Front Fender Install

[Wyattman2015]

Hi,
Does anyone have details of front fender install ?
Thanks
Robert

 

[BronCowie]

It's been a few years, but as I recall, you have to pull the grill off to get the fenders off. Lots of fun...

 

[FordBronc]

Door off, grill shell loose or I just forced it. I seem to remember that the fender was SUPPOSE to be connected to the innerfenderwell by tack welds. Obviously mine was not. I took it off to flatten the inner fenderwell with 2 sledge hammers. Self tappers put the fender and the innerfenderwell back together. Trail rig so pretty pretty is not on top of the list. Start Stop Steer is though.

 

[Torkman66]

Done this 20 times in past few weeks.
1. Unbolt grill from fender. Bolts are inside wheel well and one on top where grill and fender meet hood.
2. Remove fender braces at bottom of fenders.
3. No need to remove door! Open door to 90’ ( must remove door straps) and you will see 3 bolts at back of fender on the pillar.
4. Remove the bolts on fender edge in engine bay.
5. Carefully lift fender and with door open at 90’ pull front of fender away from grill and to about a 30’ angle from body and the rear of fender will come out from door gap.

Goes back the same way in reverse.

 

[BronCowie]

It's been a few years, but as I recall, you have to pull the grill off to get the fenders off. Lots of fun..anyway .

I stand corrected on removing the grill, it is not necessary. I did though remove my grill to do some other work in the radiator area.

 

[jamesroney]

Done this 20 times in past few weeks.
1. Unbolt grill from fender. Bolts are inside wheel well and one on top where grill and fender meet hood.
2. Remove fender braces at bottom of fenders.
3. No need to remove door! Open door to 90’ ( must remove door straps) and you will see 3 bolts at back of fender on the pillar.
4. Remove the bolts on fender edge in engine bay.
5. Carefully lift fender and with door open at 90’ pull front of fender away from grill and to about a 30’ angle from body and the rear of fender will come out from door gap.

Goes back the same way in reverse.

You left out the good stuff:

6. Install new fender.
7. Close door and evaluate gap.
8. Attach fender to existing mounting holes.
9. Elongate fender holes.
10. Bolt down fender flange at cowl. Discover that it is too tall, or short.
11. Remove spot welds from flange and reinstall.
12. Attach fender to A pillar using rusty phillips head screws. Discover that tightening screws pulls fender away from door.
13. Unweld bracket from Fender. Reinstall at correct location.
14. Determine that door curvature to fender curvature is incorrect on one side. Slice and filet fender at bend. Form surface to match door. Weld and finish.
15. Remove weld splatter from newly installed polished stainless door hinge surfact.
16. Re-install Fender. Replace bent and now broken lower fender mounting bracket.
17. Close hood. Discover that hood is not flush with Grill face.
18. Remove Grill. CAREFULLY remove excess overlap material between grill J-nut and fender. Grind, finish and tack weld if necessary.
19. Reinstall grill to fender. Try to figure out whether to make the fender match the grill, or grill match the fender. Do the best you can.
20. Close the hood. Try to figure out how the whole thing shifted during the recent 12 bolt installations. Loosen Core support and shift laterally.
21. Readjust hood to match gaps.
22. Determine location of market lamp holes. Discover that there are exactly zero reference points or straight lines. Snap a string line to the rear marker to establish true horizontal. Cut square opening. Drill attaching screw hole. File or broach .220 square opening for nylon insert.
23. Connect to Internet. Determine EXACT location of Bronco emblem and decide whether to install "Sport" or Standard emblems. Tape and mark location of emblem holes to fender. Try to figure out how to hold an emblem with 6 pointy studs against a fender and mark holes. Apply never-sieze to tip of emblem pins and touch off on fender. Discover that anti-sieze was a terrible choice. Go back to workshop and create a template for the holes out of Wild Horses C-flute corrugated carton flap. Drill holes in template to match emblem. Attach template to fender. Drill holes in fender. Destroy template with drill chuck. Make a new template. Drill holes to size, countersink and finish. Test fit emblem. Break off emblem pin during test fitting.
24. Install antenna hole. Connect back to Internet. Find exact location of correct antenna hole. Go buy a new hole saw, because your unibit wont work on the pointy curved fender, and you broke your arbor last time. Abandon antenna install.

Yeah, that was my yesterday...

 

[fluffybunny]

^ This! And you realize that the YouTube installation video you watched was edited from 6 hours to 15 minutes.

 

[Torkman66]

Perhaps the best and MOST accurate reply ever! Only thing I would add is:
25. Once you think you have it all right and call it a night, go back out to the shop the next morning and see that it is not nearly as good as you thought ...start over at 1.

 

[bronkenn]

26. Install door seals. Throw a cuss tantrum as all that fitment work went out the window.

 

[Hallboss]

26. Install door seals. Throw a cuss tantrum as all that fitment work went out the window.

just experienced this last night!

