Paint & Body Work - Rolled my fenders and they wrinkled

Have any of you guys had issues rolling your fenders? A couple weekends ago I rolled mine very carefully using a roller, but it came out like sh*t. It seemed like the pinch welds made it impossible to roll them smoothly and the fenders are slightly wrinkled right above the arch now. I also did not roll them completely flat. I would think it would get worse if i went further, but maybe not.

Did you rent the fender rolling tool? Did you heat the fender up a bit before, got any pics

Did you rent the fender rolling tool? Did you heat the fender up a bit before, got any pics

X2

... did the fenders wrinkle or the paint? That is where the heat gun comes in.

i dont have any pics and its probably really hard to see on a camera but i can try tomorrow...but I am talking about the fender itself not the paint, I used a heat gun

I have not rolled mine yet, but I would like to see some photos. My first thought would be too much, too fast, but you mentioned you rolled them "very carefully".

By the way, I noticed your location ... I was born and raised in Hanover, MA.

Oh nice, do you miss wrenching on rusty new england cars? lol

I have no experience with this, but I did what I thought was a very gradual rate and didnt even roll them very far. The pinch welds seemed to not allow me to roll very smoothly though, since the fender is much stiffer in those spots.

tough to see but the arch is slightly out of round and just above it is wrinkled
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/dorch/CIMG0762.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/dorch/CIMG0763.jpg

Oh nice, do you miss wrenching on rusty new england cars? lol

I have no experience with this, but I did what I thought was a very gradual rate and didnt even roll them very far. The pinch welds seemed to not allow me to roll very smoothly though, since the fender is much stiffer in those spots.

tough to see but the arch is slightly out of round and just above it is wrinkled


Actually, I don't miss it at all! I have been here since 1982 and I had a 1970 SS396 Chevelle in HS in 1981 and that was my only wrenching experience on a northern car. It has been southern cars since!

You may want to do some searches on here ... I know, in the last several months, I have noticed some postings and photos on the subject. The upper photo looks fine, but the lower photo does show the wrinkles at the top of the arch.

Must be nice! haha

I haven't been on here for months so I didn't see the threads you were talking about. I also couldn't come up with anything useful on a search. Hopefully a veteran fender roller chimes in with some tips for next attempt/fixing this one

I too have this issue on my 04 GTO. On my left quarter I used a bit too much pressure and a 2" ripple formed on the lip. The problem is that not all the spot welds are the same car to car, they may be spaced very slightly different, which will allow some cars to be able to roll the lips easier than others. In my case, my paint started to crack as well, and it looks pretty bad (to me at least--most people can't tell unless I show them). There is no way to fix this without doing body work. The ripple will have to be straightened and blocked smooth, and then repaint.

In my case, Im saving up for a full paint job as GM paint sucks and is too thin. Ill get the ripple repaired at that time. For now I just have to live with it.

How about grinding out the welds before rolling?

How about grinding out the welds before rolling?

That will allow the 2 panels to separate and moisture/debris will get between them and ruin whatever factory corrosion protection there is. There also might be bonding adhesive between the lip of the quarter and the outer wheelhouse (on the GTO there is, don't know about the fbody).

Grinding the welds would also require paint afterwards to prevent rust. I think the issue really comes down to very slowly increasing the tension on the fender roller, as too much will cause the rippling. I had applied heat and gradually increased the pressure of the roller, but all it took was one pass with too much force and it made the ripple.

I too have this issue on my 04 GTO. On my left quarter I used a bit too much pressure and a 2" ripple formed on the lip. The problem is that not all the spot welds are the same car to car, they may be spaced very slightly different, which will allow some cars to be able to roll the lips easier than others. In my case, my paint started to crack as well, and it looks pretty bad (to me at least--most people can't tell unless I show them). There is no way to fix this without doing body work. The ripple will have to be straightened and blocked smooth, and then repaint.

In my case, Im saving up for a full paint job as GM paint sucks and is too thin. Ill get the ripple repaired at that time. For now I just have to live with it.
I know this can be fixed with some filler and it will be eventually since the car needs a respray badly. I was just hoping for some trick to try with the roller to fix my mistake for the time being.

I know this can be fixed with some filler and it will be eventually since the car needs a respray badly. I was just hoping for some trick to try with the roller to fix my mistake for the time being.

I know how you feel man, Im in the same boat. I work at a body shop, there's no way around it unfortunately.

I have the same issue. Rolled both fenders, one looks great and the other is nice and wrinkled lol. Going to see if my body shop can fix it while my hoods in for paint.

Man i seen my buddy do his with a ball bat lol, there is a video on youtube that shows how to do it with the tool, maybe to much to fast, not enough heat etc

well at least one of my fenders will be fixed for free. Someone decided to back into my car so hard that it slightly creased my quarter

..and if anyone was wondering why i was rolling my fenders to begin with its because of my prokit springs and 335s lol
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g71/dorch/335s.jpg

well at least one of my fenders will be fixed for free. Someone decided to back into my car so hard that it slightly creased my quarter

..and if anyone was wondering why i was rolling my fenders to begin with its because of my prokit springs and 335s lol

That just plain sucks ... !!!! I am glad mine is not a daily driver, although, my (our) daily drivers are worth alot more money!

yea I'm just glad the car hadn't been painted yet, otherwise I would be flipping out lol