Fender rolling DIY

[augcam]

Hey yall this is just an update on the status of my rim/rubbing situation. As you may know I recently got some 18x8" wheels with 225/40/18 tires and an offset of +35. I also lowered the car 2" all the way around. It turns out that the back rim was touching the rear strut. So to solve this problem I got some 20mm H&R spacers. The spacers gave me plenty of clearence for the strut but pushed the wheels out to the edge of the fender. The tires would rub horribly on the fender lip when I hit a bump or a dip in the road or just about anyhting for that matter. After some hard deliberation I decided to roll my fenders instead of getting smaller spacers. At first I was gonna get the spacers but OptionAuto said they were on back order until the end of May. My tires would have been chewed up by then. So I rolled the fenders the GHETTO way. The cool thing is that it only cost me $11.96 (wooden bat from Walmart). I tried to get as much info as possible before I started cause I didn't want to screw up the body on my baby. So here is a basic how to, sorry no pics, I was in a hurry.
----->first the tools:
If you have access to a lift and air tools, by all means use em. This makes an unbeliveable difference.
1. A heat gun.
2. Air powered cut off wheel or tin snipps (optional). To notch the inside lip of the fenders.
3. Wooden baseball bat, to roll the fenders
4. A lift or hydraulic jack and stands
---------> now the how to:
1. Put the car up on the lift or jack it up and put it on jack stands.

2. You need to take the wheels off and use the cut off wheel to notch the inside of the lip. Don't get too close to the outside of the fender or you'll cause it to crease when you roll it. Cut to about a 1/4" from the edge. Pretend that your wheel well is a clock, and notch the fenders at 2:00 and 10:00. By doing this you will relieve some of the tension from the fender lip and make it easier to roll. This step is not neccesary but it will make the job a whole lot easier.

3. Put the wheels back on and lower the car down to so the bat will fit in between the tire and the wheel well. Then let the car down gently to make a snug fit. Don't make it too tight or you will damage the fender.

4. Starting from one of the notches take the bat from a horizontal position and move the handle upward slightly. This will start to bend the lip upward. Repeat the motion all the way around to the other notch. Make sure to use the heat gun on the edge of the fender so you dont crack the paint.

5. Once you have the intial bend you can really start working the lip. Now position the handle down ward to start folding the lip against the inner fender wall. You will probably have to roll the bat back and forth several times to get the desired amount of clearence. Once again, use the heat gun.

6. This is where the lift comes in handy. If you have access to a lift put the car way up in the air. From here you can position the bat all the way down and get some good leverage. Repeat step 5 until you have the right amount of clearence. Don't forget the heat gun.

7. Now repeat the procedure for the other side. Put antirust under coating on all the raw metal sufaces like the notches and anywhere the paint might have chipped. Now you're done, just like that!!!!!!!!!!!

This really was not as hard as I thought it would be. Actually it was very simple and straight forward. If you have any mechanical skills and the tools listed above you can do this yourself very easily. It only took me about 1.5 hours to do with a lift and air tools. It would probably take you 3-4 hours with standard tools and no lift.

If you are having problems with a wide wheel and tire package rubbing the fenders on your Camry then this could be the answer.
I hope you find this info usefull and if anyone has any questions just PM me...

BTW.... mods you can add this to the Camry stickies if you think it will come in useful.

[cam2Xrunner]

I chose to have my rear fenders cut with a die grinder. Then have the edges sanded down to smooth out the edges. Took only 20 min. and the fender is still as strong as it was before. IMO rolling the fenders would seem to weaken the fender and would be prone to damage.

[epborden]

sti....sti....sticky!

achoo.

[augcam]

Originally posted by trdcamry2003
I chose to have my rear fenders cut with a die grinder. Then have the edges sanded down to smooth out the edges. Took only 20 min. and the fender is still as strong as it was before. IMO rolling the fenders would seem to weaken the fender and would be prone to damage.

if done right, rolling the lip will actually strengthen your fender. because you are reinforcing the fender by putting the lip up against it. personally i would have just cut mine off to but it was the first time i used a cut off wheel or die grinder. i was afraid it would get away from me.

btw.... i meant to say DIY in the title, it was gettin late, LOL

[luisitol]

man, pics pics pics. I wanna see hwo it looked, you never said what it looks like

[augcam]

i would have taken pic during the how to but my digi cam pics have too many pixels and i have to shrink the pics to get em to fit. when i shrink em they look really choppy.
but any way it turned out great/awesome/and looks totally sweet. you cant even tell unless you know what to look for. and best of all ##### NO MORE RUBBING #####.

when i get a smaller camera i'll post some pics of the finished product. luistol i cant tell you how good it looks.

btw... i will be happy to roll fenders for people if anybody is interested. i'll do it for $75 or $100 depending on how hard the job is.

[luisitol]

hey email me pics. I'd liek to see what it looks like

[augcam]

Originally posted by luisitol
hey email me pics. I'd liek to see what it looks like

no sweat man, PM me with your email address and i'll send you some pics as soon as i get em.

[REAPER STRAIN]

Hey, I want to roll my fenders to but I have a 2" drop. What should I use on the rear? I ask because my drop is soo low I cant even get my fingers back there.

[cam2Xrunner]

Originally Posted by augcam

if done right, rolling the lip will actually strengthen your fender. because you are reinforcing the fender by putting the lip up against it.

I know this is an old thread. But that makes no sense. The fenders lip is made at a 90 degree angle for a reason. This perpindicular angle gives it it's strength. If you fold that lip up you are now making it weaker by not having this 90 degree angle to support it.

I used to be a Service Advisor for a Tire/Wheel and Service shop. I've seen many fenders that were rolled, that got bent inwards because there is no longer any support from the 90 degree angle.

[yosh]

I actually just had my fenders "rolled" at a body shop. I was in a nearly identical situation. I have 7.5" wide wheels with a 35 offset and after I installed my coilovers my my rear wheels hit the struts so I spaced it out with H&R 15mm spacers. Then I had fender rubbing problems, so I raised the back up to clear. But under load it would still rub. So I was faced with the same dilemma should I get thinner spacers, or "roll" the fenders? I decided to roll the fenders at a body shop for $100 a fender (2 fenders). They cut some of the lip off and now no rubbing. I'm glad your's turned out well, I would be too scared to attempt that kind of body work myself.

EDIT: Wow I didn't realize how old this thread was.

[96Vienta]

Why not do it 1 of 2 ways. If your any good at using a hammer and a dolly (not the type your kid sister plays with), do it that way or better still, we have a 'guard rolling machine' in Australia, that allows you to roll ALL your guard within 1 hour, with no damage to paintwork.

I know this because, i'm a Panel Beater.

[terrastrife]

you can use a guard roller to flare ya guards too