 

[1buckeyefan1]

23. Connect to Internet. Determine EXACT location of Bronco emblem and decide whether to install "Sport" or Standard emblems. Tape and mark location of emblem holes to fender. Try to figure out how to hold an emblem with 6 pointy studs against a fender and mark holes. Apply never-sieze to tip of emblem pins and touch off on fender. Discover that anti-sieze was a terrible choice. Go back to workshop and create a template for the holes out of Wild Horses C-flute corrugated carton flap. Drill holes in template to match emblem. Attach template to fender. Drill holes in fender. Destroy template with drill chuck. Make a new template. Drill holes to size, countersink and finish. Test fit emblem. Break off emblem pin during test fitting.

Just completed step #23 a few nights ago. spent a good beer or 2 debating if I should make it 2.5" vs. 2.75" from the rear of the fender. I settled on 2.5" vs. my 2.75" on what i thought was my original fender.

moving on to step #11.5 this weekend (welding fenders to match hood countours)

 

[Torkman66]

FYI, after going through all the steps above, at a place where everything is lined up very nice. 3/16” gaps front and rear doors. 1/4”rockers. Hood right at grill tip. I had to shave 1/16” off the front and rears off the doors. That is enough to break through the door skins in multiple places. No problem though. Just shave off a bit more than you want the gap to be then spot weld up the edge to close the skin back on the door. Then very carefully and slowly, with precision, grind down the weld to the gap you want. Takes about 90 minutes per door. Then with the future body work, gaps will be very nice.

I also unpackaged the new lower door seals from WH, removed the push in tabs, and taped the seal in place. No problem shutting door. I did have to slightly bend inward the seal mounting lip on the kick panels, but after that they closed fine. Tight, firm, but not hard to close.
As James points out, you can slap it together and it will be as good as the factory did it. Or you can put in the time, be patient, and get it looking very nice. But it takes many hours of tweeking, bending, welding, and going back over it several times.

 

[jamesroney]

FYI, after going through all the steps above, at a place where everything is lined up very nice. 3/16” gaps front and rear doors. 1/4”rockers. Hood right at grill tip. I had to shave 1/16” off the front and rears off the doors. That is enough to break through the door skins in multiple places. No problem though. Just shave off a bit more than you want the gap to be then spot weld up the edge to close the skin back on the door. Then very carefully and slowly, with precision, grind down the weld to the gap you want. Takes about 90 minutes per door. Then with the future body work, gaps will be very nice.

I also unpackaged the new lower door seals from WH, removed the push in tabs, and taped the seal in place. No problem shutting door. I did have to slightly bend inward the seal mounting lip on the kick panels, but after that they closed fine. Tight, firm, but not hard to close.
As James points out, you can slap it together and it will be as good as the factory did it. Or you can put in the time, be patient, and get it looking very nice. But it takes many hours of tweeking, bending, welding, and going back over it several times.

Ok, since you referenced me without putting the "@" sign in front of my name, I didn't get notified. @Torkman66

So you get to be responsible for "Fender install steps 24-29"

24. Shave doors to fit body, using professional techniques, and totally invisible artwork and craftsmanship.
25. Paint and finish Bronco, enjoy for years.
26. Sell Bronco to an unsuspecting Bronco lover like James.
27. James smashes door with inadvertent mishap. James orders new replacement door from famous vendor. Door doesn't fit.
28. Raise hell and brimstone and force vendor to fix their poor quality product. Demonstrate that their doors are too long. Convince vendor to feedback to manufacturer to tell Taiwanese guy to shorten doors by 1/16 inch. Force vendor to re-tool to the shorter standard.
29. Wait 2 years for supply chain to flush inventory, then order new doors for another project and wonder why the re-pop doors are too short.

 

[Torkman66]

LMAO!!! That is so hilarious. @jamesroney But lets be serious...if you bought this Bronco in the years ahead, within a week you would have a schematic that maps every line, every body measurement, analysis of what was stock and what was not, and would be asking the PO who did the incredible work on the doors. Then you would contact me and give me some grief about how it could have been done even better...I would then learn even more tricks of the trade from you and all would be good in the universe.

 

[jamesroney]

LMAO!!! That is so hilarious. @jamesroney But lets be serious...if you bought this Bronco in the years ahead, within a week you would have a schematic that maps every line, every body measurement, analysis of what was stock and what was not, and would be asking the PO who did the incredible work on the doors. Then you would contact me and give me some grief about how it could have been done even better...I would then learn even more tricks of the trade from you and all would be good in the universe.

Hi. Great working with you. Here's a pic of the last Bronco that I bought. Your secret is safe...

...Edited, I didn't realize my daughter was in that pic.

 

[Torkman66]

Is that the same Bronco in your post #6?

 

[jamesroney]

Is that the same Bronco in your post #6?

No, but if you ever need a body measurement, just let me know and I can pretty much make up any number that you want to hear.

Post #6 came from the fenders I hung last week on "snowball" in my sig line.