Alright… I'm posting up here for y'all to see the progress on my new fenders. I've only done one so far, and I haven't even fully finished it yet. Just posting up some progress, because there are quite a few pictures, and I figured someone might like to see what I've got going on here. So here goes.
I started with cutting a piece of 1x1x1/8" angle to mount to the tub:
Then I formed a frame using 1/4 round. Not having a roller, I formed it by gently bending a constant radius into a length of it around my tire (this way it stayed pretty perfectly round) until I found the radius that I liked.
After I had the frame formed, I removed it from the tub and stretched fleece over the frame and secured it with bulldog clips…I know, stick with me…
At this point, I'm nearly happy with the shape of them. I just sometimes kind of wish there was a little bit more of a "lip" at the edge of the fender, but it's growing on me. What I wasn't happy with was the angular look at the back. It didn't quite come out right there what I was visioning when I was making the frame. That, and the pictures don't quite show the fender how it appears in person. It's hard to step back and take a good perspective picture in a single car garage with this fat girl taking up most of it. :roll eyes:
Anyway, after I removed the back piece of 1/4" round and re-stretched the fleece over it, I hung it from the garage door and started applying fiberglass resin.
I didn't really take too many pictures there, because I was getting frustrated quickly with how the progress was moving. It had been about 8 years since my last experience working with fiberglass, or doing fiberglass-like work. After I had already gotten started, I learned quickly what my mistakes were:
1) I hung the fender from a single strand from above -- this allowed it to literally twist in the breeze… incredibly frustrating when one hand is holding my container of mixed fiberglass resin, and the other hand is holding either a brush or roller.
2) I hung it vertically…did I mention this already?
This made it incredibly difficult to apply the resin.
3) I think I may had mixed too much hardener into the resin, because twice my mixture started gelling up before I was finished applying it.
Because of these difficulties and frustrations, I only covered about half the fender. I was almost afraid at this point I was going to have to trash it and start over.
Today, I was able to (nearly) finish the fender. This time, I just laid it on the tailgate of my truck. I was afraid I might make a mess there, but I do have plans for either next weekend or the following weekend to roll in a bed liner. Anyway, I have the fender about fully covered, and it has hardened up and is pretty darn rigid.
Now, as stated -- it's not finished, obviously. I just wanted to show the basic shape, and get opinions. I still need to trim the edges where you can see some material hanging down, then dress the edges probably with some short strand fiberglass filler. They need fully sanded, then painted.
Now, I'd like to get your opinions -- good, bad, indifferent. Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings. When I'm standing there in the garage looking at this fender, I like it -- I like the shape, I like the lines, I like the way it "fits." Oddly, the pictures make me not so crazy about it, but again -- it's really hard to stand back and get a good perspective photo in a single car garage. I asked my buddy in NC what he thought, and he said "they look decent" and "at least you don't see them while you're driving!" so I'll take that as he's not really crazy about them. Which is fine, anyway…It really only matters what I think about them, but I'd like to collect a common consensus. So what say the people of Jeep CJ? Lets hear it!
don't worry... There's a method behind the madness...