front fender question

[mikess68]

my 72 dart has the thinest front fenders you ever saw. you can take your finger and push it in. so easy to bend. no rust or sign of wear. is this a racing fender or something like that? i made them in 70, 71 and never saw ones this thin. a real pain ill probably put a layer of filler over them to stiffin them up a little or use a hard setting undercoat on the back side. any one run into this before? (sure is easy to get the dents out though)

 

[FISHBREATH]

Could they have been acid-dipped for racing at some point? I have never heard of factory sheetmetal otherwise being that thin.

 

[68dodge]

Have any pictures?

 

[mikess68]

thats what i was thinking, but car is a 318 so maybe came from a donor car long time ago. they are orginal color however(all the way down). thats what puzzles me. i figured ill add thick hard undercoating like truck bed paint to the inside. if you if you lean on them to change a plug etc, you feel them give.

 

[FISHBREATH]

Can you get a micrometer on the sheetmetal to check the thickness? That is so bizarre. Is there factory undercoating in the wheelwells?

 

[75Sport]

Are they magnetic?

 

[mikess68]

the fender is ferious/magnetic. it has what looks like factory undercoating under all the dirt. it is thinner than the quarters, hood skin and door skins, but dont have a mic. here is a pic of the car as i sanded it was orginal the tan, then yellow then im down to the metal. matches the rest of the car and appears to be orginal front end everwhere i look. if it was changed it was over 30 years ago and was bolt on only, there is no damage repaired anywhere. the hood is not orginal color down deep and the fender extension shows some work on broken stud.

 

[daredevil]

Maybe aftermarket repair stampings from china?

 

[mikess68]

maybe. well, the fender has been popped back out a few times and it has some bondo from previous times when someone leaned up against it. its think on the top also and dents real easy, like drop a 1/2 socket on it makes a demple. o well, if it was a drag car id be happy. right now im thinking trunk bed spray liner on the back to make stiffer and doing a little filler from the fender well to the top in the middle (to replace old stuff) just to make it straight. you know, these things throw you a curve when you least expect it. but i think ill keep it! thanks everyone.