replacing inner fender panels on 71

[777mechanic]

i'm looking at a 71 with rust holes in the inner fender panels . question is how difficult is it to remove and replace these also do the fenders need braces or will they stay in place when being welded . and is there any other parts attached to the inner fender panels that aren't visible to the ***** eye . i have spent 2 hour looking this truck over and this is the only rust spots on there , that i can see. this will be my first bronco rebuild so any help would be great such as a ipc drawing of the body panels most on websites are too vague or even a video .

 

[Bully Bob]

I've done a few & it's best to un-bolt & remove the fender(s)

Drill out the spotwelds...clean-up......then tac-weld in the new panel.

Not that bad at all.

However, on my rig...I had just the two spots on ea. side , high up in the corner.

I ground them clean.., attached a "patch-panel" on the inside...up under wheel well. Then bondo'd the inside.

This was supposed to be temp. but it's lasted 15+ yrs.

Aft. it was sanded & painted....I forgot all about those spots.

 

[777mechanic]

after working on airplanes for 26 years it hard to patch when i know it will be perfect if i replace the whole panel. my next think i'll be doing is dual front shocks on hoops.

 

[fbnwest]

I was wondering same thing myself. I found out my drivers fender keeps vibrating loose because the holes for the bolts on the inner fender don't exist. Three out of five are mangled and open rather then being a nice hole for the bolt to go through. Beginning to think my bronco might have been hit on that side. Anyhow, I wondered if it is a matter of unbolting the outer fender and welding a new inner one in place.

 

[Bully Bob]

"Three out of five are mangled..."

Those bolts go into floating/slip-on nut plates. In your case, you could repair the holes after fender removal.

(assuming the panel itself is in good shape)

Fender removal is pretty straight forward....remove bolts in door jam., along top rail., & around grill nose.

The fender is quite light.

Cleaning 'round the bolts/nuts & some "PB Blaster" helps. ^_^ /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Pretty much a 1 banana job.

 

[S_bolt19]

after working on airplanes for 26 years it hard to patch when i know it will be perfect if i replace the whole panel. my next think i'll be doing is dual front shocks on hoops.

Just out of curiosity, why are you wanting to go with dual shocks? Are you rock racing or desert racing? Dual shocks makes for a doubley stiff ride, and in my opinion, is a waste of money. Even if you do spend the money on the best shocks out there, it will still be 2x a stiff as it would be with just one shock. Just a thought.

 

[777mechanic]

i have to agree with you after reading more info from other sites , sounds like bilsteins are the way to go with proper valving.

 

[fbnwest]

You have to remove the nose before the fender correct?

 

[Bully Bob]

"....remove the nose..."

No, not necess. .... 1 bolt reached fr. under hood (hard to see) & several to the nose, under wheel-well.

With all the rest removed....it should slide right out.

If necess., the other side can be loosened &/or hood latch bolts.

 

[mwood]

Hi

Inner Fender installed looks like this.

Mike