So I had been thinking of going back to steel fenders for some time and I also have the itch to re paint it and fix some dents. My car has gone through a few phases , a few engines , wheel combos in the last few years. I finally found my self a good deal too good to pass up and bought 2 steel fenders that need a little work but for 100 bucks I just couldn't pass up the opportunity . My plan is to fix the fenders and primer them , then I have to block the doors again as they got some dings and dent over the years , hopefully by next fall I will be ready for paint. Im thinkin a rootbeer brown with cream colored stripes would be killer.


Here is what it looked like when I got it done 2009 I was 19.





Here it is 2010.



Here it is one month later with the fiberglass stuff.


Here is is 2011

 

it looked like this last summer.





And it looked like this last night lol

 

Most guys know I hang around the engine side of the forum but I restored this car my self have done all the work body/paint/engine/ suspension/ etc etc. and its never done. I got so many pictures its unreal if you guys wanna see em just look on my facebook., search coppercutlass. Im going to be posting as the progress goes on . Its going to be a long one as I will be driving it as I do the stuff so looks like I will be driving around in primer for a while. For now I gotta fix the fenders and install them. I also gotta say thanks to member 67cutlassfreak who picked the fenders up for me.


Most guys don't know the history of my car but im not just a gearhead hell bent on going fast I just love working on cars. Finally I get to do some body work on it again.


best 2000 bucks I ever spent.





an old In progress pic I think late 2007.

 

I think I have the upper chrome for the windshield, any interest?you can take em , just pay for the shipping
thx

 

If its not all mangled up i'll take it I have some stuff here but kinda rough lol I don't mind dings or dents. I was thinking of straightening it all up and painting it satin silver but never got around to it.

 

Right on, brother. Keep 'em flying!

- Eric

 

You do side jobs? (paint and body)

 

I've been trying to convince him to work on my junk 88. I think the 7 different colors act a repellant though LOL. He'll come around eventually. We just have to get his car straightened out first, so he eventually gets bored& can concentrate on other Olds crap

 

My issue is time and space. I have just enough space for my crap and I like to get stuff done as soon as possible which in my mind was yesterday. I don't really like to paint alot as I'm mainly a body guy I'm more comfotable painting my own stuff., plus when you do it day and out doing it on your free time sometimes is hectic but that's self inflicted because I expect everything to work out like if I was working in the shop. If someone needs a hand I don't mind helping id rather do that than take on one big project specially right now. Another big issue is my driveway is narrow and jogging car around is a pain and I got no where to stick my stuff. I know I sound like I have a million excuses but its hard for me to pass up side jobs., but the last few I did last year where a logistical nightmare.

 

I know all about that.

After a long hard day of work, the last thing you want to do is the same damned thing the very second you get home.

Also, another tip: If you see a car on craigslist that says "mechanic owned" Run like hell. That's the guy who did every side of the road jerry rig he knew he could get away with without it catching fire or exploding into tiny pieces of shrapnel LOL

 

Lol yeah that's why like rust buckets I know no one has messed with them., as for the other stuff errrrr like my engine lol well that's taken with a grain of salt lol. I love working on my car but I work as I please. That's why it took me 2 weekends to do my front suspension lol. I actually like to take my time with my project slow and steady with lots of beer and tunes.

 

Well The fiberglass stuff is gone. Big thanks to dave 67cutlassfreak for posting up my for sale ad on ROP they are sold. I have to pick my fenders up from dave since he also picked them up for me. Cant thank him enough. I also locked in a hood from member 1001coins . Im going to do a flat hood with no louvers. Im also working on making my rear firewall since I have a fuel cell. I got the sheet metal all trimed and ready to go but I haven't had time to rivet it all in.

 

Sound like you have a good plan.

 

Alright I went up to pick my fenders up. Im pretty excited overall they are in good shape. They need a little patch work down low but pretty small and the braces are still there. On this im going to try to make my patch panels so I can buttweld em in which I have never done before but I have been getting confident with my welding skils. The front of the fenders need a little love with a hammer and dolly. They have some minor dings im going to bump out and probably just skim with a little metal glaze. The factory undercoating is still there and in great shape. Im going to media blast just the outside and the very bottom of the fenders on the inside to clean up the brace area.

 

Alright so I dragged the fenders into the basement today and started to cut away at the rust. I found some nice carb board poster board paper and I went ahead and started to make my templates for the patches. I could write a lot about how I made my patches but essentially im looking for a really tight fit since im but welding it all up. I made a patch for each side on the bottom one side will need 2 one for the outside and one for the inside along with the section of brace that was rotted out. My goal is to have it all welded it this weekend. The factory under coating is still in good shape so im only going to media blast the ousides and por 15 whatever little rust is in the brace area. Tomorrow im going cut out my sheet metal at work and im going to bring some hammers and dollies to straighten the metal out.

 

U-man I love reading your progress stories, makes me think back when I was your age, There seemed to be a LOT more time in each day. Keep up the "good" work buddy!

