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New front wings< opinions?

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northstar

northstar

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Getting ready for paint after 4 or so years of rebuild. Just can't bring myself to put the fiberglass front fenders back on... after having every nut and bolt removed. Any opinions on who supplies good metal fenders, or are they all coming from the same place? Man they seem expensive $1300 + shipping. I found a pair of originals that would be ready to ship to me and ready for paint, no fill for + $1600 each. Are these prices in the ball park?
Thanks guys.
 
Only an opinion. No two bodies or their parts were exactly the same dimensions. The original body parts were hand fitted with parts selected from piles of similar but not identical parts to get the best fit on the particular car. Other parts, repro or NOS, will be likely to need reworking to fit on your car.

The "ready for paint" may be questionable. New parts have been known to require shortening or lengthening by 1/2" in order to fit a particular car. I think Moss gets theirs from the UK, maybe "SC Parts Group". You can look here:
https://www.scparts.co.uk #204625 & # 204628
In any event, be prepared to do some fitting, or you might get very lucky & they will bolt on.

Good luck,
D
 
Andrew

You got a PM on where to try.Do not put the old fiberglass ones back on.




Mark
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif Dave and at that price I would just as soon have a pair of useable used ones even if they need the typical patch panel repair.---Fwiw--Keoke
 
I onced purchased a set of NOS BJ8 rear fenders back in the 80's.
They did not even come close to fitting my car.

My vote is for used ones too!

Pete
 
---- :wave

-----Andrew: "Are these prices in the ball park" IMOP they are Over the top!!--Keoke /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif
 
New fenders from SC Parts appear to be about $760 each plus overseas shipping. Moss lists fenders for $1,300 each plus much less shipping.

Since you will likely have to do considerable fitting, it's a shame to cut up new high dollar parts because they don't fit.

I agree with Keoke, used parts would come out as good in the end, & if you have to cut them, not quite as painful or expensive. There a number of possibilities to find used fenders. British Car Specialists in Stockton, CA would be a place to start. BCS might also give you some other leads. There are several places around the country that may have used fenders. Maybe someone will list their favorite parts places. There are several in the Eastern part of the USA.
D
 
A local car club member just bought new fenders that were made from China or somewhere, from one of the big parts houses. They were awful! They were at least 1 to 2 inches off and needed complete re-fabricating. By all means purchase the best used fenders and go from there. I just bought a very good fender for $200 that I just stripped and sealed, patched the usual rusted lower portion and off to the paint shop.
 
Andrew,
Having gone through this in the last couple of years with my restoration of a 60 BT7, I can confirm what others are saying here. I used four new aluminum fenders from AH Spares, the quality was good but the fit required considerable adjustment by a pro (read as expensive). I am extremely pleased with the result but this was a bit of an ordeal. If I was doing it over, I would have repaired my original steel wings even though they would have also required substantial rust repair.

I know you don't have much of a choice since you are trying to fix something done by a previous owner (fiberglass), but I would look hard at used steel wings if you can get your hands on some. They will need adjustment too, but probably less than the alternative. Gary Hemphill at Hemphill's Healey Haven near Baltimore used to have quite a few used body parts. He might work with you. Mike Salter (https://www.precisionsportscar.com/) is closer to you and he may have some panels as well. I would definitely call around and see what you can find. Good luck, panel fitting is frustrating.

Lin
1960 BT7 in restoration
1959 Bugeye
 
Hello Andrew, The fenders on my Healey are fibre glass and many have looked at it and never could tell. Yet the obvious to me is the beaded edge around the wheel arches. Where mine are flat. But if I wanted to I could recreate that edge. The good part is, they don't rust. When I do the car over, I will do some shaping to get the parting lines more consistent and to level the surfaces between panels. But all that is just another kind of fitting that also is done when fitting metal.
To me the origins of the glass fenders were a period modification to lighten the car. My car was specifically set up for rallys by a well known Healey shop. Since I don't ever plan on winning concours judging, if the fibre glass was good enough for the rally boys, then it's good enough for me. (by the way, I have won Peoples Choice trophies at local events.)
 
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