Front fender fit with tub

[Mark McCombs]

I have the front fenders on, with the running boards clamped in position on the tub. I have a bit of a gap at the flat section of the inside of the fender where it fits up against the front outside of the tub with the three screws (although my original tub only had a screw in the front hole, into the scuttle wood inside the front tub side panel).

If I loosen the cowl bolts and the front frame mounting bolts, would the front lower portion of the tub have enough flexibility that I could move each side out about 1/8-3/16''?

Not sure how rigid my newly rebuilt tub is in that area, its always been firmly bolted down to the frame...

[Ray White]

I am not sure you want to bend the body irons which is what holds the frame to the chassis. If the running boards are bolted to the fenders (end to end)any gap between the fender and the body side suggests that either the wing or the running board mounting brackets are not in the right position. This is the same problem I had when trying to fit after market running boards.

I think Some photos might help.

[Mark McCombs]

Thanks Ray,

it looks like just an additional rubber strip between the fender welting and the fender in that area will fill the gap, I don't want to risk anything at this stage over a rather small Issue.

Hard to believe anything gets as close as it does with factory hand formed fenders...

Thanks
Mark

[Ray White]

I don't know about other restorations but with my TC I have found countless times that things will not quite line up or fit as they should. The magic number is 1/16" ....a gap just big enough to not let things line up... yet too small to drill another hole.

[Mark McCombs]

Thanks Ray,

Good Advice.

As I bought my TC disassembled, I didn't have any previous references. So over the last ten years whenever a TC was advertised, I captured as many images as I could to use as an assembly guide. After reviewing underfender shots, I see many have the same nominal issue in getting that flat section to snug up to the front of the tub, so I feel in good company. Honestly I think a thin rubber strip in addition to the fender welting flap may be an improvement over just the vinyl flap.

And the ghosts of the Abingdon line builders are have a good laugh at all this!

[Ray White]

........
And the ghosts of the Abingdon line builders are have a good laugh at all this!

Car development was gathering pace after the War with more modern styles on offer so it must have been quite puzzling to everyone at Abingdon why an archaic design such as the TC should sell in such numbers.!!!!

These relatively cheap cars were never expected to last very long, so the fact that so many have survived to this day is, I think, testament to their outstanding craftsmanship. Personally, I think they got it just about right; it's just the modern world which has it wrong.