DIY: S13 Fender Unbuckling Procedures - also possible buckling prevention!

[onosqv]

Well, most of it anyway .

If any of you have tried to roll/flare your fenders, you know what a bummer it is when the fender buckles (almost inevitable for most 240's). I was able to fix mine w/ some new toys from Eastwood - inflatable dent poppers/removers. It gets rid of half to most of the buckle. Not perfect, but much better than doing nothing.

These pumps can also possibly be used before/during rolling/flaring to help prevent buckling, or at least keeping it to a minimal. However, I have not yet tried using it as a buckling preventer/inhibitor.

Total Project Time:- Approximately 20-30 minutes, taking your sweet *** time

Equipment:- Ratchet Set (10mm & 14mm)

- Heat gun (I used the Chicago Electric Adjustable Heat Gun from Harbor Freight), a hair dryer could also work but will be slower - recommended but not required

- Infrared Thermometer (not necessary, but highly recommended to prevent paint cracking)

- Inflatable Dent Remover/Poppers





Preparation:- Locate buckle - say a final farewell to it.







Step 1: Remove Interior- Remove your rear seat & rear quarter panels to allow access to the inside of the fender.





Step 2: Heat Up Fender- Heating up the fenders (120-140 degrees as when rolling/flaring fenders) will help make the metal more maleable





Step 3: Pump and Sculpt- Start pumping w/ either the large or small pump. It should pop the fender right out.

- Allow the fender to cool.

Step 4: Repeat and Alternate Pumps Used- Deflate the pump.

- After the first time, some but not all of the buckle should be gone (depends on how badly you buckled the fender). "Heat-cycling" the fenders & pumping/popping it w/ the pump should start shaping the fender back to its original form. I did 3 cycles, which got rid of nearly all of the buckling. You can't really tell in the pictures, but a smaller less noticeable buckle is still there.

Step 5: Stuff It!- When accessing the inside of the fender, you may have some foam cubes. You can reinsert and wedge these in between the fender and wheel well, which will help pop out some more of the remaining buckle. This isn't the professional way, but seems to work pretty well.



Step 6: Marvel at a Job Well Done- YAY!

[AZhitman]

Q to the V, you freakin' ROCK.

Article of the Year.

[mrgreeneyes]

thanks for a write-up that will save the aesthetics of many a 240 job well done!

[awesomenick]

i got my 240 like this, it hasn't had anything done to the fenders. it just buckled on it's own i guess.

[missionsix43]

you musta said "OH ****" real loud when you did that.

[daconkiftador]

Very nice, awesome write-up!



What if you filled in that space with that expanding foam, prior to rolling/pulling your fenders, do you think that would keep it from buckling at the time of rolling and future instances of people "leaning on your car in a bad spot?"

[Bwana]

What if you filled in that space with that expanding foam, prior to rolling/pulling your fenders, do you think that would keep it from buckling at the time of rolling and future instances of people "leaning on your car in a bad spot?"

That's a good question. Prevention > Cure.

[amolao]

This is a common problem with S13 and like somebody mentioned already also happens a lot from people leaning on that weak spot of the panel. Reinforcement of that area with foam, metal plate, etc is an excellent idea.

[Lroi]

You are the MAN!

thanks!

[nvrplzd240]

awesome writeup man

[FRSport]

That's a good question. Prevention > Cure.

That would be ideal! I actually thought about that before flaring my fenders. It may work, give it a shot. I don't have any cars to practice on right now, so I can't tell you if it works or not .

The problem I saw w/ using expanding foam is that I don't know if it would be strong enough. Furthermore, it could possibly get quite messy inside that panel . The fender will still move in & out while flaring, so I am unsure of how that will affect the expanding foam.

What I'm going to try to do on the next car is to have the pump inflated inside to hold the shape, but not be as messy as foam.

[DrFtKiNg180sx]

You can use my car and test it out. Ill even pay you. Im serious. Haha

[onosqv]

You can use my car and test it out. Ill even pay you. Im serious. Haha

HAHAHA. hit me up on my email, or aim: agentsonic02.

[eds13]

thats hot!!! props. nice wheel choice. lol whats the sizing on them? i have some 17x8and9+34 that i'm trying to get rid of

[onosqv]

thats hot!!! props. nice wheel choice. lol whats the sizing on them? i have some 17x8and9+34 that i'm trying to get rid of

16x8 +6 running 225/50R16 tires.