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ConvertiblesDiscussed here are problems and solutions to convertible specific questions, including difficult to find part numbers and other convertible tech help.
Hey guys, well I bought a pair of new R-Dot front fenders for my 91 Trans Am convertible. My old fenders are pretty rotted especially where they hide under the ground effects. I got the older style fenders with the vent on the side. Today I decided to test fit them aaannnnddd they didn't fit at all.
Here are pictures of the new fender "on" the car:
Upon closer inspection, I realized that the bottom of the new fenders are a bit different than the old ones:
So WTF am I supposed to do now? Pardon the attitude lol. But some help would be appreciated. Thanks!
For some reason I'm thinking ASC just cut the fenders and relocated a tab?
And you know that no Firebird from 91-92 had the fender vents, right?
Originally Posted by musclecar70sfan
I got the older style fenders with the vent on the side.
Yeah I know. I just like the fenders with the vents better, they also look unique on the 91-92 cars since they were no longer made then and I've only seen a few people do that. And regarding the fender mounts, I guess that's what ASC did, but I'm gonna have to figure out how to mount them. There seem to be a special bracket there. I'm not sure if they're welded on or not since it was holding onto one fender but the other came off. Somebody's gotta know since I doubt I'm the only one replacing the fenders on a thirdgen convertible.
I had the same issue whrn replacing my driver side fender. The vert version in roughly 4 inches shorter and you need to remove the bracket from the old fender. I was not smart enough to save my old fender so now I have to fab one. I've read here that these were rivetted on but am planning to weld on the one I make.
I had the same issue whrn replacing my driver side fender. The vert version in roughly 4 inches shorter and you need to remove the bracket from the old fender. I was not smart enough to save my old fender so now I have to fab one. I've read here that these were rivetted on but am planning to weld on the one I make.
I see what you mean. Fortunately I kept my brackets, I'll just have to find a way to remove one of them. Apparently from the rust one came off on its own (but is still pretty solid looking) but the other one is still stuck onto the fender. Anybody know where they are welded/riveted so I can drill it out? Thank you!!!
Last edited by musclecar70sfan; 02-07-2010 at 08:46 AM.
measure your fender line down and cut the lower area off then rivit bracket on all fenders the same fenders except asc cut them on the bottom for the brace that was welded too along frame its all good
So the brackets are riveted? Anybody got a diagram or something showing where they are so I know where to drill? Thanks!
Actually a diagram of a convertible fender would be nice so I could know exactly where to cut and mount since my old fenders are kinda rusty. I could probably get by with those but I thought I'd ask. Thank you!
So the brackets are riveted? Anybody got a diagram or something showing where they are so I know where to drill? Thanks!
Actually a diagram of a convertible fender would be nice so I could know exactly where to cut and mount since my old fenders are kinda rusty. I could probably get by with those but I thought I'd ask. Thank you!
I would install the top part of the fender line it up with the hood door ect..and then the lower part of the fender and use a pair of vice grips and fit it to the door and clamp it with the vice grip and drill ahole and rivet it or weld it
Um there wasn't a bracket that I needed and it lined up perfectly.
I'm thinking that the bracket wasn't an absolute necessity, but since ASC thought enough to use it, I figured I would, too.
When I took the original off, I set it aside, and when the time came to do the new one, I measured the where the cut line for the fender was and the positioning of the ASC-supplied bracket. I cut the lower section under the lowest crease, mounted the bracket per my layout, and it all went together with no issues. oNly took about an hour total from old hood off to new one on.
Hope this was better info!
TT
Last edited by TimeTraveller; 02-16-2010 at 09:56 PM.
Reason: new questions.
I'm thinking that the bracket wasn't an absolute necessity, but since ASC thought enough to use it, I figured I would, too.
When I took the original off, I set it aside, and when the time came to do the new one, I measured the where the cut line for the fender was and the positioning of the ASC-supplied bracket. I cut the lower section under the lowest crease, mounted the bracket per my layout, and it all went together with no issues. oNly took about an hour total from old hood off to new one on.
Hope this was better info!
TT
Thanks! But I just wanna know where the spot weld/rivet points are on the brackets so I know where to drill them out. Do you know?
Originally Posted by JTNKTZ
Um there wasn't a bracket that I needed and it lined up perfectly.
Well that's good, I'm assuming the ground effects piece is holding the bottom in then.
OK here ya go... Note that on my ASC 'vert, that the bracket was spot welded and had to be driled out, and I riveted them back in place. But here's a shot with the measurements marked. Keep in mind that ASC basically hand-made the 'verts, so these may not be ENTIRELY accurate, they were like this on my car.
Note: you'll have to save this pic and blow it up a bit to see the notations
Does anybody know why ASC modified the fenders to begin with?
Well they had to cut them a few inches because the sub-frame reinforcements got in the way. The non-convertible cars didn't have those since they had a roof that kept the unibody from folding into itself lol. On my car in the pictures above you can see the reinforcements pretty clearly since I have gray primer on them right now.
Last edited by musclecar70sfan; 02-19-2010 at 03:32 PM.
Well they had to cut them a few inches because the sub-frame reinforcements got in the way. The non-convertible cars didn't have those since they had a roof that kept the unibody from folding into itself lol. On my car in the pictures above you can see the reinforcements pretty clearly since I have gray primer on them right now.
