Re: 53 Surburban "Family Truckster"
So I have been out in the garage quite a bit lately. I have been concentrating on the rear wheel well area. If you remember I cut a some body structure out of the way to allow the tire to go up into the body to allow me to layout on 22" rims. After I cut enough of the wheelwell I reinforced the opening with new metal to add strength back. At some point I will treat with rust guard then seam sealer before I add raptor bed liner to the whole underside of the body and fenders.
Next I needed to clearance the top of the fender the same width of the pocket so that wheel would not be limited by the top of the fender when I laid out. I then reinforced the fender area I removed with round stock to help add strength back the new opening as well as creating a smooth fender edge. One challenge that identified itself during this process was when I removed the top of the fender it left me with a sizeable gap between the body and the fender. In this process I lost one bolt hole from the new fender pocket. I'm guessing this is why the gap seems to prominent. I personally hate fender welding. I like using strip caulk between the body and fenders. I did this on my 48. I needed to add some metal to the top of the fender to help close this gap. I was just trial fitting. I will go back and finish weld at some point.
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