Tips on "rolling" fender wheel wells

6strings · May 12, 2004

I have a '65 fastback that I just did the front disc brake conversion to and switched to 15" wheels & 225/60/15 tires. The problem is that now the tires hit the front of the wheel well when the wheel is turned.
I have been told that you can "roll" the wells with an aluminum baseball bat to get the required clearance. I would be more comfortable with this approach if the car did'nt have a good paint job. I thought about using the sawzall to cut the lower front part of the well and then fold it back using a mallet.
Does anybody have any tips on the right way to do this?

Route666 · May 12, 2004

I'd use a wood bat, not an aluminium one, I'm shivering just thinking of the gritty feel of the aluminium grinding on the wheel well.

Perhaps you should just grind off the rear half of the lip, and paint it again to stop rust. That should give enough clearance eh?

TireSmoknWindsr · May 12, 2004

I would cut it because if you roll it up it leaves a pocket in there to trap mud, and other gunk which could keep moisture around the wheelwell and lead to rust.

Hack · May 12, 2004

I'm no body guy, but if I was going to try to bend metal that can be seen, I would put something soft against the metal, then beat on the soft thing. Then you end up with a better chance of getting a nice gradual curve, rather than little pock marks.

Soft as in wood, perhaps? Body people use a leather bag filled with shot to form metal. Rubber mallet, maybe? I would say that even using a piece of metal against the body and hitting that with a hammer is superior to striking directly on the body.

There are some other threads, if you do a search with keyword "roll" or fender, you should get more advice.

Good luck.

allcarfan · May 12, 2004

if your car is already painted, you are definetly going to screw up the paint. On the front wheel wells, i would definetly cut the lips. ON the rear, dont cut the lips. I couldnt roll mine with a bat....never did work. I had to beat mine with a hammer.

DukeGnarley · May 13, 2004

yeah, i had to do the rears on mine, hammer was the only thing that would do it, i tried hammering it with a piece of wood in the way, that didn't work either.

Mosse · May 13, 2004

Here was some tire shop that would have rolled my fenderlips for 20 euros a side (24$), without possibility of ruining my new paint job, but I decided to mill some 4 mm of my wheel to bring it inner, and changed from 222/60-15 to 225/50-15. They are just so much lower, that with negative wedge kit, they evade my lips now... Now I´ll just have to do the same thing (milling the wheel) to my backwheels...

Platonic Solid · May 13, 2004

Never done it, but seems to me that attempting this without removing the paint and fender is just begging for dissappointmnet. Do some research on metal tempering and hammer forming (just like custom bike shops do) and you'll find the answers. There's lots of cool stuff to learn about metal fabrication.

burg65 · May 13, 2004

I am in the process of doing this also. I am going to buy the Fender Roller from Eastwood Company.
http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jspitemID=6159&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C503%2C504%2C514
I have heard of all the other forms of doing it and it not working. I would be interseted in possibly selling the roller when I am done with it. I will keep you posted.

66P51GT · May 13, 2004

Here is a simpler tool that will do the same thing: http://www.chicanesport.com/product_catalog.html "The Chicane Jimmy".

allcarfan · May 13, 2004

those tools are nothing but a waste of money

TireSmoknWindsr · May 13, 2004

If you are careful the paint will survive..if some will remember tchesney(i think thats spelled right) had to roll his last minute for his 17x8 TTIIs before a show and I believe a bat was what he used. Might be wrong. I looked the car over good at the 40th and saw nothing wrong whatsoever.

WORTH · May 13, 2004

I've never done it, but looking at that eastwood tool I would say that rolling a bat on the tire while on jackstands would do the same thing for alot less money. It is the same principle.

allcarfan · May 14, 2004

Blk, Thats what I did....cut the lip every few inches, it bends MUCH easier. Mine would not budge until I did this.

1badII · May 14, 2004

Could a cutting wheel be used to just trim it?

TIGGER · May 14, 2004

Last year on the way home from Hot August Nights, I somehow caught something that pulled my fender lip down far enough to gouge the sidewall of my tire. I had to replace the tire but to fix the fender lip, I borrowed a similar tool to the Eastwood one from a friend on mine. The tool was easy to use once adjusted properly. It worked real well. I stayed far enough away from the edge so it did not damage my paint. The lip was bent uniformly. I will roll the other side before I return the tool.

Hack · May 14, 2004

TIGGER said:
Last year on the way home from Hot August Nights, I somehow caught something that pulled my fender lip down far enough to gouge the sidewall of my tire. I had to replace the tire but to fix the fender lip, I borrowed a similar tool to the Eastwood one from a friend on mine. The tool was easy to use once adjusted properly. It worked real well. I stayed far enough away from the edge so it did not damage my paint. The lip was bent uniformly. I will roll the other side before I return the tool.

Hehe, sorry but I had to ask.. you borrowed the tool last year and haven't returned it yet?

That must be a really good friend!

TIGGER · May 14, 2004

Well, I am behind on things.... Too many other projects to work on. I borrowed the tool in January. I rolled the one fender and replace the tire in mid March. The car has maybe 20 miles on it since I came home from Reno. I am ashamed to say, I haven't wash it yet. It still has all the road grime from the drive home Straight into the garage it went. I am going to need to get my butt in gear real quick. There is a big Ford show coming up next month on the 5th. I am taking both Mustangs, and maybe my Pinto. I will start detailing them next week Brian knows where his tool is at if he needs it

Tips on "rolling" fender wheel wells

6strings

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Route666

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DukeGnarley

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Mosse

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burg65

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66P51GT

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allcarfan

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WORTH

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1badII

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TIGGER

Hack

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Tips on "rolling" fender wheel wells

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