Replacement Fenders

[Paul Sj]

Does anyone have experience with the replacement fenders sold by Moss or anyone else -- steel or aluminum? Their warnings about fit make me wonder if I should try harder to find used (anyone have a 3000 left front fender in good condition?). I have also been told that the variance is more in each chassis than it is in the body panels.

Paul

 

[John Turney]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Paul Sj:
Does anyone have experience with the replacement fenders sold by Moss or anyone else -- steel or aluminum? Their warnings about fit make me wonder if I should try harder to find used (anyone have a 3000 left front fender in good condition?). I have also been told that the variance is more in each chassis than it is in the body panels.

Paul<hr></blockquote>

Paul,

Unless you are really lucky, you will have to do some work on any replacement, or original fender you get. Legend has it that when these cars were originally built, the factory would take a stack of fenders and keep trying ones until they found one that fit. For example, there is about 3/8" difference in length between my two front fenders.

With that said, the best quality seems to come from the UK (SC Spares comes to mind) or Australia (Kilmartin, available through British Car Specialists). I found Moss sheet metal (floors, not fenders) to be variable in quality, some right on, some a poor fit.

John, BN4

 

[BEEJAY7]

Paul

I've just received a Trade notification that AH Spares in the UK have formed a specialist panel Company called, (strangly enough!) AH Panels.

They are now selling re- tooled panels, including wings(fenders), to a much higher specification than the previous stuff they sold.

Try their website for more info. As I said I haven't had any experience of the new Panels yet so I can't say how good, or bad, they are, but they must be an improvement on the old stuff!.

www.ahspares.co.uk

I think you will find that AH supplied many of the larger Healey outleys in the States, so you should, eventually, find that these new improved panels find their way "over there".

 

[RF Thom]

Paul
I tried looking for some fenders for my restoration and after an exhausting search decided to bit the bullet and buy new fenders from A-H Spares. What a disaster. I first asked they to confirm that they were indeed tooled for a BN4 as I had heard that they were tooled for a BJ7/8. This is where I should have stopped - no confident reply. I went ahead anyway and sure enough they're for a BJ7/8. For the front wings 1]the rear attaching flange was wrong, 2]the top profile was wrong, 3]the front profile behind the headlight was wrong, 4] they were 1/2" too long and the headlight flange made the headlights look cross eyed. The rear wing top profile was wrong and again the door flange was wrong. After all this expense and dissappointment I took another look at my original fenders estimated the cost to rework the A-H Spares units, and went with my originals. I was fortinute to unload my aluminum 'repros' to a local rebuilder who makes 'nasty boy' Healeys without loss. If they claim to have new dies etc, before I purchase anything I ask for a some customer reference and contact them for confirmation of their claims. A couple of $3 phone calls could save you thousands in rework frustration.

You could also call Paul at Tsikuris Classics in Florida at [863] 858-7981 he rebuilds, and here I mean he does the work not farm it out, Healeys regularly and is a good resource.

Regards,

Bob

 

[Randy Forbes]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by RF Thom:

You could also call Paul at Tsikuris Classics in Florida at [863] 858-7981 he rebuilds, and here I mean he does the work not farm it out, Healeys regularly and is a good resource.

Regards,

Bob<hr></blockquote>


Please don't bother Paul, I'm trying to get him to finish the body and paintwork on my Healey

If you have been to his shop, you can see that his work reeks of pure old fashioned dedication and quality.

I'm in no hurry for him to finish, but I'm sure looking forward to the results

 

[BEEJAY7]

Bob

I fully agree with your comments about the fit of "old stock" Healey wings from AH Spares.

I think I can safely say that over the last few years we have not recieved a panel from them that did not need modification in some way.

The worst "offender" was the rear seat pan panel which was 2" too wide. The only solution was to cut it down the middle and then trim the sides to fit, and then weld it back together. Not the ideal solution.

This, however, is not an unknown problem to Healey owners, because, as you correctly point out, Healey's were assembled in the Factory on a "best fit" basis from large parts piles.

We were "fortunate" in having a small supply of genuine Factory spare wings from the 60's, and even these require some work in order to get them to fit correctly.

It is unfortunate that Aluminium Panels, from this source are a very poor fit, probably worse than their steel conterparts.

As you found out to your cost,it is always better to try and repair your original panels. This may be time consuming and more expensive, but at least you can be sure they will fit!.

We have spoken to AH in the past, at great length, about the poor quality of their panels, and I think what they are trying to do now, with the establishment of a "new Company" is a step in the right direction.

I'm afraid at the end of the day "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" - (Old English Phrase), i.e. we can only try them before commenting further.

Interesting Thread.

Cheers

 

[William]

Forgive me for not knowing (I know, I should stop by here more often!), but what's a "nasty boy" Healey? Just a cheapo restoration?
-William

 

[Barefoot]

Nasty Boy=engine transplant.
Usually American V8

 

[RF Thom]

Added note to BEEJAY7

Around here the saying is "the puddin' was eet right there" and it didn't tast too good.

Bob

 

[Paul Sj]

Thanks for the info. I talked to Paul at AH Spares today and he indicated that AH Panels was not new. I asked if the new panels were made to a higher spec, and he just said that they are made on the original tooling and are as good as they were originally. He claims the variance is in the cars.

I can't find an SC Spares, and SC Parts Group only seems to have a very limited selection of fenders. Kilmartin only makes repair sections, not whole fenders.

Does anyone other than AH Spares/Panels really make new AH exterior body panels? If they have the original tooling, it may make sense.

Is it worth the extra cost to go to aluminum to save the weight? What about the vulnerability to damage?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Dave Russell]

Paul,

I think that unless you are racing the car & absolutely need to remove a few pounds, the aluminum fenders are a needless expense & a lot of aggrevation. With new aluminum, you will have the problem of fitting all four new instead of just one front.

The first Healeys had aluminum fenders & there were so many damage problems in shipping & handling that the factory soon went to steel fenders. Even the steel ones are pretty easy to damage with everyday wear & tear.

D

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Paul Sj:

Is it worth the extra cost to go to aluminum to save the weight? What about the vulnerability to damage?

Thanks,
Paul<hr></blockquote>

 

[Johnny]

Strange nobody mentioned using the "fiberglass" replacement fenders? I've heard of one individual who used fiberglass fenders and actually won a concourse award! Of course that was a long time ago.
If I were going to build a race Healey I would consider using fiberglass due to the extreme lightness of the material.
Johnny, 59bn7

 

[Randy Forbes]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Johnny:
Strange nobody mentioned using the "fiberglass" replacement fenders? I've heard of one individual who used fiberglass fenders and actually won a concourse award! Of course that was a long time ago.
If I were going to build a race Healey I would consider using fiberglass due to the extreme lightness of the material.
Johnny, 59bn7

<hr></blockquote>


The fibreglas fenders that were available in the 70s were actually heavier than the steel ones due to their thickness.
I'm sure that there was variance among suppliers, but weight savings wasn't used to advertise them (like rustproof was).
Kevlar/carbon-fibre would be a whole 'nother story.