Old Library

Tommy:

  I had a beater four door Golf which bore my first VR6 engine conversion
in which I put Jetta III control arms (four cylinder).  These control arms
are longer than even Plus-axle control arms(VR6) and increased the track on
the Golf by two inches in the front .  They rubbed.  But they only rubbed
eight inches left and right of top center of the fender.  I took a mallet
and rolled (smashed/beat) the top eight inches of the lip of the fender. 
The paint chipped off but I didn't care since the car was given to me and
it was just a temporary place for the six cylinder.  I put fender flares on
all four corners and covered the exposed sheet metal with rust stopper
before I put them on.  

  On a nicer car I would recommend that you cut the sheet metal which is
parallel with the ground.  Use a Dremel tool with a steady hand.  Treat the
exposed metal after sanding (drum sanding attachment) with rust stopper and
your'e done.  If you buy the A3 GTI fender flares you can cut even more
metal but I'd cut as little as possible.  It all sounds drastic but I can't
think of a better way.  Using a hammer is too dangerous.  Cracked paint is
no good.

Jim Royston 

I searched the archives and couldn't come up with a procedure for this.

I need to roll the front fender lips on my B3 GLX. My tires are interfering and
have already grabbed the edge of the horizontal metal there. I remember a while
back that someonen posted instructions on how to roll the fender lips, but I
don't have a record of it.

I think I recall the use of a wooden baseball bat to help 'roll' the metal flat.
I only have about 1" of fender gap, so that's a no-no. Maybe use pliers with
cloth wrapped around?

Thanks,

Ian Pitts - VP of POWmotorsports
http://www.powmotorsports.com <- POWmotorsports Home Page

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Ian:

First off, unless you live where it is always warm, don't 'grind' the lip
off of the fender... a Venom member did that and he has had to have the
fender repainted frequently to combat the rust.    I rolled my fender myself
using the baseball bat method... it was a time consuming pain-in-the-butt
and the inner lip did crack on the drivers side 'cause I got a little
impatient and tried to roll too much too quickly.   If you roll the fenders
a little at a time and use a heat gun, you may prevent cracking.   Also, I
think you really only need to roll the very top of the arch which will save
you some time and possibly some cracking.   I think someone else already
posted the link to Venom's website that shows you how it's done.   I tried
calling TheTireRack about their tool a few months ago and they had no idea
as to what I was talking about...

Sincerely,
Todd M. Taylor
President - Venom Motorsports
www.venommotorsports.com


>I searched the archives and couldn't come up with a procedure for this.
>
>I need to roll the front fender lips on my B3 GLX. My tires are interfering and
>have already grabbed the edge of the horizontal metal there. I remember a while
>back that someonen posted instructions on how to roll the fender lips, but I
>don't have a record of it.
>
>I think I recall the use of a wooden baseball bat to help 'roll' the metal flat.
>I only have about 1" of fender gap, so that's a no-no. Maybe use pliers with
>cloth wrapped around?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Ian Pitts - VP of POWmotorsports
>http://www.powmotorsports.com <- POWmotorsports Home Page


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That's true.  I forgot to mention that the body shop put touch-up paint on 
the inner fenders after cutting them out to avoid rust.  But like Todd said, 
rust really isn't an issue out here in LA.
Good luck,
-Doug
'95 Jetta VR6

[...] 57 lines deleted

On Thu, 1 Jul 1999, Doug Brekke wrote:

> I consulted body shops about the baseball bat method, but the good ones told 
> me that more than likely the paint on the fender would crack from the 
> stress.  I had a local shop grind off the center part of my inner fender lip 
> completely, as well as the front part of the rear fenders.  They also 
> extensively cut the plastic fender well lining back for clearance- it all 
> works great.
> -Doug


Good luck to you and your VR6, Doug...I did just the same thing on mine
and after about 6 months, the fender started to rust.  Yes, I did have it
professionally cut and then rust proofed.  After I noticed the rust, I
took it back to the body shop and got it done again.  After a year, it
came back.  So I had him do it one more time...gosh he didn't like me
after that, but I paid for the service, I expect it done the right way.
Well, after another 9 months or so, the rust is back.  I will soon get a
set of widebody kit so I can do away with the rusty fenders.

Just make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.

Sicnerely,
joey

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On Thu, 1 Jul 1999, Doug Brekke wrote:

> I consulted body shops about the baseball bat method, but the good ones told
> me that more than likely the paint on the fender would crack from the
> stress.  I had a local shop grind off the center part of my inner fender lip
> completely, as well as the front part of the rear fenders.  They also
> extensively cut the plastic fender well lining back for clearance- it all
> works great.
> -Doug

Only problem is that you cut off many spot welds that hold two body panels
together. The reason the rust will keep coming back is because the panels
now rub against each other when the body flexes more than before. I ground
mine about halfway, just till I touched the welds. Guess what, after a year,
no rust. I did flood the area with epoxy primer and paint, but none of that
will help when the welds are gone.

Bob C.



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