What is fender rolling? It's the process of bending the inner lip of the fender to provide extra clearance and prevent tire rub on lowered and modified vehicles. What does that mean exactly? Most stamped steel fenders which are found on most cars late model or classic. Have an inner lip around the wheel opening which makes the fender more rigid. By rolling this lip up we can provide more clearance between the tire and fenders without loosing that rigidness, that cutting it off would do.This process can be a huge pain, but thanks to Eastwood's fender rolling tool, we were able to do both fenders in less then 30 mins! A little about the tool, normally its cost around $299 but Eastwood always has special offers and discounts, so we were able to pick it up for about $150. Super heavy construction and easy to follow instructions make it a snap for and level of hobbyist to use. It simply bolts to the hub and using the adjustment points fits nearly any vehicle we tried it on. Here's the steps, the before and after and the pics of the job.
Our fenders before the process...
First up, straighten the wheels, jack up the car and remove the tire. All basic stuff, but make sure your tires are close to straight as possible makes the process a lot easier.Next, bolt up the tool. Simply slide it over your lugs and using the provide grommets use your own lugs to snug it down. Doesn't have to be overly tightened, just good enough to stay down with out wobble. Then using the of 5 adjustment points, place the red roller against the inner lip. I kept the roller about center on the lip so as I moved from front to back it wouldn't slip off the lip.
Then, begin rolling! Moving slowly adjust the pressure as you go, move the roller toward the front and back. Take your time slowly adding pressure, if your car is painted (unlike ours) you can use a heat gun to soften the paint so it won't crack or chip during the process. Our fenders had a poorly shaped lip in the front and back,so we had to use a mallet to add a slight bend to start
our roller process. Doesn't take much just a slight
angle and the tool does the rest.
That's it! Once done the lip should be smoothly rolled giving a nice look and a smooth feel, while adding much need clearance to our heavily lowered vehicle.
Our fenders afterward...
