what I did to my fender and how can I smooth it out

[emzdogz]

Hello, I finally worked on my project 80 chopper some more this weekend. Am attaching a few pics. I'm using a 5 in trailer fender de-radiused so it kind of matches a 16 in wheel. I bent a piece of 3/8 steel tube to match the curve and tacked in on on the center top of the fender, figuring it would look good, and most importantly, shelter my taillight wires.
I don't like the idea of exposed wires underneath a fender that sits that close to the tire.
so........
I tacked it in place after spending I'd say a couple hours messing with it getting it bent to match curve of fender.

Then I thought, well just leave it tacked and take to a pro welder who can TIG weld the rest with some pretty welds.
But no.
I couldn't leave it alone, and went ahead and welded the entire length of it on both sides.
Finally, on the 2nd side I found a position that yielded a nice bead, which though small and neat, DID join the metal. I did it by actually dragging the copper tip of the gun TOUCHING the steel tube, that gave me a nice guide and the wire melted nice right where I wanted. Wish I had been able to do the whole thing that way. Only prob, the other side is big blobby inconsistent welds.
Great penetration and all that, just ugly as sin. Some of it I will grind down.
(hey at least I didn't blow holes through it like I did with my pipes)

Thinking of using epoxy resin mixed with copper dust to fill in any tiny "caverns" that remain. I used that combo once to repair the handle of a pocket knife, and it worked great (strong as hell), and the copper dust (which we generate here at my work) gave it a really neat look. Would use JB weld, but it's too ugly. Altho, I'm gonna paint it...so maybe I'll use the JB.

here are a couple pics.
Next I gotta figure out about the taillight. Drill a hole in the rear part of the base for the tubing to poke into.

Another thing I don't understand about the tailight - it has only 2 wires coming off it. I wonder if that means it "grounds" through the bolts which attach it to frame?

anyway, thx for looking.

 

[jayel]

yep Em, some practice on your grinding and filling is in order, tail light base is ground on those two wire jobs altho' running a ground wire is recommended

 

[emzdogz]

ok thx for tail light info. If I run an extra wire off the tail light assy as a ground, where would it attach to the assy? Still at one of the screws?
thx

 

[jayel]

yeah if it doesn't have a little clip or tab at the socket base that's all you can do, then back to loom ground wire/battery - ... just trying to get away from having to ground thru fender then bolts then frame ect.

 

[bobber bill]

why dont you just leave them (unless you have really high spots), and let the body filler do the smoothing? assuming youre going for the ribbed fender look, which at this point is what youre bound to get anyway.

if youre really bent on smoothing those welds out, use an angle grinder with a 120 grit flap disc. keep the grinder moving with medium pressure over that thin gauge sheet

 

[RFLIVES]

Knock down the real bad ones and use some kitty hair / fiberglass reinforced body filler to get your shape then some lightwieght body filler to smooth it out.

 

[Tech7]

I'd get a new fender, (like 20 bucks?) and hide the wires on the inside of the fender. Unless you want that ribbed look. Then, I'd still start over. You got way too much weld goin' on there.If you want that rib, all you need is little tacks. No rreason to weld the whole length. That looks like hours of grinding and bodywork to me.

 

[emzdogz]

hi guys - yep I did purposely want the ribbed fender. Adds a bit of rigidity, too, which is good since I don't want to use struts or sissy bar. Nobody's going to ever sit on it, so I think it's ok.

So yes, I did want the rib for visual reasons, too.

thanks for the other ideas, filler, etc.

 

[emzdogz]

I'd get a new fender, (like 20 bucks?) and hide the wires on the inside of the fender. Unless you want that ribbed look. Then, I'd still start over. You got way too much weld goin' on there.If you want that rib, all you need is little tacks. No rreason to weld the whole length. That looks like hours of grinding and bodywork to me.

hey I was wondering, on your bike, are your back wires hidden up under the fender?
thx

 

[pyroman]

The round stock is going to add rigidity, but not enough. You are going to need to run some kind of strut or sissy bar, or the vibration with the tailight out there is going to lead to cracks/breakage.

 

[emzdogz]

The round stock is going to add rigidity, but not enough. You are going to need to run some kind of strut or sissy bar, or the vibration with the tailight out there is going to lead to cracks/breakage.

good point!

Maybe I'll get it running and see how it does without. And then add the strut if necc.
Yep...don't want that thing waggling up and down like crazy back there.

 

[angus67]

a waggin' tail is the least of your worries!! Hope the tire dosn't grab the lip of the fender.

 

[emzdogz]

it won't. In the photo the fender isn't positioned bolted on. It's just shown in the pic wit a couple of rags stuffed under it holding it up off'n the tire! it's gonna rock!

 

[Tech7]

Hey Em. No wires near my fender. I have a side mount taillight. Wires do run through the frame though.

 

[emzdogz]

so here's how it is with a coat of paint. Needs to cure now for 7 days before oainting on it anymore. Will leave it out in the sun. Am going to go ahead and use it this way, gouges and all to finish up the mock up. When I'm done, and tear it back down for paint, etc, I MAY rebuild it (make another one just the same) only using some of the stuff I have learned. Should turn out smoother and better. Anyway, time to move forward to getting this thing ready to run and roll. I can obsess over a smoother fender later.

 

[Tech7]

7 days? What kinda paint is that?

 

[Thet]

If I was you, I'd just have ground down as much as possible, then grabbed a quart of bondo, slapped that in the cracks and taken a tube, wrapped the tube in sand paper to get a nice radius, and sanded the bondo down.

 

[emzdogz]

7 days? What kinda paint is that?

it's a rattle can "epoxy" black paint. Went on real nice. You were supposed to do 2 light coats, 10 mins apart, then a heavier wet coat, then more coats 10 mins apart, up to an hour. After an hour from the time you first sprayed it says let it cure 7 days til giving it more coats. I bought it because it said once it's cured it is gasoline resistant. So if that's true it would be good for my tank.
Anyway, I've got plenty to do in 7 days.
The rear caliper seems locked up - had a hard time yanking it off the disc when I went to pull the wheel, so I need to look into that. Might pull the tank tonight and paint that too.

I guess you could cure it faster maybe in an oven? or with a heat gun on low? dunno....
It dried to the touch really REALLY fast. And it self-primes.

 

[emzdogz]

If I was you, I'd just have ground down as much as possible, then grabbed a quart of bondo, slapped that in the cracks and taken a tube, wrapped the tube in sand paper to get a nice radius, and sanded the bondo down.

yeah did that a couple times. I just added too much weld to begin with. Too big and lumpy and even after grinding and grinding it still wasn't quite even. Did the bondo thing too.

If I do another one I know what I'll do different as far as attaching the rib/tubing.

We'll see what I do - whether try to perfect this fender when the whole thing comes apart for the real paint, or whether I reproduce the fender from new.
Lots of stuff got "done" to this fender. De-radiused, etc.
I've suffered a lot with this fender, so I'm kind of fond of it, lol.

It may not be perfect, but you can tell I didn't walk down an aisle and pick it off a shelf either. Or order it pre-done off a website.
Slick it is NOT.
Strong and functional, it is. And it fits the wheel.

Anyway, I've got to move forward with this project as a whole at this point.

 

[Thet]

Haha, I getcha.
What welder you running anywho?