I need to roll the rear fenders on my "other" car. The tool is $500. I dont have $500. I hear some nonsense about a baseball bat but that seems like a scary proposition. Let me know if:

A> I can borrow your tool.
B> you know more about the bat thing.
C> you can recommend a good place in NJ or the surrounding area.


Thanks!

--
Cheese

 

put the top of the bat between the tire and fender, apply pressure against the top of the bat as you roll it against the inner fender liner. This will ease the metal away from the inside. I've done it to my Porsche and my friend's Mustang with great results. The tool is a ripoff, if you spend your time and concentrate the results will be perfect.

 

Don't break the bat.
Seems crude but... effective.
Almost medieval.
Back then they'd use a mace or broad axe I'd guess.

 

Haven't you seen the NASCAR guys use a bat when a fender gets banged in, they just stick a bat in between the fender and tire and roll it out!

 

>>I need to roll the rear fenders on my "other" car. The tool is $500. I dont have $500. I hear some nonsense about a baseball bat but that seems like a scary proposition. Let me know if:
>>
>>A> I can borrow your tool.
>>B> you know more about the bat thing.
>>C> you can recommend a good place in NJ or the surrounding area.


A I rent the tool (and its not a louisville) - all you pay is freight - 6 month wait now

B PLEASE use some method for keeping your paint warm - or you will crack it where you crease the fender

C Try high end body shops or race prep shops

 

Forgive me for asking but why do you want to "roll" your fenders????

 

I want to roll the fender because Mr Fender is eating Mr Tire whenever I hit Mr Bump with more than one person in my car/truck/thing.

--
Cheese

 

Had this done to my MCS at Bodymotion in Ocean N.J.......exit 105 off the parkway. They do EXCELLENT work and are into MINI's Big Time. You can check out their website http://www.Bodymotion.com Give them a call and ask to speak to Mike Bavaro, the owner. Tell him where you heard of him and that Dale recommended him to you. He is honest and terrific to deal with. I had extensive work done there and am extremly pleased with everything.

 

And this is on your MINI? I ask this because I am having a similar problem. I have 215/45/17 that I just put on and noticed a scrapping sound yesterday when I had 4 people in the car and we went over a dip on the freeway. When I looked at the rear tires I see a scrape marks on the outer edge. The car is stock except for the wheels.

Any advice to correct this would be appreciated I got the tires from Alex at the tire rack who said there should be no problem with the size on the car. In general there isn’t but as I said yesterday for the first time I had a full load and see there is a rubbing problem.

 

So don't put 4 people in it! All that extra weight just slows you down!

 

Sometimes the obvious answer is not possible 100% of the time

 

there is an article on how to roll your own fenders (with a bat) on the may '04 edition of import racer. The article is pretty detailed. if you want to find it. but in a Nutshell it's..

1.tools. rubber mallet. bat (wood. doesn't make senst to scratch your paint with an aluminum bat) propane torch, and lead hammer.

2. find out if the fender to be rolled is metal. If metal proceed, it plastic, fiberglass, CF etc. the offending piece must be cut.

3. check the area of damage on the tyre. if there is only a minor rubbing problem, (meaning no cuts on the tyre) just do the bat technique, if not then the entire lip has to be folded.

4. remove wheel and begin to heat area around the inside of the wheel well and use the rubber mallet and use forcefull but well aimed strokes. be carfull since if you hit too hard, you will leave a mark on teh outside of the fender. heat around the area as you move along. if you have gone as far as you can with the rubber/ plastic mallet. switch to the lead hammer. of course since the tool is heavier, be extra carefull,.. until you hammer the lip flat into the wheelwell.

5. test. put the wheel back on, and jack up the wheel diagonally opposite to the wheel you were working on. test the area with a sheet of paper, if it rubs anywhere. repeat hammer and torch.

test again with a credit card. if it catches anywhere... bring out the bat

6. jack up the wheel you were working on and insert the skinny side of the bat between the wheel and wheel well, and lower the wheel SLOWLY lest you have really silly looking damage. now pull slowlyand rollthe bat.

rinse repeat.

 

Yes.I had the same scraping problem. However, I am running 17" Kosei K-1 Racing Wheels with a +35 offset.......and that's where the rubbing came in. I also had the car lowered. This combination caused rubbing on all four tires on the outer wall. I had Mike take care of it, and now I can ride with two adults in the rear and no rubbing..even with the car lowered. The real problem was the +35 offset of the wheels.

 

Thanks for the tips. The whole bat thing is still incredibly unclear to me but Ill check out that article. Bodymotion is in my nieghborhood but judging from the prices I've seen from them in the past it'll be way out of my budget.

--
Cheese

 

You might check with your local BMWCCA or PCA chapters... sometimes they buy a tool and loan it out to members. Our local chapter of the BMWCCA has tech days and they seem to always have someone on hand that knows how to roll fenders and has the tool with them...

Also, I've noticed other chapters rent the tool for a week and then hold a fender rolling day(s) and roll as many cars as they can!