Silvia Fender Fabbing

[SirSilvia]

The more I think about it, the more I actually want to do the Silvia conversion.I used to think it wasn't necessary, and I love my pop-up lights, but they're starting to get to be a problem and more hassle than anything. So I've been looking at front clips, with an SR. It fits the best within a realistic budget and within reason, no need for an RB really, and is easier to get my hands on. Again, cheaper too.

But my question today is, since a good amount of time you can't find a clip with decent fenders and mine are pretty good still. Can I cut the fender to fit the Silvia lights in it? Note: its the solid red shaded area I would have to cut and will be using the Silvia bumper most likely. the black line is the seem.

[SirSilvia]

I know I'd need to get the headlight brackets still. Also when I cut it I'll leave a little extra space so I can fold it back so there isn't a rough metal edge on around the light.

[E7-S14]

a grinder/plasma cutter and some filler and yes.it can be done.

but worth the hassle?

with the correct know-how i say go for it.just dont make it come out gay

[SirSilvia]

When or IF I get the clip I'll be doing the wiring and have the background know how of the car. My mechanic/body man will be doing that specifically. I put up all the pics from the 2008 NICO calender and seeing the Zenki and the Silvia side by side making me rethink keeping that single slammer too

[tramp_drift240]

the flat bottom edge of the fender...is at the same spot between the popup fenders and silvia fenders. so you'll have to cut up into that, while keeping it curved the right way to match up to the hood.

i think its too much trouble and you'll end up with a scrapped fender.

[SirSilvia]

I have plenty of faith in my body man. Not only did he fix the frame rail rot (yeah I know its a unibody so stfu ) but he also primed is and undercoated it and it looked like it never happened. Plus it would save me a bunch of cash in buying Silvia fenders. Worse comes to worst, he can weld a piece back in, smooth it prime and paint it to look like Zenki fenders again and sell em. He's that good, been doing body work for the past 30+ years.

[SirSilvia]

I would show you guys pics but he's old school and only uses Polaroids

[Redevil]

the usdm fender lacks the headlight bracket needed for the silvia lights. I also thought about cutting the fenders and also the corner light needs to slip on to a small lip in the back corner. For the hassle of trying to make it work you're better off just buying some silvia fenders.

[Bumnah]

Just buy a Silvia fender. Trying to weld metal as thin as a fender isn't easy. Plus you can't keep going back over and over. It will warp eventually.

If you can't afford the fenders, don't bother with the conversion.

[daconkiftador]

If your paying your body man, im sure it will end up costing more in labor then it would be to just buy OEM or aftermarket conversion fenders.

[visser003]

See that lip under the cut portion of the fender? There is also a metal tab behind it to secure 2 clips from the corner lights to the fender. It would be EXTREMELY hard to fab up something that would fit and would cost much more than buying the fenders OEM.

[heartofaskyline]

what if you got a nose cut and then grafted the front of the silvia fenders to your piggy ones?

[xX RB Xx]

^^^ still looks like more trouble than it is worth

[s13 iDRIFT]

^^^ would that actually work though. if so lemme see pics of how its done. so i can do it.

[SirSilvia]

the usdm fender lacks the headlight bracket needed for the silvia lights. I also thought about cutting the fenders and also the corner light needs to slip on to a small lip in the back corner. For the hassle of trying to make it work you're better off just buying some silvia fenders.

at first i was like then i saw VV

See that lip under the cut portion of the fender? There is also a metal tab behind it to secure 2 clips from the corner lights to the fender. It would be EXTREMELY hard to fab up something that would fit and would cost much more than buying the fenders OEM.

[SirSilvia]

what if you got a nose cut and then grafted the front of the silvia fenders to your piggy ones?

that looks like it will work and would make use of that chopped front. as for the labor, If I help him, I learn some new skillz and get him a carton or pall malls, I'm all set.

[Bumnah]

As it's your car, your time, your money, and your headache, I won't push my point any further than this... You're making it more of a headache then it needs to be. Just save up for an extra month to cover the cost of a fender. It'll be OEM, so it'll actually fit, and you spend less time on it then you have to.

I'll be very surprised if modifying your OEM fender to work with your conversion is less expensive than buying an OEM Silvia fender, or an aftermarket Silvia fender.

[SirSilvia]

That is true, I knew I needed an additional bracket for the headlights. I did not realize there was also one built into the fender itself.

I want a full front clip since I wouldn't have to really hunt for misc parts. I'd have an uncut harness, even though I might have to lengthen a couple parts of it, at least it will be complete. That pic heartofaskyline posted wouldn't be all that bad really, weld the backside of the fender little by little (like space out the welds). then Braze the front half maybe a little lead working, sand smooth and it should come out right. if not, i'll roll on some effed up looking fenders for a little while. I'm 22 and trying to build some credit, gonna shoot for a personal loan. I don't have much right now, but its better than most most people's at this point in time lol and I would like to build more of it to help down the line.

for now, peace out, time to go grill some steaks

[SirSilvia]

As it's your car, your time, your money, and your headache, I won't push my point any further than this...

the more trouble the longer it would keep my azz out of trouble

[SR24DET]

Its possible, but not cost effective. I bought my JDM fenders for $80 each. So only $160 for the set. Do you think a body shop will do it cheaper then that? All you need to do wait untill you find a good deal.

[PooPooButter323]

tried the pig nose when i rip my bumper off on the damn mountains. didnt work to well at all

[camshaft343]

Its possible, but not cost effective. I bought my JDM fenders for $80 each. So only $160 for the set. Do you think a body shop will do it cheaper then that? All you need to do wait untill you find a good deal.

where the f*** did you get oem silvia fenders for $160????

[Hijacker]

He got them from the dark ages before 2009. I don't know what the going rate for Silvia front end stuff is anymore, but $160 seems reasonable for mid-2000s. That's when it used to cost $600-$800 to get an entire front end swap (fenders, bumper cover, bumper support, lights, side lights, hood, and all the hardware). Prices are probably going up since supply is starting to shrink.