After almost a year, the repro fender is ready for painting. Fortunately I did not have to lengthen the rear of the fender. When it is bolted in place, things manage to stretch and bend until it mates up with the running board. But I did notice that the inside front edge was about 3/4″ further forward than on the original fender, and it was visibly different than the original fender on the driver’s side. So I had to unwrap the beaded edge, cut off the excess metal, and re-form the beaded edge around the wire that runs inside it.
After that, I just had to adjust some of the mounting holes and spot-weld the little reinforcing bracket to the outside edge, where the fender is bolted to the end of the main support bracket.
The next step is to get the other (driver’s side) fender ready for painting. This fender, which I also bought at Hershey last October, appears to be original and is in very good shape, crack-free, with just a few random dents and a couple of mashed-up mounting holes. Unlike the repro, it fits perfectly. However, it is painted in brown primer, and I will have to sand or strip it off to see what lies beneath.
I did a bit more work on my fender jig to hold this fender (which is of course a mirror-image of the repro fender). The next step is to start sanding or stripping the primer coat. If I am lucky, I may get both fenders completely painted before it gets too cold, but I may only get as far as the primer and filler, leaving the final coats until next spring.