Widening step side fenders

[forestb]

I want to widen my rear step side fender around 1/2 inches. I can't roll the lip because it was recently painted. I was wondering if I lengthen the fender braces will it push the fender out enough. One side is wide enough for my tires and the other is not. I can pull it out by hand but it will not stay.
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[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by forestb

I want to widen my rear step side fender around 1/2 inches. I can't roll the lip because it was recently painted. I was wondering if I lengthen the fender braces will it push the fender out enough. One side is wide enough for my tires and the other is not. I can pull it out by hand but it will not stay.
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If is one side is different than the other, your axle isn't centered.
But even then, when you go over a bump, your panhard bar will push your axel to one side.
That said, I'm not sure how much you can push the center portion out with the braces.

[LostMy65]

Also, if you do try to push it out, do you think it might cause your paint to crack?

[forestb]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Also, if you do try to push it out, do you think it might cause your paint to crack?

The rear is centered. I measured between the frame rail and the drum yesterday. I also measured between the inside of the tire and the bed side and those are the same. I think one fender is just a little bit skinnier than the other. But you are right about worrying about the paint cracking I just don't want to have to buy new tires which would include front tires and back tires because I wouldn't want my front tires to be wider than my rears and the tires are no very old. I had rolled the fender but when the body guy did the bodywork he unrolled the fender and now my tires don't fit as well 😢 I have an adjustable pan hard bar and currently it is nearly parallel to the ground so I don't know how much it moves around my axle when I go up and down.
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[duallydude63]

back in the day race car driver used to use a bat-- put it between the tire n fender n roll it back n forth it will slowly push the fender out !!!

[BR3W CITY]

Theres no way for one fender to be skinnier, but it is possible (and common) for one lip to be larger or more prominent. The amount of thickness/roll on fenders can vary by a good 1/2", and be inconsistent all the way around.

Flexing the fenders with the bracing wont work, because you still have the step panel bolted to it, which is going to make flexing the front portion of the fender pretty tough.

I'd still suggest revisiting the idea of trying to re-roll the fenders or section the lip. If you use a head gun and a bat, you can induce a good amount of roll into the fender area, and the heat helps reduce stress cracking (depending on your paint type). You could also trim the fender lip from the back so it wouldn't be likely to be exposed, but then you have a raw edge to deal with.

[scoot_mcgrute]

Originally Posted by forestb

I had rolled the fender but when the body guy did the bodywork he unrolled the fender and now my tires don't fit as well Posted via Mobile Device

This seems odd. Why did they unroll the fenders? I would be talking with the body shop to get them to re-roll the fenders back to what they were since they reversed it. On their dime or a really good deal is what I'd be going after.

[forestb]

I think part of it had to do with when I rolled the fender I also bent a crease in the wheel well and he unrolled it to fix that problem and keep it from happening again.

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by forestb

I want to widen my rear step side fender around 1/2 inches. I can't roll the lip because it was recently painted. I was wondering if I lengthen the fender braces will it push the fender out enough. One side is wide enough for my tires and the other is not. I can pull it out by hand but it will not stay.
Posted via Mobile Device

You said you "can pull it out by hand but it will not stay"; thus I think that with the fender braces loose when you pull, your pullout will tend to stay when you brace it back while under that tension. Not much time/effort/cost/ or paint-flawing if it fails. You may want to temporarily rig together 2 adjustable fender braces before welding the braces back while under tension: try using 2 pieces of threaded rod(per original brace)held together with a coupling nut where you can 'adjust' the tension by spinning(lengthening) the rods. That should tell you if longer braces will work when you let loose of your hand-pulling.

I have a 66 with similar problem. The widest "older 4wd style rally wheels" I can comfortably run on my rear is the 7" wide ones. Bo't new tires, put 'em on my 8" rally wheels, and when cornering heavily, the fenders would come down and hit/cut my tires on their outer sides near the top.

I bo't a set of 7"-wide SS 454 pickup, chrome, factory wheels and they are centered and do not rub anywhere so far. Plus, with the 7's, I can change a flat; with the 8's, I had to use 2 jacks plus a lot of begging to work the wheel/tire combo out of the well. BTW: these SS-454 pickup wheels from around 89-91 looked, on those trucks, to be much wider than 7 inches; but that's what they were--just had bellied-out tires to give a wider look. They have a 4" backspace and give that same wide appearance to my '66. If I built another 60-66 stepper, I'd 'split' the fenders and weld in a 1.5-inch tapered, widening strip to give more space right where the tire runs--tapered so fronts of fenders still blend onto the 'step-plate' right behind the cab.

Luck with your ride,
Sam

[luvbowties]

...sorry: just submitted twice...

[forestb]

So I started making new braces for my fenders out of tubing. I made one that was around half an inch longer than the original and checked to see how it would work and realized this probably was not going to work. But while mocking it up I realized that the tab that the bracket bolts onto has a slot and not a hole. So I was able to pull the fender out a little and bolt it down so that it is what I think will be wide enough room. I dropped it down and it seems like I have enough clearance on both sides. I also got new rear shocks which I think will help a little sense the old ones were leaking and almost no longer functioned.