In preparation for the fenderwell headers I’m going to install right after I win the lottery, I spent the last few days removing the engine compartment portion of my inner fender panels. I always thought it looked cool on the gassers back in the 60’s, and provides unrestricted access to almost everything on the front of the truck. From grille bolts to upper control arms – everything is now in plain view. For an old guy with a bad back this is a nice benefit. I left the fender and hood attaching portion, and will be reinforcing the box channel for strength and cosmetics.
Here’s how it looks today:
The original panels were damaged in a deer collision back in the 60’s, and were starting to show rust through in spots. After a great deal of study about the feasibility, I decided I’d rather remove the engine compartment portion instead of replacing them. The passenger side was out in about 90 minutes. The driver side didn’t cooperate at all and took several hours to remove.
There’s a lot of work remaining before it looks decent. Everything from the firewall forward needs to be either done over or cosmetically detailed. Should I ever change my mind, nothing on the truck itself has been altered. I can simply source replacement inner fenders and reinstall them. That’s rather doubtful as I’m really enjoying the improved access to everything, and the truck almost never sees bad weather.