The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 58 Viking bus - looking for replacement fender

Hi, newbie here. I have a Viking 40 school bus that I am fixing up. Somebody hit the right front right where the headlights are. Is there a good place to look for a replacement fender? Thank you for your response.

1st off, Welcome to Stovebolt Oldbusguy!

Since your "bus" falls more into the category of a "Big Bolt", I have moved your post to that forum for hopefully the best helpful replies and discussion on your question.

On a slightly different note, you can post an ad in the Truck Parts Wanted forum to see if a fellow Bolter may have or know where to find what you need.

Good luck in your search and when you can, maybe post a picture of your "Bus".

Back in the dark ages when I co-owned a body shop, people would actually repair bent sheet metal instead of replacing it, unless the part was mangled beyond recognition. Those skills have sort of died out, along with mechanics who could actually fix things instead if just swapping bits and pieces!
Jerry

The viking fenders are very hard to come by. I do not belive anyone makes aftermarket ones, so your best best is getting that on fixed.

If it is too mangled, I believe the headlight area is the same on the small (3100/3200) trucks. You might be able to splice a piece from on of them in.

Oldbusguy,

Speaking of Viking fenders being hard to find, I did a little web searching and found a couple of buses (both 1959s) that use the same front fenders as the 1958 ones (I think) being offered for sale on FB Marketplace.

Neither "bus for sale" was remotely close to your noted Michigan locale (1 in Kentucky and 1 in Texas), but in looking at the pictures in those ads, it adds a further question on you fender needs.

I snagged and added a couple of the bus pics below from those ads and they show a fender that is quite different (at least on the trailing end) from the Standard Viking truck fenders.

It would help fellow Bolters offer more help or leads on a replacement fender if you could post a picture or 2 of your bus. Need to know if your fenders are the same as those in the pics below or the same as standard 1958-59 Viking truck fenders???

PS - While you ponder a reply and possibly post some pictures of your bus, here is a 1958 Chevrolet Truck Engineering resource document you may want to read through. Lots of info about the Viking truck line (Medium Duty Trucks) that directly applies to your bus.

I guess it stands to reason that the back part of the fender would be different on a school bus, since it butts up to the bus body, whereas on a regular truck it continues on back and blends into the door.
The part where the headlights are should be the same though, and as mentioned, you may have to get that part from another truck and splice it into the fender you have.

Oldbusguy, you just need to look they are out there. I bought a driver side fender from Jim Carter while in KC for the Round Up. The fender was in his basement of used parts, just staring at me as I walked through the door.

Being a Viking bus, the front fenders are different than the normal Viking fenders, like what Rich mentioned. But if its just the headlight area thats damaged, it can be cut out and replaced with the headlights from a more easily available Apache fender.

Your fenders are truck fenders which are different than Bus fenders. Bus fenders are rounded over at the back to make a finished end on the cowl, truck fenders end at the door...

As mentioned the front 2/3's of them could be used for patch panels.

Mike B

A rust repair patch panel for a 58/59 pickup fender can probably be spliced into the bus fender if the eyebrow area is too mangled to straighten. Unless it's had a really bad hit, chances are a repair like that will be less expensive that replacing the whole fender.
Jerry