A Body fenders

[canyncarvr]

What I know about A bodies comes from working on my car for the past 45 years. I know little of different model histories and differences. I will guess that this question is silly to anyone that has a history with different cars in the line.

I took a front fender off my car decades ago. There were spot welds that held the fender on that had to be drilled out. Looking at utoob vids on 'how to remove', all I see is people taking the bolts out...and off comes the fender. The biggest problem is getting the fastener near the upper door hinge. I DO recall that being a bit of a fuss. ;)

Question: Are some fenders welded, some not? Did I miss something 40 years ago and drill out welds that I should not have? Of the half dozen or so 'how tos' I've watched on A body fender removal, not a one of them has spot-weld one on them.

Looking for some edumacation.

Thanks.

 

[72bluNblu]

If this is your ‘73 340 car we’re talking about you shouldn’t have needed to drill a single spot weld to remove your fenders.

 

[Demonic]

There's nothing from 67 to 76 that would have to be drilled out to remove a fender. I'm thinking the tiny bolt at the top of the splash shield was missed, or rusted to death - often under heavy undercoating - and that was the solution.

 

[Locomotion]

What I know about A bodies comes from working on my car for the past 45 years. I know little of different model histories and differences. I will guess that this question is silly to anyone that has a history with different cars in the line.

I took a front fender off my car decades ago. There were spot welds that held the fender on that had to be drilled out. Looking at utoob vids on 'how to remove', all I see is people taking the bolts out...and off comes the fender. The biggest problem is getting the fastener near the upper door hinge. I DO recall that being a bit of a fuss. ;)

Question: Are some fenders welded, some not? Did I miss something 40 years ago and drill out welds that I should not have? Of the half dozen or so 'how tos' I've watched on A body fender removal, not a one of them has spot-weld one on them.

Looking for some edumacation.

Thanks.

It had "aftermarket" welds. Only inner fenders were spot welded.

 

[66Valiant528]

He's got to be talking about the inner fenders.

 

[72bluNblu]

He's got to be talking about the inner fenders.

I kinda don’t think so, there wouldn’t be any videos showing the inner fenders being removed by taking bolts out like the OP described.

Maybe the seam sealer between the tops of the inner fenders and the fender hung him up?

 

[canyncarvr]

Yes, the car in the sig pic. No inner fender being worked on...just the outer.

Well now. Feeling quite the idjit about now. I recall a mess of 'sealer' around the headlight pan that wasn't coming off with any scraping or prying. Maybe it was supposed to be taken off with a grinder.

I'll get a pic of it.

Having never been capable of any 'fix' to body damage and have it look even half-way decent...it would be just awful to have caused as much damage as I did taking that fender off...to find that it was completely unnecessary.

Even the damage was stupid. I'd parked close to a utility pole on the front/left. It was a narrow parking spot, and that was the room available. Leaving the spot, I put it in reverse, looked out the back window, backed out, turned the wheel to the right (only way to turn to NOT back out into the street)...crunch.

I'm not painting a very good picture of my being (maybe) able to walk and chew gum at the same time....

 

[Jim Lusk]

Yup, no A-body fender needs spot welds cut to remove. Not sure any Mopar of any year ever did...

 

[canyncarvr]

Yup, no A-body fender needs spot welds cut to remove. Not sure any Mopar of any year ever did...

Well....I screwed THAT pooch.

Attached are two photos; one of the right fender (undamaged), one of the left fender (completely Swissed).

Can't see the welds very well on the undamaged side...they're under the goop.

How was the fender s'posed to be separated from the mastik holding it to the inner fender? Or, as mentioned, grind it off? I couldn't get it loose at the time.

AND...the welds go all around the headlight bucket, too. ...all drilled out. I'd have to take some of the front grille off to show those. Don't want to. The light pan does look to be separate piece from the top radiator brace, but it was chock-full of goop.

 

[72bluNblu]

That whole part comes off with the fender…

 

[Mtrhead]

Git r done

 

[canyncarvr]

That whole part comes off with the fender…

I know that now.

Back to the mastik goop that's all over the front...that gets attacked with an angle grinder or a flap wheel? Just thought of this...I've seen little, 1" or so, wheels for air tools. That would be a better choice?

 

[72bluNblu]

I know that now.

Back to the mastik goop that's all over the front...that gets attacked with an angle grinder or a flap wheel? Just thought of this...I've seen little, 1" or so, wheels for air tools. That would be a better choice?

