Rolling Fender Lips for Tire Clearance

Several weeks ago I ordered a Eastwood Fender Lip Roller. I decided to spend the extra money and do it without cracking or chipping my paint. It bolts right onto your drum/rotor with your own lug nuts. I used a heat gun to soften the paint while we rolled the fenders. We started out rolling slowly, making small adjustments outward on the arm. The rear quarters did not want to roll due to the outer wheelhouse lip and the quarter lip being together. Having the two pieces of sheetmetal together made it impossible. I had to notch the lip and then it rolled. I rolled the lips flat up against the inside of the quarters giving me as much room as possible. The fronts are a different story. Being only one layer of sheetmetal, it was much easier.

Overall the job took the two of us 1hr. It took a lot of muscle to roll the arm back and forth for the rears. The fronts were easy but you have to keep the steering wheel from turning. The quality tool is very heavy duty even though it is made in China. I wish I had done this several years ago before I sliced and diced my present tires. I can now run the 295s I have been wanting to get. The rear end in my car is a little wider than the stock 8" that it came with.

I was able to determine the correct backspace and max width with another tool I purchased called Wheelrite. It is a wheel and tire simulator. They have a web site and there are videos out there showing you how to use this tool. You can determine what your max wheel width, tire profile, and max backspacing can be.

Here's a pictorial showing the Eastwood Fender Lip Roller in action.


We first started with the rear quarter panel lips. After you set the fender lip roller up, soften the paint around the fender well with your heat gun. As we started we soon figured out that the two layers or sheetmetal didn't want to budge. We rolled it back and forth adjusting the arm outward and the lip just sprung back. I made small notches in the lips and that made the difference. I only made the notches where I wanted the lips rolled.


This pic show lip rolling process half done. Make sure you keep the paint heated if it is taking a long time. Be careful not to burn your paint. These heat guns get extremely hot.



Finished quarter panel. The lip is rolled completely up against the back side.


The fronts are very easy. Only one layer of sheetmetal to deal with here. No need to notch the front fender lips.


Adjusting the tool.


Here is a picture of the passenger side completely rolled.


This is the Wheelrite tool I mentioned. I was able to determine my maximum backspace and wheel width I can use. I used the profile of a 295 tire in the shop to form the contour of the wire on the tool. Here is a link on how this tool is used.
www.V8TVshow.com - Wheel and Tire 101 - Measuring and Fitting Properly

Sweet deal. looks nice!
Soooo how much is the rental fee??? LOL!
Seriously i bet you could make a few bucks extra here and there to the guys off of FM.

Cars looking goooood.

Hi,
So can you perform this mod without messing up your paint ?
Rick

What rear suspension do you have on the car? Looks like some sort of coilover setup...

The shipping to Alaska was just under $40. If any of you guys want to use it just pay the shipping. I won't charge you a penny. Just keep in mind shipping both ways will be about $80. You might be able to rent one cheaper in the lower 48.

Rick, I used a heat gun to soften the paint and it never cracked or chipped.

Mike, This is the new Heidts 4-link I just installed last weekend. It's in the Tech Exchange as well.

I was wondering how you arrived at the sizings you mentioned in your 4-link article, until this. I saw that tool featured in an article; very slick. You must post pix when you get the wheels/tires finished up.

Great write-up Mike.
I'll be following your lead shortly.
Joe