1931 Wide Bed Fender Question

[Nasukau]

Hi All,
I have a 1931 wide bed pickup and I am wondering if the small bed fenders would fit on a wide bed? The correct wide bed fenders are hard to find not to mention pricey and I don’t really want fiberglass. If someone has done this could you please add a photo.

Thanks,
Denny

[Oldbluoval]

The answer is basically no

[GRutter]

They won't fit. The rear fenders for the 31 wide bed are unique to that model.

[Cape Codder]

I know of a wide bed truck that has fenders from a small bed truck. The owner had 1 1/2" to 2' cut out of the small bed fenders. Cannot tell they cam from the small bed.

[Oldbluoval]

It is easier to modify a sedan fender
Done it before but lots of time involved

[1931 flamingo]

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Go with a GOOD QUALITY (Westcott's come to mind) fiberglass fender. I had F/glass fenders on my 31 and at most shows an old timer would come up and knock on the fender and tell me how "they don't make them like that anymore".


JMO


Paul in CT

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

It is easier to modify a sedan fender
Done it before but lots of time involved

Bill is correct. I have made them using both types. It is very time consuming to do either way if you want it to be undetectable when installed.

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

Go with a GOOD QUALITY (Westcott's come to mind) fiberglass fender. I had F/glass fenders on my 31 and at most shows an old timer would come up and knock on the fender and tell me how "they don't make them like that anymore".

The reason most can't tell the difference is because most metal fenders are loaded with body filler that when thumped makes them sounds the same as fiberglass.

A couple things that can be done on the fiberglass fender to camouflage them is to fit them and then elongate the mounting holes to mimic originals. Next is to grind all of the rough cloth stranding underneath the fenders where when it is painted, it is smooth just like the topside. The last is spend some time shaping the 'wired edge' and the beaded detail so that it looks natural. Grind a groove on the backside of the bead to mimic the rolled bead. I did this once just using a hand-held wood router with a screw in the base as a fence. A small carbide router cutter will zip right around the inside edge and make the prettiest relief that you have ever seen. Do all of these and you fool about 95% of the "inspectors", plus you can easily exchange these for metal ones at a later date.

[1ton]

At a glance, the biggest difference between the two fenders is the depth of the step where the fenders meet the aprons.

[Oldbluoval]

It’s a lot more than that 1ton
Most contours and dimensions are different than cpe/rd or sedan fender
But it is different where it meets the apron
It is even narrower at the rear where yet turns down

[1ton]

Like I said, "at a glance". I too am in the same situation that I need a pair of widebed fenders. While searching for them, the first place I look for is the depth of the notch at the aprons. I'm hoping that someday I might stumble across one or both fenders. My memory is a little iffy. The regular pickup fenders are 11 inches wide and the widebed fenders are 9 1/4 inches. Is this correct?

[Oldbluoval]

I no longer have any around here but have had them, restored several and made two sets along the way
I can’t verify width. But they do not crown like a coupe/rdstr at all
As identified my memory too is iffy but it seems they are much more than 2” or so narrower that a coupe
Someone may have the Ford drawings