Many vintage custom truck enthusiasts are aware that Tri-Five Chevy pickups and Ford F-100s have weird-fitting rear fenders. They're narrower in the back than in the front. Perhaps Ford and GM gave them a taper so that mud wouldn't load up inside them as fast when these pickups were used as farm and ranch trucks. Now that vintage trucks are becoming show- and cruisehorses as opposed to workhorses, we desire the biggest and most awesome-looking wheels and tires on our custom classic trucks. There are several ways to customize a mid-'50s vintage GM or Ford pickup to overcome such a wheel/tire fitment challenge: go fenderless; buy wider fiberglass or sheetmetal aftermarket fenders; fabricate pie-cut sheetmetal filler pieces, shape them, and weld them; or take two sets of rear fenders and make one perfect-fitting set. Which option do you think No Limit Engineering picked when they decided to work more customizing wonders on the '56 F-100 giveaway truck?
No Limit founder Rob MacGregor chose the best and most cost-effective approach. He contacted Dennis at Dennis Carpenter Ford & Cushman Reproductions in Concord, North Carolina, and talked Dennis into providing two sets of rear fenders for the giveaway truck. Rob explained to us that making one set of custom fenders from two sets of new reproduction sheetmetal fenders will yield near-perfect results with less time, effort, and money spent. We thought, There's no way he can be right, until we watched one of his technicians, Carlos, make it so. See how the pros fabricate some hot rod hauler fenders for the '56 F-100 giveaway truck, the pickup that will be awarded to a fortunate 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals and Ford Family Reunion attendee (May 18-20, 2006). No Limit Engineering makes it look so easy, you'll want to modify the fenders on your Tri-Five or Effie.
No Limit Engineering is making...
No Limit Engineering is making rapid progress on the '56 F-100, which will be given away at the 28th Annual F-100 SuperNationals and Ford Family Reunion. Find out how the talented crew customized the rear fenders to permit the installation of bigger wheels and tires by reading on.
After marking a 1.5-inch-wide...
After marking a 1.5-inch-wide cut line on the passenger-side rear fender, Carlos cut the inner fender flange off the fender with the shop's trusty (but loud) jigsaw.
Can you believe that this...
Can you believe that this brand-new Dennis Carpenter F-100 fender is missing its flange?
By now you're thinking what...
By now you're thinking what we were: These guys are out of control! Carlos cut the radii of the other new set of rear Dennis Carpenter fenders.
In preparation for welding,...
In preparation for welding, he ground the edges of the radius-less fenders.
Using the fender bolts, Carlos...
Using the fender bolts, Carlos attached the passenger-side fender flange. While we photographed Rob and Mike as they produced the custom headers, Carlos tack-welded the passenger-side rear fender.
With the newly customized...
With the newly customized passenger-side rear fender looking pristine, Carlos installed the driver-side flange.
No Limit planned to weld the...
No Limit planned to weld the rear fenders at the 1-inch point on the flanges. To account for the 1/8 inch that was lopped off with the removal of the fenders' radii, Carlos marked the weld line at 1 1/8 inches wide.
Before welding, he tightened...
Before welding, he tightened the fender- flange bolts.
No Limit's technician drilled...
No Limit's technician drilled holes in the top of the fender...
...and used Cleeco clips to...
...and used Cleeco clips to hold the fender in place while tack-welding.
Being careful not to overheat...
Being careful not to overheat the metal, he tack-welded the fender on top of the flange.
Welders might suggest that...
Welders might suggest that butt-welding is preferable. But doing so would increase the possibility of warping the metal. Before adding more tack-welds, Carlos permitted the metal to cool.
At this point, Carlos had...
At this point, Carlos had both rear fenders tack-welded into place. To avoid excessive heat warping the metal, he would lay down the final seam welds over a few days' time.
By clamping a test bed-side...
By clamping a test bed-side filler piece into position, No Limit experimented with the most desirable custom look. They knew they wanted the bottom of the rear fender to be even with the bedside.
After some thought, Rob and...
After some thought, Rob and Carlos decided what would look best. Carlos cut out a piece of sheetmetal.
Using a square and a Sharpie,...
Using a square and a Sharpie, he drew the desired shape on the metal.
As this piece will be butt-welded...
As this piece will be butt-welded to the bottom of the bed side, he marked where the sheet-metal would need to be bent (two short, darkened lines).
Using the table saw, he cut...
Using the table saw, he cut out the component.
With the press break, he made...
With the press break, he made a uniform 1-inch bend in the metal.
Prior to trial fitment of...
Prior to trial fitment of the newly made piece, Carlos held his handiwork.
Making the fender bottom even...
Making the fender bottom even with the bottom of the bed side does look cleaner. No Limit also realized it looks a bit boxy.
Carlos created a cardboard...
Carlos created a cardboard template to fill in the gap between the fender and the bottom of the bed side.
Since the fill piece would...
Since the fill piece would be three-dimensional, he next cut the width pieces.
Back at the table saw, he...
Back at the table saw, he cut the triangular piece.
With a hammer and the edge...
With a hammer and the edge of the workbench, Carlos hammer-formed the pie-shaped piece.
In preparation for welding...
In preparation for welding the piece to the fender, he sanded the cut edges smooth in the belt sander.
He welded the three-dimensional...
He welded the three-dimensional triangle in place.
With the bed-side fill piece...
With the bed-side fill piece MIA, he ground the excess weld material smooth.
After re-clamping the bed-side...
After re-clamping the bed-side bottom piece into position to confirm the best fit with the 3D triangle fill piece, Carlos finished grinding the welded surfaces. The Sharpie line on the bed-side metal indicates where more cutting will take place.
Once Carlos removed the bed-side...
Once Carlos removed the bed-side piece, he cut the desired shape in the metal with the band saw.
If we conducted a poll for...
If we conducted a poll for how many CCT readers prefer the No Limit Engineering look on the top to the stock look on the bottom, we'd get 100 percent in favor of the No Limit piece...
...Watch for more custom work...
...Watch for more custom work on the '56 F-100 giveaway truck in our next issue!