I’m just trying to understand why you want to do anything with it. The “mastic goop” is factory. Some cars got a heavier coat than others. But you don’t need to separate that angle piece from the fender to remove the fender. And you can’t buy that piece separately from a whole fender. So, why remove the mastic goop at all?

You can sand it down if you want to smooth it out some. As far as the seam sealer under the lip of the fender, between the fender and the inner fender, you just give the fender a good yank or two and it should “pop” and the fender comes off. No need to attack the seam sealer to remove the fender.

 

[canyncarvr]

I’m just trying to understand why you want to do anything with it. The “mastic goop” is factory. Some cars got a heavier coat than others. But you don’t need to separate that angle piece from the fender to remove the fender. And you can’t buy that piece separately from a whole fender. So, why remove the mastic goop at all?

Because the goop is used at the outer/inner fender joint toward the front and the headlight pan to front cross pieces in the front. It holds the outer fender to other body pieces. I have the impression the goop is both between the pieces AND over them.

No mastik goop removal...no fender come off. I tried that...which is what lead to the drilling.

Yeah...considering how I got it done in the first place (drilling the welds out), something I'm seeing as a mastik stick problem is maybe not a problem at all.

That I don't 'get it' doesn't mean that's not the way it is.

But you don’t need to separate that angle piece from the fender to remove the fender. And you can’t buy that piece separately from a whole fender.

I do understand, now, that is true. ...didn't at the time.

Thanks.

 

[72bluNblu]

Because the goop is used at the outer/inner fender joint toward the front and the headlight pan to front cross pieces in the front. It holds the outer fender to other body pieces. I have the impression the goop is both between the pieces AND over them.

No mastik goop removal...no fender come off. I tried that...which is what lead to the drilling.

Yeah...considering how I got it done in the first place (drilling the welds out), something I'm seeing as a mastik stick problem is maybe not a problem at all.

That I don't 'get it' doesn't mean that's not the way it is.



I do understand, now, that is true. ...didn't at the time.

Thanks.

Yeah, I see the pictures. The seam sealer you show in the picture isn’t holding the fender in place, it’s covering the seams between the parts of the fender that are welded together.

The seam sealer holding the fender on the car is under the lip of the fender, which you won’t be able to get at.

But you still have multiple bolts in those pictures that are holding the fender on still. Take out the bolts, don’t worry about the seam sealer.

 

[canyncarvr]

But you still have multiple bolts in those pictures that are holding the fender on still.

The pictures are current, the fender is attached. The fender was off 40 years ago to fix the dent I put in it. Taking it off now is not the issue, but the mistake I made taking it off years ago.

The seam sealer holding the fender on the car is under the lip of the fender, which you won’t be able to get at.

If the seam sealer is holding fender ON the car..and I am unable to get at it...therein lies part of what I'm missing.

The '...you won't be able to get at...' is referring to mastik that is between body parts that are welded..I won't be able to get at it...but it doesn't matter?

I don't put that together with, 'the seam sealer is holding the fender on the car...' When you say it's holding the fender on the car...that means it is holding the fender to the front headlight pan? NOT 'to the car'?

 

[72bluNblu]

What are you trying to do?

Remove the fender?

Remove the headlight bucket section that was welded to the fender and doesn’t need to be removed to remove the fender from the car?

Weld the holes you drilled trying to remove the fender 40 years ago?

I’ve got no idea anymore. You don’t need to remove ANY seam sealer to remove the fender. The seam sealer between the fender and inner fender you can’t get at until the fender is off. It kind of glues the fenders onto the car. But you don’t need to get at it, they just pop off with a little effort.

Even if you’re trying to repair what you messed up, you’ll need to remove the fenders. And you removed the seam sealer from the areas you already drilled, so, what is the need to remove more?

 

[canyncarvr]

The seam sealer between the fender and inner fender you can’t get at until the fender is off. It kind of glues the fenders onto the car. But you don’t need to get at it, they just pop off with a little effort.

Got it.

Sorry..but I can't say it any differently than I've already said it. The removal was decades ago. What I'm looking for is information on how to have done it correctly, only for the purpose of understanding...how to do it correctly.

I am not fixing anything, not attempting to fix anything, not asking so much 'how to' with the end being getting something done, but how it SHOULD have been done, again, only for the purpose of understanding the process.

If I ever take off the right fender, I'll be finding out what it takes to '...just pop...' the thing off.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate your taking the time.