 

Thanks !!!! Yeah I make the most of it., I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I would have wanted to with this damn winter. I have to knock these fenders out within 2 weeks as hopefully its warm enough to drive my car to the local bopc swap meet so I can pick the hood up which I plan on installing on site lol. Once march hits its all systems go I gotta get the car track ready. Im enjoying it while I can .

 

Ok so today was a little slow at work so I made my patch panels and did the bulk of the metal straightening on the fenders. My frugal ways are very much a part of what I do too with body work aswell here I used an old door skin off a lexus to make my patches. The only thing I don't skimp on is material.





the brace.



my patches .





here is some fitment pics. One patch needs a little trimming but overall I got a nice tight fit.











Here is the metal work. You can compare to my previous pics.





This one was the worst and will need a little welding up front. Had to hit it with the shrinking hammer. Its a serious joy to work on old steel like this you can truly work the metal a lot with out the risk of stretching it and oil canning it.

 

Looking Good

 

About time someone started turning imports into good American muscle cars.

Very nice work. My Dad was a sheet metal worker and made making things like that patch look easy. I miss getting to watch him form things by hand you'd swear came out of a press die.

 

You like rust buckets ? That would be my car , or at least a former rust bucket . Now it just needs sheetmetal work in all four corners . Not to bad , but where there's a few holes , there is always more that is unseen . Let me know when you need a new project . I'm more then likely going to have to sell mine soon , but I hope I find a way not to .

 

I'll pass on that oldsguybry . As it is I bearly have time to work on my stuff. Thanks smitty I like doing metal work a lot . Specially at work I love a challange and have been know to straighten what most would deem unrepairable.

 

Ok so today i got everything welded up. Now as much as i would love to have a seamless repair that just aint happening with out a tig welder lol. What i did find is that i had to start my welding puddle on the thin metal and work my way to the thick metal. It does not make sense but when i tried to start my puddle on the fender I would burn through instantly kinda odd but it is what it is. Due to this oddity my patch panels sunk in a little bit. Not entirely a bad thing it give me a little room for some filler. This is the first time i ever tried to butt weld a patch panel. Im used to flanging rarely do I overlap anything. Hopefully next wed. i can swing by my dads work and media blast them and get them in primer by Friday and install sat. the 22nd.


Here is my first patch i welded in.





By the second one i really started to get in the groove.



Here is the inside first reinforcement layer I did it like the factory did sorta i plug welded it .





Here is the brace i made i butt welded and plug welded it at the bottom.





Don't know if you can make it out but i did plug up all the trim and emblem holes.

 

Awesome work. I wish I was young again lol !!!

 

Nice work, Copper!

- Eric

 

Thanks guys. 76olds Im enjoying it while I can and doing what I love I just wish I had warmer weather I wouldn't have to run FSA for one month to get the car ready for the track. I still gotta a lot of things to do lol.

 

So I stuffed the fenders into my Saturn today and took em down to my dad's work. We media blasted the fenders. First with plastic media then with the "special" media which is blend of fine aluminum oxide and fine glass media. Tonight I plan on coation the inside where I fixed the brace areas and doing a little seam sealer on the inside. Body work starts tomorrow I want to primer them up Friday.

 

Nice.

- Eric

 

Ok so I did some work. I found an old can of roll on bed lined I had and brushed it on the whole inside of the fender. Its a little thicker than undercoating and much tougher. Although I don't recommend doing it in your basement like I did. My whole house stinks like acetone which I think is what duplicolor likes to use for solvent in many of it's products. On the upside it dries up ridiculously fast but the odor from the evaporation is horrible. Luckily I have a whole house fan but I can slightly smell it and probably will until it's fully cured. Im adding that to the list of things not to do in the basement along with fiberglass work and painting model cars. lol

 

looking good.

 

Did a little mud work along with a little all metal filler where I did my patch work. Gonna hit it full tilt tomorrow and Friday. Don't worry about that bottom pic I didn't botoher sanding all the slag from the filler off the edge. I bearly hit the bottom sections with 36 grit on a block.

 

Got most of my filler work done over the past week. Just need to sand the last skim coat and they are ready for primer. The weather still sucks so my self given dead line is out the window lol. But Im still pressing on.

 

I know the weather sucks around here. There looking good.

 

I don't know if anyone else is still following along but I pretty much wrapped the fenders up. The next step is to primer them up and install them. Then I will block the primer and look for anymore areas that need attention. Its hard to get everything on a stand but I think I got 90 percent of it the rest will be finessed on the car.


Sprayed a little red oxide primer on there so I can see how it looked in one uniform color.

 

Nice, Copper!

- Eric

 

Nice work.

 

Looks great. By the pics, a lot of progress since you got her.

 

Pretty Work Copper

 

Ya, we're still following along. Excellent "how to" thread.

 

You repainting the car a different color? or staying with the copper, man that's awesome work.