big healey rear fender trim

[rama]

I'm having trouble sorting this out. What's the story on the rear fender trim or flashing. Is the fender smooth under this trim. Gary Anderson and Roger Moment seem to say that there is no opening in the fender under the flashing on the 6-cylinder cars. Can anyone verify what is correct???

 

[Randy Forbes]

No holes (unlike like the Hundred) under the flash.

I have seen cars when I worked at Austin-Healey West (S.F., circa late 70s) that had 3/8" holes drilled through the fender under the flash; they looked to have been that way for a while, but cannot say how they got there...

My bad! I'm commenting on the flash (spear) on the FRONT fender. What trim are you talking about on the REAR fender (only the "convertibles" had a trim piece__to my knowledge__on the rear fenders, just aft of the door shut pillar).

 

[rama]

What I thought I was referring to is a strip on top of the rear fender...like a continuation of the trim piece on the front fender...my healey has no trim piece of any kind on the rear fenders...they are smooth and the rear is fully continuous looks like one piece...the whole rear cowling and fenders look like one piece...what I'm trying to determine is if this rear has been modified...or if the rear fender trim was just not re-installed after it was painted somewhere along the line

 

[stevebn2bj7]

It sounds like someone filled in the gap between the shroud and fender. Being that they are two seperate pieces of two different metals you will likely have a problem someday. Unfortunately it will me difficult to find the exact spot of the seperation without grinding off all of the filler.

 

[vette]

I don't know if my attachments took, ( seem to have alot of trouble with this) but I attached 2 pics to show the seem between the fenders and the rear shroud. As I have said some time ago, the rear fenders that I bought were so far out that I had to totally reshape them. But after I get the left rear done I will have completed all the metal and panel work. But still much to do. It sounds to me that someone has filled the joint on your car. With the factory joint there would be a chrome or stainless beading running the length from door to below the bumper. I don't personally think that filling the joint was a good idea on the Healey body because it is a bolt together joint and of dissimilar metals and we don't know what they used. Obviously it wasn't welded. But having said that, if it shows no flaws, cracks, etc, you could leave it that way if you don't mind it that way. Modern day bonding agents and fillers are very strong and resilant and could last ages. I once did that to an MGB rear fenders and to this day they are good. But the MGB fenders were not bolted to the body.

 

[Keoke]

Yes some one has modified your car. It will eventually fail, crack, and you can then have it fixed correctly or you can do it now. It is your call.-Fwiw--Keoke