hey fellas i finally got my subframe in my 57 chevy truck. but now that shes all pretty nice and low tires are rubbing on the fender lip. im sure theres alot of people that have had that problem. any ideas or wisdom you guys can pass along? cut the lip, roll it back with a baseball bat, etc. thanx
My 55.2 Chevy truck sits ULTRA low, yet my tires don't rub. Are your wheel offsets causing the issue?
A hardwood bat works quite well, work it slowly in stages (kind of like torquing a cylinder head - 1/3 of your fold all the way around, followed by 2/3s, etc.). If your paint is nice, make sure you warm the edge a little with a heat gun to avoid cracking it. Good luck!
Eastwood, for one, makes a fender lip roller tool. Used them on fox body stangs with very good success. Check around and see if someone in your area has one to rent out. Bill
My 55.2 Chevy truck sits ULTRA low, yet my tires don't rub. Are your wheel offsets causing the issue?[/QUOTE] heres a pic what do you think? they seem pretty shallow to me.
ok dam pic didnt go thru i'm running ralley wheels though. i'm tight on money so eastwoods out of the question. i'll probalay try the baseball bat method.
Anyone got any further info on this technique? Will it work with straight topped fender openings like on my car? I watched some YouTube vidyas but it was all on newer cars with radius shaped fenders already. I'm trying to find a bit of extra clearance for my back tires. I thought they'd fit! And tried rolling the fenders with an aluminum the but kept getting hung up at the transition from curve to flat a the top of the opening. If'n I had the horsepower to back it up I'd just radius the bastards, but that's a project for another day.
Even pretty squared edge lips can be rolled, but you'll need to raise the body to get the correct angle on an aluminum bat, or real roller. If you try to roll the edge when it sits at stock height you wont be able to hold the bat angle well. I jack the car up so the lip is just near the top of the tire, and then put a 4x4 block of wood between axle and body/frame to hold it there. Then you can put the car back on the ground and get a helper to slowly roll the car as you roll the bat and the edge. Take your time, and get the height correct, and it will roll under fine.
I wouldn't damage anything blocking spring to subframe would I? My brake lines run across right at the top of the axle there above the shackles. The cylinder outlets come straight out. I figured patience was the biggest part of the process. Have to find the right helper that won't get bored with the shouts of "FORWARD! HOLD! REVERSE! HOLD!"
I used a hammer handle got it in a little and then turned the hammer head like a big t handle. I could look at it as i rolled it. Took several passes to get the waves out.
I tried that one on my '55 F100. Might as well have tried it on a Sherman Tank. This baby is thick-skinned as an ex wife!
On my bagged cars I'll usually cut the fender lip off and take some 1/4" steel rod, take some time and bend it exactly the shape of your wheel well opening, and weld it in on the back side where the lip used to be. You can do it in sections if you have to. Makes for a nice, round edge that won't rub your tires.
You can easily cut a notch in a 4x4 to avoid crushing the lines, and straddle them. A patient helper is always a must. You can also get thengs started to roll by making a tool that will bend the edge a little before starting with a roller. Take a piece of 1/4" flatbar and use a hacksaw to cut a notch in it from one side. Make the notch wide enough to slip over the inside lip of your wheelwell. Then you can slip it over and gently pry the edge up a llittle at a time. Just work your way along until it's all bent up. Then if it needs more apply the roller. Or just hack the wheelwells and make a new lip like I did on my Falcon!
What subframe did you use ? I did the 79 camaro swap on my old 58 and used skinny rims. I would think you could just use channel locks and just work it a little at a time, pain in the ass but it will work. The new owner raised it up a bit but still kinda low
Me? I'm just referring to the stubby rails back there as its a unibody chassis. Chassis is all still stock. As I dug up an old thread I hope the OP got his fenders sorted out already!
Check your craigs list for services. I hired a guy from there to do a OT car, he came to the shop with equipment and rolled the lips with a gizmo that bolted onto the drum/hub, did the 4 corners and charged $150. He knew what he was doing and did a good job.
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