Motorcycle fenders look great on traditional roadsters. Popularized in the 1950s on East Coast highboys, they served a practical purpose (complying with fender laws and avoiding getting soaked on wet roads), and they provided a third option to the no-fenders or full-fenders decision. They also happen to be mandatory equipment on a Model T roadster pickup currently under construction at Hollywood Hot Rods. It's not a legal issue-the T in question is being built as a precise, fullsize replica of the Black Widow model kit sold by Monogram in the early 1960s.
HHR owner Troy Ladd's unusual challenge has been to build parts that not only look good, fit right, and work correctly, but that look just like the parts on a plastic 1:24-scale model kit from almost 50 years ago. When it was time to build the front fenders, Troy found the right raw material on eBay. Fourteen- and 16-gauge steel motorcycle rear fender blanks are plentiful online, in the local trader papers, and at swap meets-and you can probably find them for less than the price of a tank of gas.
Transforming them from bike fenders into rod fenders takes a little measuring, cutting, welding, and finishing-and some basic sheetmetal tools. Following Troy's procedure, you're probably looking at a one-weekend job. You may not be building your own Black Widow replica, but the metalwork that went into building these fenders can be applied to any highboy project.
We'll spoil the story by showing...
We'll spoil the story by showing you how it ends. The widened hot rod fender on the left started life as a motorcycle rear fender blank, identical to the one on the right. Troy kept the full arc of the fender but could have shortened it from end to end if so desired.
Since this T roadster pickup...
Since this T roadster pickup is being built as a precise-as-possible replica of the Black Widow model kit, the fullsize fenders had to look just like the miniature ones.
The fenders could be held...
The fenders could be held in place with two or three struts on other applications.
This piece of 16-gauge steel...
This piece of 16-gauge steel will be used to create the mounting-plate portion of the fender.
Troy measured it and cut an...
Troy measured it and cut an arc following the circumference of the tire. That piece was used to create an aluminum template for removing material from the fender blanks, so the outside portion won't hang over the tire sidewall.
An additional quarter-inch...
An additional quarter-inch of aluminum material was removed from the template to allow for the tip of the plasma cutter. The edge was ground smooth and clamped to the fender. A plasma cutter is the best choice for cutting 14- or 16-gauge steel like this-and following the arch of the aluminum pattern resulted in a precise cut.
The fenders were widened using...
The fenders were widened using strips of 16-gauge steel. Here, Troy has clamped that strip to the fender to use as a straightedge for making a perfect lengthwise slice down the center of the fender.
After the fender was cut,...
After the fender was cut, Troy positioned both halves over the tire and measured the resulting gap to determine the correct width of the center strip. In this case, it's close to 1 1/2 inches.
The cut edges of the fender...
The cut edges of the fender halves were smoothed on the belt grinder and then laid flat on the table to make sure they were straight.