Hot Rods Anyone have experience with Brookville steel fenders?

I'm thinking out loud here but I am giving some thought to my next project.

It's probably going to be roadster because I really do miss my old one but this go around I'm thinking it will full fendered,thus the question concerning fenders.

I helped my pal Dave install the front fenders on his pickup and there was a good bit of fabrication needed to get the front's to fit correctly but that was several years ago,,I have never dealt with the rears.

Just looking for your suggestions on the fender or tips on how you tweaked them. HRP

 

Wow! Thought and planning BEFORE the start of a build? Are you getting old on us?

 

Yeah and yeah. HRP

 

I used their steel front fenders on my 29 AA in 2005. Took a lot of tweaking and pulling to match splash apron and back end to match up to running boards on stock brackets.
Good fenders other than that and you will need to drill mounting holes (unless they changed).

Earl

 

Had no issues front or rear

 

I have a pair of original coupe/roadster rears for sale in the classifieds that I am ready to deal on...One is nice, one is pretty rough, with a spare to fix it.

 

28/29 decent
30/31 A LOT OF WORK !!!

 

Interesting take on the fender fit. My buddy Vince, who builds cars for himself or for customers the same way. RIGHT or not at all. Recently he built a real Henry 32 3 window, the fenders were OK but given the choice, Vince once again went to Brookville. As in the past there were minor issues with fitment. This time around the main issue was width at the running boards. No matter if he used the original boards or new Bob Drake boards, the fenders were 1/8" to 1/4" to narrow. Not a big deal to dart and spread. BUT they are NEW. In the past there have been 2 different "smiles" (the sweep of the front of the fenders as you look head on). Not to difficult to correct (one looks better than the other,match it). BUT again, they are NEW, why should there be a difference? In defense of Brookville, they are good products, nicely done and pretty accurate to original. HENRY's weren't much better, factory to factory, batch to batch, QUALITY was not necessarily Job One. So in Vince's opinion, Brookville is often a good alternative to original, especially weighing time involved to restore original versus Brookville cost and perfection of their parts cost. In my opinion. RINALDI

 

Been a few years (7/8), I used Brooksville on the 32 Vicky. Rears were great, bolted right on with no issues. Fronts were a different story however, took way too much slicing and dicing.
Someone told me that they have improved the fronts since I bought mine so my experience might nor apply anymore.

 

Do most of the restorers and their retailers like Snyder's and Bratton's buy theirs from Brookville or do they have other manufacturers? A year ago a friend of mine recommended just buying better originals with the fewest brakes and dents and reworking them. I'm finding that the old metal is pretty well fatigued, and since I'm just beginning to learn metalshaping and MIG welding, it will take a lot of time to fix just one fender, so some time and effort fine-tuning a new fender still gives you a new fender - and good metal - in the end. I'll gain experience, but still not have the best fender possible.

 

I bet ol' 3w has a suggestion.

 

No...Actually I was thinking that saying 'Brookville Steel Fenders' is like saying 'Model A 5 Window Coupe'...it ain't necessary.

 

X2. My rear sedans fit like henry made them. The front on the other hand did not fit where the fender mates up to the side of the frame. We had to slice along the flange mating to the frame and add material., also had to slice one where the running board meets the back of the fender and add material. Im using original rails, model A front crossmember and homebuilt cross members rearward so I dont know if that has anything to do with it.

 

For what it's worth, they had repop fenders in the late 20's they were sold as Fostier replacements and came painted black and wrapped in brown paper. I have a copy of the add some place. So you have another player in the fender game.

 

I'm with Rusty, My rears I struggled a little bit with until I realized that a couple of my holes I had drilled a little bit off and that was twisting them a bit when they were bolted tight. That was totally a problem I created. The fronts I found a little narrow at the running board and with a little running board and outer edge tweaking I got the passenger side close enough to make me happy. The driver side I split and widened along the frame almost a 1/4" .

 

What would larry know about fenders,he doesn't use them! HRP

 

Just checking to see if Larry was awake, I knew I could count on him.
This falls under the category "whatever blows your dress up".
I personally dig the deuce in just about any form, but I have heard more than one
hiboy-centric minded say "they aren't finished until the fenders are removed".

 

I've had a hiboy roadster in the past and I am well aware that building a hiboy is considerably less expensive to build but I want a challenge. HRP

 

JMHO
My experience, I ordered 32 fronts from Brookville, they came from a difference source and when I put them on for mock up, I noticed a difference from the side to side smile in front. They also didn't begin to fit the original frame. Didn't use and sold them and went back to original.
The ones they sell now may be better fit.
Jack

 

I've used them on 3 deuces a sedan and 2 coupes. The rears fit with no issues. The fronts all needed a little adjustment where they meet the running boards and the side of the frame. I also changed the eyebrow on one side so it was the same from side to side, maybe a little anal but that's me. I have a new set of fronts for my pu so we'll see if things have changed. Go to Walden Speed Shops instagram pg and he shows what he had to do to make them fit.

 

Thank you Gary,I appreciate the heads up. HRP

 

Same issues on the fronts but we have Walden to make them correct. If you can locate a set of the old McDonnell Douglas repo's they always seem to fit my projects without much hassle. They used to be $1100 a pair.

 

Well if you REALLY want a challenge:



Part1
Good Luck!

 

Brookville rears bolted up fine on my RPU.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with the fellow
that commissioned the building of the McDonnell Douglass fenders.
I was working in California a couple of years ago and answered an add
for a Model A coupe he had in the local Auto Trader weekly magazine. He showed me
photos of several sets hanging on the walls of the shop we were sitting in at
that moment. I was amazed to see them and was not aware they were ever built.
Neil told me he had a run of a 50 or so sets made. After a few stampings the dies
had to be repaired as they were made a material that was not steel but a molded
compound that eventually became compromised and would have had to be remade
at considerable expense. I think he said the material was called quirksite or something
similar. He did not commission any more because they were not selling as well as planned.
He was asking 150.00 each or so and it took him several years ,but he eventually
sold them all. Later I bid on a set (ebay) up to 2500.00 but did not win. He took me to
a friends place that has a set of these fenders on a really nice 3 window and they looked
fine to me. I did buy the Model A and made a most interesting friend as well.

 

is Brookville actually making these `32 fenders? or are they the ones made by Gaslight ?

 

Brookville Roadster manufactures the 1932 front & rear fenders for the roadster 3 & 5 window coupes & the sedan, we have reworked our dies for the fenders when needed to make them as accurate as possible, like all new sheet metal using them on after market and originals chassis there are no 2 alike, they all fit just a little bit different each time, the model A front & rear fenders WE do not manufacture them, they are purchased, as far as there fitment the rears are usually a good fit, the fronts do require fitting , especially the 1930-31 front fenders, our supplier reqworked the 1928-29 fronts back in the early 2000's and they seem the fit better now then they did before, the 1930-31 front fenders are another story, you will need some time, patience and sheet metal knowledge to make them fit properly, experience helps
thank you
Rick Johnson
Customer service

 

Rick - that is the longest sentence I have ever seen-use periods........ . I assume you DO make the 32 fenders as per the first two lines of your post, and you do NOT make the Model A fenders, as per the middle of the fourth line. Is that correct?

 

I was hoping that what he was saying. HRP

 

Damn! Must be a college graduate.
-Dave