M37 Front Fenders

[churtle]

Looking to find out how to repair the front fenders on my 37, the area i referring to is under the headlights and the plate, when i removed those it was rusted through and through. Is there a kit or way to repair that area. This is the last part of the restoration and I will be finished ........

[Carter]

Looking to find out how to repair the front fenders on my 37, the area i referring to is under the headlights and the plate, when i removed those it was rusted through and through. Is there a kit or way to repair that area. This is the last part of the restoration and I will be finished ........

Jeepanels Plus make patch panels which duplicate the entire area that usually rusts out on the fenders. VPW also have them but I think the ones they sell are made by Jeepanels. I used them to repair the fenders of my truck.
Pix at: http://news.webshots.com/album/247061965WWtrqv?start=84

[mattveeder]

All of the regular part suppliers for the m37 offer weld in patch panels. I am almost done sectioning six different fenders together to make mine. I dont know what I was thinking. My advice is to go and get the patches. Or spend a lot of $$$ and buy nos fenders from vintage powerwagons.

[MSeriesRebuild]

I'll add this, we've used a number of the panels from Jeep panels with a great result.

The catch is however how you install them as it is with any body patch. The reason these are so prone to rust out is because there are 2 pieces. On the originals the ends were left open so that dirt & water could freely get between the 2 panels. Doesn't take long for the rust to start working from within, if you look at yours closely, you can tell that the damage started within & eat its way through the fender. Cut & fit CAREFULLY, a good fit for the patch into the fender is crucial. You can weld or braze in the new panel, but whatever method you choose you need to heat a little & cool a lot. Weld a short area, move to the opposite side & do the same. Walk away & let it cool & repeat the process until you get all the way around. Too much heat will cause warping that not only will make the fender look bad, but also hard to install. Being warped to the point that things are hard to line up makes for a frustrating install & can cause crack damage to appear somewhere else in the fender later.

Back to the issue with the 2 panels, you will need to fabricate 2 pieces to cover the end openings on the bottom panel. Weld them in all the way around, this will prevent water & debris from getting between the panels causing the same damage you are correcting to immediately start up again. You will have to drill all the holes for the fender mounting bracket, the headlight bracket, & park light bracket. It's easiest to lay the patch panel on the fender before cutting out the bad area & carefully mark these holes. To prevent any entry of water, you will need to use a high grade silicone around any bolts that go through both panels so water can't seep in around the bolts causing the same problem. You can do a really good life long repair if done right, if all these precautions aren't carefully considered so moisture isn't allowed to enter between the panels in any way, the process is starting over before you finish the repair. The same damage is again a sure thing down the road.

[g741]

Here is another method of repairing the rust that forms under the headlights. First thing is to grind off and remove the rivits holding the reinforcing bracket to the fender. Then, clean out all the rust - sandblast and use a phosphoric acid metal prep. Then prime everything with a good primer. Next, using a two part EPOXY resin lay one or two layers of fine mesh fiberglass over the holes and etc in the fender on the bottom side. While the epoxy is still curing, replace the reinforcing bracket using splined carriage bolts (from McMaster Carr). Let the Epoxy cure and then fill all the rusty areas with bondo from the top. The bondo bonds well with the epoxy where it is exposed. This method can be used by people like me who would never be able to weld in a patch properly and in my experience is a long lasting effective repair method. It also works on other areas, as long as you can get them squeaky clean before applying the fiberglass.

[Paul (in NH)]

I just went to look at a M37 for sale in a nearby Town. The seller showed me the fenders he had rebuilt due to the regular rust problem. There were like new, but he paid $1000 to have the fenders redone. I don't know if he didn't know what they were going to cost him when they went to the shop or what, but I couldn't believe what he paid.

[Lifer]

I know that labor costs have increased dramatically in the last 20 years, or so, but I think that body shop guy "saw him coming." If he had already dismounted the fenders, I'm sure he could have had the job done for less.

[VROD02]

I cannot imagine removing the fenders to do this job! Not saying impossible but I did them in place.