Good morning, I am looking for steps on fender removal for my '57 88. I hope someone has done this. I don't think I need to remove the bumper, but I am not sure about the inner fender/baffles. The shop manual is not very helpful. I welcome any input, David

 

After some exploration, I can get a little more specific: I think if I can remove the inner fender, I may not need to remove the fender. Is this an option? Thanks, David

 

Why do you want to remove the inner fender?

On my 71 98 the inner fenders (wheel wells) are plastic. On your 57 I imagine they're steel.

 

Good morning Jesse, I have some lower fender rust repairs to make and would also like to gain access to the the center hinge bolts that fasten from the other side of the door pillar. Yes, the inner fender is stamped steel. Successful removal of the inner fender, and with hopefully less fuss than removing the fender itself, should provide the access I am looking to gain. One of my frustrations with the shop manual is that it gives a lot of detail in some areas and so little in other areas. Hope this is helpful, David

 

I can understand the desire to remove body panels to repair rust.

 

I have an IPB for 1958 fenders, 1957 should be similar.





I also have an IPB for 1957 front bumper. Hope this helps.

 

Good morning Charlie. Thanks so much. I have the schematics that you have shared, though not the '58 one. I can see/locate all the fasteners to remove either or both parts. I am hoping someone can tell me from their experience that the inner fender can be successfully removed without needing to remove the fender itself. If I can do this, I will have access to the back of the fender on the car rather than off the car. If I cannot, then my decision is simply to remove the fender itself. Thanks, David

 

GLDN88,
If what you're doing is to patch a rust hole, then maybe you may not have to remove the fender at all.
What I would suggest is to ;
1. Take the pick end of a body hammer and tap around the hole until you find solid metal.
2. Using a die grinder with a thin blade, cut a hole in the sheet metal where the rust was.
3. Using the piece of metal you cut out as a pattern, cut a piece of 18 gauge sheet metal.
4. Using a body hammer and sand or shot bags form the patch and trim it so it almost fills the hole and there is about a .040 gap between the patch and the hole.
5. Use a couple of magnets to hold the patch in place.
6. Mig weld the patch in place, using a "stitch weld" process where you lay a bead about 1 inch long, and then weld somewhere else for another "stitch". This will cut down on warpage.
7. Grind the welds smooth. You will hopefully use a minimum amount of filler to smooth it.

 

Good morning Charlie. Your suggestion is great and I think from the outside of the fender, that is exactly what will happen. I need to access the front edge of the rocker panel for a little rust repair and I also need to access the back side of the door pillar to access the center bolt for the hinges to correct door sag. I also need to make sure the back side of the fender is solid and I know the inner rocker needs to have some work done. I've decided to release the lower part of the fender (3 attachment points) to see how much of these areas can be accessed. If that works then I may not need to go further. Maybe by the time I report back someone will have done what I have been asking about and will know if the inner fender can be taken out without needing to remove the fender itself.

I've included some photos of things that I've exposed on my 'California car'. The seller I bought the car from believed it was a California car. I have learned since, and immediately after taking possession of the car that it had spent time somewhere near it's Wilmington Delaware birth place. Had one of the first things I did with the car not been to replace the brake light switch, I may not have known about any rust, as the car had been undercoated making it hard to detect any rust. I don't think anyone did anything intentional. At some point the car was repainted and with that some repairs were made and this is where major questions emerge about the state of the car before that work was done. I am working on the passenger side, the driver's side is worse, I think. The pictures tell a story... My incredible Golden Rocket 88 journey unfolds...Thanks much, David

 

"California car" can be misleading.
Certain mountainous areas of northern California get lots of snow, and road salt.
Someone did a very sloppy job of rust repair. It looks as though they used pop rivets to fasten the patches in place.
I'm glad you're committed to repairing this car properly.
'57 Oldsmobiles are one of the best styled cars out there.

 

Good morning Charlie, in this case, I think the car spent time in the rust belt. I was able to do a VIN look up and car registration information shows June of 1969 in PA with 67K miles and the next entry is November 2014 in CA with 70K miles and then, with my purchase, March 2025 in MI with 74K miles. If the registration information is accurate, the car was not driven much from 1969. My understanding is the seller I purchased from had it for the period from 2014 and he said the person he bought from had it for 40+ years and that person had the paint, etc. work done. I wish I had more of the car's history. I am going to have a restoration shop do the fabrication work and my efforts have been to expose any areas that need attention, possibly replacement panels.

Yesterday I was able to remove fasteners from the lower fender and was able to get the L-Bracket that secures the lower fender to the inner rocker off. Doing so still does not get me enough access room to the back of the fender, so I will attempt to remove the inner fender and leave the fender on. I will report back on my progress. Thanks, David

 

That's the other drawback to the term "California car". ( or Arizona or New Mexico)
Where the owner ran the car in snow and salt for several years.
And then retired to California

 

Hi Charlie, that's a great guess and may be a mystery that I will never solve. Heading out to do some more unravelling shortly - it was a nippy 1 degree earlier and it is now a warm 20 degrees. I'll report back later, David

 

Well, I tried to remove the inner fender, got all the fasteners off and there was no way it was coming out. So there's my answer, at least in my case. I took the fender off. Both operations were hampered by a small baffle that is attached to the inner fender and to the headlight opening. It was welded to the headlight opening of the fender - I don't think it was supposed to be that way. Anyway, I am headed in the right direction and can access the back of the fender and the hinges that are accessed from the back of the front door post. I will share more in the coming days, David