Hey this is a dumb question but what did you guys use to cut the fender? I'm thinking of using a sawzall and then just filing/sanding the edges after.
It's better to use a grinder with a cut-off wheel.. Much cleaner cut, every time I use a sawzall, even a good blade, I bend the hell out of everything..
It's better to use a grinder with a cut-off wheel.. Much cleaner cut, every time I use a sawzall, even a good blade, I bend the hell out of everything..
I had the same problem with my 91 camaro,i replaced the drivers side front and had to cut and modify it a little.
After i was done she fit just right,also i had a new rear quarter panel installed on the driver side and it came out to be a little diffrent in some spots.
The guy i had doing it had like 30 years experiacne so i got lucky he knew what he was doing.
Anyways good luck with it
Sorry to revive this old thread...
I had to get new aftermarket fenders and cut to fit using the info above. I did a search and this seems to be the best place to post (no need for a new thread). I have a 1989 Camaro.... Here it is...
The old fender... notice the 2 holes above the bracket rivets, that's where the front bolts of the side skirts (behind badges) go through the fenders and into the unibody. This along with the top bolts on the fender and the arm underneath (that holds the bottom front half of the fender) are more then enough to hold the fender on snug... So why is it on there?? keep reading....
New fender
Folded a paper around the cut-line of the old fender to use as a template
Last edited by blakecharles; 05-21-2011 at 08:31 PM.
The grinder you see in the background made short work of cutting this fender. It's a cheap Milwaukee from home depot with a 4" x 1/8" thick cutting disk for metal.
Last edited by blakecharles; 05-21-2011 at 09:02 PM.
Notice how it lines up funny?? My original fenders do not have the same bracket as the new. After doing some measurements and found that mounting any of the 2 bracket types will correct the problem (basically if the bolt inside the door jam lines up to the bracket on the inside of the fender, everything lines up nice).
I'm not saying the above info is accurate 100%, but all the above was true in my case. I will let you know when I drill out the rivets and swap them to the new fenders (they are just test fitted for now)...
Getting the new hood and bumper to line up is a different story
Hood went on fine and everything lines up (including the holes on top of the fender used to bolt the hinges on). I also have some room for a bit of adjustment.
A shot of the body lines (looks good for now)... We can thank UPS for the dents in the hood... Free shipping my a** ....
The bumper bolts don't quite line up, but the bumper is flexible. With a bit of finesse I am sure I will get it on without having to drill new holes..
Overall, this is easy... Of course you don't have to take the whole front end apart like I did (shaved the firewall and doors). Should take no longer then 20 min to cut the fenders and another 20 to tack weld or rivet the bracket onto the new fenders...
In my case the bracket will most likely be bolted on the same way as the window motor (don't like drilling rivets every time work needs to be done.)
Parts used
- hood, carpartsonline (ebay) $280
- fenders, carpartsonline (ebay) $80
- bumper cover, GM $350
- front end bolt kit, camarocentral $60** Not shown in pics **
Last edited by blakecharles; 05-21-2011 at 08:59 PM.
Hey I'm back with a follow up... I got off my lazy *** and finished my fenders today... IT TOOK FOREVER!!! LOL! My past few posts where just a test fit and everything looked good... Here we go....
Drill the 1/8" rivets out of the bracket of the old fender and take the bracket off
Got them out!!! Here is a shot of the brackets
Clean them off good, grind off rust and paint with duplicolor if you have to.
Look at the image below. The bracket is held on to the inner fender with 2 sided foam tape. I used the stock location as a starting point. Line up the side that bolts to the door jamb as close as you can. Now stand back and look at your body lines (see the body line post #36). If your it looks good, go to the next step)... If your not happy with the body line, remove the fender and adjust the bracket up/down/left/right. repeat this step as many times as needed. THIS PART TOOK THE LONGEST.
Now that you have your bracket in desired position, drill 1/8" holes in the fenders. Use the holes that are already in the bracket as a template. I know I said I was going to use bolts but I didn't. I went to home depot and got this rivet gun for $15. Put rivets in all the holes you just made.
Last edited by blakecharles; 06-11-2011 at 12:36 PM.
I found it hard to find out what I needed to know till I found this thread. I didn't mean to hijack it, but I just wanted to do my part to help out the next person.
~ I'll take a pic of how everything came out when the game go's off ~
Blake
I know this post seems to be a couple years old but is that a genuine GM hood?
I sure would like to know where I can get a new steel iroc hood that acturally fits correctly.
No it's not, it's a vary good quality reproduction hood from ebay (some Chinese company). Fenders are after market too, they didn't line up like stock so I got a driver and pass fender from 2 different cars in the junk yard. Problem solved.
Hi,
I have a '92 Firebird convertible and was having the same issue. The fenders on convertible were modified by ASC to allow clearance for the side rocker reinforcement rails.
So, the bottom mounting tabs were cut off and brackets were welded into the lower fenders.
I took measurements and made a cardboard template which Im having a metal fabrication shop make into a new set of brackets which will be welded into my new fenders.
Each bracket has 2 tabs that are bolted onto the car.
Unfortunately, it's the only way to replace the fenders
on 3rd gen convertibles.
02-06-2010, 10:30 PM
