DIY Body work!

**samiam513** · 01-16-2003, 09:48 PM

Okay, i`m in HS (if you didn`t read the thread about that) and I don`t have alot of $$. Slid into a guardrail at 5 mph (all clutch, no gas) on ice, and this is what happened.

Since then I have replaced the lights, ($380 becasue my truck is 1st production run under 700) and now I am moving to the bigger things. Tommorrow I am gonig to tackle the bumper (hopefully). The only thing wrong with it is the scratch on the top, and the brbacket is bent. I`ll just hold the bumper with stands, and replcee the bracket. 2hrs most.

After that is the big part. The fender. Hard to tell from the pic, but it is bent. Right where the light reflects off the paint, it is pushed up from the chrome piecec pushing agaisnt it, and the very bottom part is crumpled in.

I don`t have alot of $$ (as stated above) and I found a place to get the fender for $212.00 I will get it painted, then install it myself. I have all the tech manuals for this truck (have 2 f150`s in the fam, and 1 expy so we need all the lit we can get) and feel pretty confident doing this. Just a few screws and aligning.

I have access to alot of speciality auto tools. Between my garage (alwya had beaters driven hard until lately) and the man next door (restores cars, and collects them) we have a crap load of tools. We share, and I`ll get his help in this job if i can.

The reason I am typing this is becasue when I jump into somthing, halfway through I realize I missed a step, and somthing can`t be fixed. I wanna know any tips, advice, ect ect.. you have.

Sorry for the long post. Prob. plenty of spelin

errors.

**Nagchampa** · 01-16-2003, 10:10 PM

Replacing a fender is pretty basic stuff. Is your replacement fender a ford part or aftermarket?

The aftermarket fenders are known to not always fit too great but you can get lucky sometimes and get good reproduction parts.

The only advice I can give you is take your time, do not tighten the bolts all the way until the fender is aligned properly, and mask all edges and corners before installing the part.

**George M.** · 01-16-2003, 11:23 PM

lol. i find it interesting how you are talking about how you are short on money. Because you are in Highschool. yet you are spending 380 dollars on headlights and who knows how much more on the rest. lol. Im a sop````re in HS. and im short of money also. though my funds are litterally down to about 40$ right now, and thats gas money for the rest of the month... If i had slid into a guardrail, i would be S*** out of luck. Well. im sure i could get a loan from my fam. for the headlight. since those are like. required. Good luck on getting it fixed. and if u feel the need. Send me 300 bucks so i can buy myself a nice lil, brushguard for my Tacoma.

**jkochis** · 01-17-2003, 10:37 PM

Huh. Way cheaper would have been to find a junkyard...www.coparts.com. You could have gotten the light, fender, and bumper for half of what you spent...easily. Plus it would all be OEM, fit perfectly, and if lucky, no need to even paint the matching fender. But that`s just me, who`s not in high school and not poor.

**rstype** · 01-18-2003, 12:50 AM

Welcome back RH!

**samiam513** · 01-18-2003, 11:34 AM

Originally posted by RH

Huh. Way cheaper would have been to find a junkyard...www.coparts.com. You could have gotten the light, fender, and bumper for half of what you spent...easily. Plus it would all be OEM, fit perfectly, and if lucky, no need to even paint the matching fender. But that`s just me, who`s not in high school and not poor.

There`s no junkyards with these headlights!! Only about 700 of these trucks have these headlights, and what are teh chances of findng one?

These are different because with 97 and 1/4 modle year and up the light goes in, then you have to adjust it, then two pins secure he light in. With mine they go in, and there is NO adjustment you can make. Instead of having the adjusters which go into the black plastic which then gets secured by the pins, the light is fixed to the plastic, which is then secured by the pins.

If I had any other way to do it, and spend less I would have. But I didn`t so I couldn`t.

I also like my headlights at night.

The bumper is fixed. Two bolts to loosen, move the bumper up, and then tighten the two bolts back.

The fender is a B$%#. I`ve tired finding a messed up f150 around here in a junkyard, but they are all front end collisions. I want a good one, not one that looks like it was a crash test panel.

If I don`t find one by the time the temp gets inot the 50`s I`m going to buy one at wholesale. There`s nothing else I can do besdes steal one off somone`s f150 in the grgocery store parking lot, which has paint code E4. I`m not going to do that for some reason. :nixweiss

**Detailing NY** · 01-18-2003, 06:42 PM

I write estimates on cars all day long.

That fender does not need to be replaced, it looks like minor damage.

As for the bumper, the top part looks like it is textured plactic. It can be hard to repair and refinish. You want to keep the texture look to it. That part may only be around $30-$50 new from the dealer.

If you want to live with the cut mark in it and just make it look better. You can go to your local auto body supply store and pick up a can of SEM black for textured bumpers. It will match perfect.

What i would do is tape off the lights, grill & bumper, then spray the entire upper black part of the bumper for a perfect match.

It dries very quick and will look good. I have used this several times for my customers.

As for the fender, if you repair it, who will paint it. By looking at the pic you will have the repair material and rust proofing around the entire tip of the fender. This will need to be painted once you are done.

NYD

**jkochis** · 01-18-2003, 07:36 PM

That rare headlight is a bummer! You might have more luck though finding a matching fender. Try http://www.car-part.com/ - I know several folks who have gotten parts via the sources on there and they had very good luck. Even with shipping they saved a lot. I dont know the particulars for your truck, but just glancing at 2002 F150 right front fenders I saw many for $75.

As someone mentioned earlier, do make sure you get a FORD fender if you want it to mate up properly and look absolutely correct. Nothing worse then spending a lot of money on a new part that doesnt fit or look exactly like the one you are replacing.

Good luck, at least it sounds like you`re learning and having fun!

RH

**jkochis** · 01-18-2003, 07:46 PM

Originally posted by BW

Welcome back RH!

Thanks! Having water restrictions for a long time here sorta got me off the detailing crazy (paranoia?!?).

We have plenty of water now, but my hose is frozen! Ugh. Oh well, glad to be back.

RH

**samiam513** · 01-18-2003, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by NY detailer

As for the fender, if you repair it, who will paint it. By looking at the pic you will have the repair material and rust proofing around the entire tip of the fender. This will need to be painted once you are done.

NYD

i am trying to find one as I type. I have a couple other f150 guys looking for a late model truck also. They are looking for consoles and such. We are having trouble finding a late model f150.

Ford wants 212 and i am willing to pay 75 at most.

IF I find one it`ll be painted at the same time my neighbor has his fenders re-painted on his hot rod. Both are the same color. (ford paint code E4)

**Detailing NY** · 01-18-2003, 09:52 PM

Before you paint it, have the shop look at it. Why are you buying a new fender, when you can repair this one. It would be cheaper.

If you repair this fender the damage is at the tip near the headlight. They will be able to keep the painting within the fender. If you replace the fender, they will need to blend into the door for a color match. They may even need to blend up into the hood, depending on where the fender goes up into.

I would check out repairing the fender, rather then to replace it.

**Nagchampa** · 01-18-2003, 10:06 PM

NYdetailer is right. If the damage isn`t too bad, you could probably have the fender repaired and painted for less than you are about to spend on that replacement Ford fender.

**samiam513** · 01-18-2003, 10:34 PM

i`ll go get it checked out. There are two wrinkles, one in and one out. The are in two different curves of the fender near the headlight. I`ll try to explain...

At the top near the headlight there is a wrinkle from the grill surround getting pushed into the fender. This wrinkle goes up. At the bottom of the headlight, the grill surround pushed into the fender casueing the part that dips down to fade in with the wheel curve is pushed in.

If that can be fixed i`d def. go for it.