I have a number of incorrect things on my 50, and am impressed when I run into someone who can pick them out.
Carl

And after living with my '50 for a decade I'm getting to the
point where frankly my dear, I don't give a darn.
Doesn't sound like that 95% perfectionist, does it!!!
I enjoy the ease of working on an old truck so I keep it as
stock as possible, it worked then and there's no reason it
shouldn't work now. I enjoy the fact that I can use it to pick
up lumber from Menards and not worry about scratching the bed. I
enjoy driving it down a tree lined gravel road and not worrying
about a chip or fender ding. I enjoy running over to see Larry
in it or a trip to visit the guys that I worked with before I
retired. So...I drive it, half painted, some in primer some in
red rattle can paint, to the car shows, just so I don't have to
walk a half mile to look at the other cars. I really don't care
any more what someone thinks of my old truck, I'm not trying to
fool anyone any more into thinking it's all absolutely
original. As Charlie often says, it's only 'original' once.

Me and my "big old wife" went to a cruise night last Tuesday at
the local hot dog stand. We didn't park with the rest of the
fancy paint jobs, just over where all the civilians were parked.
The guy from the show came running over waving us toward the
pack and I leaned out the window and told him, it's just a
driver buddy, not a show car, we just came for the hot dog
and a Pepsi. He still gave us a ticket for 20% off the hot dog.

I just like to think of its condition as it would have been had
I had it for a daily driver sometime back in the 50's. When I
would have added a few things over the years that it didn't
have when it came from the factory. Might have paid a visit to
the local Western Auto or Warshawsky & Warshawsky Auto & Truck
Parts for some accessories. Don't want a rat rod just
a nice half way stock clean truck to drive.

Denny Graham
Getting more & more laid back in Sandwich, IL

I am redoing a truck now and pondered whether or not to use reproduction panels, or to patch the panels I have. I elected to go with reproductions with the thought of cost vs. time spent patching. Now the question will be how much time fitting them will be needed. Fortunately, I am not "restoring" this one, but "resto-mod". That is one thing that helped make the decision to go with reproductions. I'm with Denny on this one too. Most of my vehicles have less paint than rust or patina. I like them just fine.

My fault I threw Deve off with my post about the '53 fenders....

John