Request help from post-war Chevy owners

[48builder]

I have two things I need some help with.

I'm starting to work on my hood. I took the car aprt 10 years ago, thinking "I'll remember how that goes together. I don't need to take a picture". Now I'm trying to put the hinges  back on, and I sure wish I had taken a couple pictures. Would somebody be willing to take a couple pics of the hinge area for me? My springs are broke, so I'm not concerned about those. I may try to make the hood open to the front, but for now I j ust want to bolt it in place and secure it so I can modify it a little. Also, any suggestions for a late-model or aftermarket latch setup?

Second, I'm working on the rear fenders. I would like to not use welt, and end up with a smooth transition between the quarter panel and the fender. I've attached a couple pics of the area. I was thinking I would weld some 3/16 rod to the top of the fender and then grind to match the quarter and then use filler on the fender. What do you guys think? Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but it doesn't look clean to me right there in the center of the fender.

Thanks

Walt

[alchevy]

Walt, I have a '40 Chevy, but got the same issue with the rear fenders. The smooth look does look better. A friend of mine, Chris Schultz, is having his car painted by Street Rods By Michael. On the first page of the pictures of his car, scroll down to the ones where they did the rear fenders with body filler. His rear fenders like mine were fiberglass. Here's the link:

http://www.srbymichael.com/construction/schultz/schultz.shtml

AL

[dragrcr50]

I have done 4 40 chevy sedans and a few 41's and we  molded them in or had welt made at the interior shop to match the color of the car and it worked very well......... just did a 48 with the pearl copper color and found a very near perfect naugahyde to have sewn to match it... looked right .......

[48builder]

scroll down to the ones where they did the rear fenders with body filler. His rear fenders like mine were fiberglass. Here's the link:

http://www.srbymichael.com/construction/schultz/schultz.shtml

AL

Yep. That's what I want to do, but don't know that just using filler will hold up. I suppose if a pro does it, it might be OK?

[sirstude]

I think you want to use some tin between the fender and the bead that you are going to weld on so it is a smooth transition.  If you try to fill it with mud, or a professional does it, you are still probably going to get cracks and the such.  Mud is not structual and that fender will flex a bit as time goes on.  My Olds has the same issue, I guess GM did that on all the cars of that vintage, and I am going to use welting.  I don't want to go through all the issue to make the fenders match the body exactly.  Glass fenders are a different animal.

Doug

[alchevy]

Did you notice that after they did the work, the fenders can still come off?

[48builder]

Did you notice that after they did the work, the fenders can still come off?

That's exactly what I want. I don't want to weld the fenders to the body, but I don't like the transition from the fender to the quarter. I may end up using welt. I do upholstery work and make my own, so that's not a problem, but I think I will try to make that transition look better.

Walt

[enjenjo]

You can do it with Duraglas filler, it's stong enough to hold up. The way to do it is to tape the part of the fender that fits against the body, apply filler on the body flange, and bolt the fender in place. After it cures, shape it before removing the fender to finish.

[48builder]

You can do it with Duraglas filler.

That certainly sounds easier than my idea of welding the rod to the fender. You lost me, though. I would think that I should apply tape to the quarter and then bolt the fender on. Then apply the filler and shape before unbolting the fender. The filler would not stick to the tape and would be built up on the top of the fender. Otherwise I would end up with a lip of filler sticking out from the quarter, wouldn't I?

[enjenjo]

Kind of depends on the car. Where the filler is needed.