We began the metal part of our project truck makeover by smoothing out the gas filler area on our 1970 Chevy C10. In this second installment, we will clean up our original fenders by removing the factory side marker lights. There were several options that were available to us on this. The easiest would have been to contact an aftermarket company like Brothers Trucks (www.brotherstrucks.com) and order a set of 1967 replacement fenders (part number FF67F00), which come with the side marker lights already deleted, and list for under $150 each. Our original fenders were in good shape and already had fairly good alignment so we chose to retain the factory metal, and just metal work the marker lights out. We turned again to the folks at Strange Daze Rods and Customs in Forney, Texas, to work their magic. Danny and Kim Day do such a great job over there that when they are finished working the metal, we won’t have to use any plastic filler. Keep in mind that this takes time and time equates out to more money, so weigh your options. It also needs to be said that with a little practice, patience and some basic welding skills, you could do this in your own garage. CCT
Here is our factory fender,...
Here is our factory fender, removed from the truck. In order to give our project truck a clean look, we will shave the marker lights on both fenders. First, Danny from Strange Daze, grabs an air sander and grinds down the area that we are going to work on.
Next, Danny grabs a can of...
Next, Danny grabs a can of Nissen blue layout fluid (also known as machinist dye - www.nissenmarkers.com), this will help us to mark our area to be cut out on the fender.
There are many methods to...
There are many methods to mark the line, but Danny prefers using either a dial caliper or a metal protractor. We are going to set the dial caliper at 0.0250” (1/4-inch).
We run the dial caliper around...
We run the dial caliper around the marked light area which scribes a line into the blue machinist dye.
The protractor can also be...
The protractor can also be used.
Here is our fender with the...
Here is our fender with the cut line marked.
Next, we grab a cutoff wheel...
Next, we grab a cutoff wheel and cut along our line we scribed.
Here is our vintage marker...
Here is our vintage marker light fixing to find its way into the trash.
Next, Danny grabs an air sander...
Next, Danny grabs an air sander and smoothes the edge out, around the area we cut out.