Pic Wanted of Bulging Fender and Good Fender
09-26-2005, 12:43 PM
#1
Pic Wanted of Bulging Fender and Good Fender Hey Guys,
I cannot tell if my fenders are really bulging or if they are supposed to stick out just a little bit on the bottom.
My Fenders are lined up perfectly above the door trim piece, on the bottom of the fender they stick out just a little bit above the under-car rocker panel. Is this normal? I found one of the bolts that is next to "DO NOT JACK HERE' snapped (Bolt is fine but the small piece around the bolt snapped) and my fenders look ok, and not gaudy, but I'm just curious what exactly they should look like.
I can post a pic of my fenders for your analysis, but i'm at work and this topic is occupying a part of my mind now.. lol
I cannot tell if my fenders are really bulging or if they are supposed to stick out just a little bit on the bottom.
My Fenders are lined up perfectly above the door trim piece, on the bottom of the fender they stick out just a little bit above the under-car rocker panel. Is this normal? I found one of the bolts that is next to "DO NOT JACK HERE' snapped (Bolt is fine but the small piece around the bolt snapped) and my fenders look ok, and not gaudy, but I'm just curious what exactly they should look like.
I can post a pic of my fenders for your analysis, but i'm at work and this topic is occupying a part of my mind now.. lol
09-26-2005, 02:56 PM
#3
It should be even with the rocker panel. The door corner, rocker panel, and fender should all create one even plane and align perfectly.
Just don't overcompensate and push it too far in - then the rocker panel will stick out and become a edge for chipping and wear.
The plastic fender has a mounting flange bent down at a 90 degree angle that attaches to the unibody flange with two bolts. If the fender flange and bolts are intact - then you can stick a 2x4 on it and whack it until the fender lines up, then go back and touch up the area with rust sealer paint and topcoat to keep it from rusting.
If it's been jacked over too severely, then the fender can split, or possibly the entire plastic flange will break or split off. In this case bending it back via the 2x4 method won't help. You'll need a new fender or some way to fabricate it attached back to the mounting flange.
Seriously as these cars get older and less common... more and more places will jack them on the fender flanges. Be a jerk and make sure to bring it up any time your car is lifted.
I've actually had mine bent over a couple times and THE SAME TECHNICIAN argued even after the fact that it was the right place to jack the car up. Morons.
One good thing about these cars, is that the fender, hatch, and hood adjustments can be made with common tools and the fasteners are all easy to get to. Put some time into it and you can improve upon the factory gaps on 9 out of 10 cars.
I've re-aligned some really bad fenders for people in 5 minutes and had them totally dumbfounded at how easy it is / how much better it looks. Once you know pictures of cars with bad bulges and hood gaps will drive you nuts.
Just don't overcompensate and push it too far in - then the rocker panel will stick out and become a edge for chipping and wear.
The plastic fender has a mounting flange bent down at a 90 degree angle that attaches to the unibody flange with two bolts. If the fender flange and bolts are intact - then you can stick a 2x4 on it and whack it until the fender lines up, then go back and touch up the area with rust sealer paint and topcoat to keep it from rusting.
If it's been jacked over too severely, then the fender can split, or possibly the entire plastic flange will break or split off. In this case bending it back via the 2x4 method won't help. You'll need a new fender or some way to fabricate it attached back to the mounting flange.
Seriously as these cars get older and less common... more and more places will jack them on the fender flanges. Be a jerk and make sure to bring it up any time your car is lifted.
I've actually had mine bent over a couple times and THE SAME TECHNICIAN argued even after the fact that it was the right place to jack the car up. Morons.
One good thing about these cars, is that the fender, hatch, and hood adjustments can be made with common tools and the fasteners are all easy to get to. Put some time into it and you can improve upon the factory gaps on 9 out of 10 cars.
I've re-aligned some really bad fenders for people in 5 minutes and had them totally dumbfounded at how easy it is / how much better it looks. Once you know pictures of cars with bad bulges and hood gaps will drive you nuts.
09-26-2005, 03:01 PM
#4
wow i just fixed mine, i whacked it for hours, but i eventually just unscrewed the bolts and used pliers to bend the flange back in place. I didnt even notice until i was getting my exhaust done and saw one line up perfect and one bulged out, the one that was lined up perfect the flange was bent flat parallel to the road, so i dont think you can go too far atleast not that i've seen.