Front Fender Repairs

The front fenders of the MG appear to have identical damage in a very common place for these cars – just behind the wheels. Like other areas, road debris gets tossed into cavities and hold moisture. Eventually the moisture partners with the steel to turn it back into dirt. Besides just repairing the fenders, I also wanted to clean them up by plugging now unnecessary holes. These included the large rectangular openings used by the original big rubber bumpers. I also worked to delete the side marker and antenna holes.

With the holes patched up, I next moved onto fitting up the repair panel. I placed the repair panel over the fender to get an approximate cut line. I ended up making several reference measurements before committing to the cut. For joining, I plug welded through the fender to the flange of the repair panel. I put put the fender on and removed it about 15 times before I was satisfied with the fitment.

With the passenger side modification/repair complete, I moved onto the driver’s side. I templated and filled the fender holes. I then repeated the process of marking the fender, cutting, and fitting up the repair panel.

I have not fine tuned any panel gaps at this point as I’m working my way around the car tackling the major issues. There will be lots of panel alignment to be done as the finer bodywork begins.