1936 Ford pickup left fender fitment

flathead_jr

flathead_jr

Senior Member
I am working on my 36 Ford pickup and was doing mock up of the rear fenders and encountered a fitment issue on the left fender. Take in mind these fenders have never been on this vehicle before. The right fender really did not give me any issues, however the left one seems to be not like the other, other than in appearance (mostly). It does not meet the running board, and does not meet the frame like the other. The kicker is that is bolted right on the box no issue other than one hole did not align. (very last hole at the rear) Did Ford make fenders for other makes, or is there a model year change here that doesn't make sense? Is there only just the one supplier for patch panels for these fenders?
 

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flathead_jr said:
I am working on my 36 Ford pickup and was doing mock up of the rear fenders and encountered a fitment issue on the left fender. Take in mind these fenders have never been on this vehicle before. The right fender really did not give me any issues, however the left one seems to be not like the other, other than in appearance (mostly). It does not meet the running board, and does not meet the frame like the other. The kicker is that is bolted right on the box no issue other than one hole did not align. (very last hole at the rear) Did Ford make fenders for other makes, or is there a model year change here that doesn't make sense? Is there only just the one supplier for patch panels for these fenders?
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There are differences between 1935-1937 rear fenders.
!935 and 1936 are the same, but 1937 is slightly different.

I will tell you that when working on my 1936 pickup, a NOS driver's side running board did not mate up to the driver's side front fender at the bottom. The body shop had to remove some of the fender to match the stamping of the NOS running board.

So, from that, you can speculate that there were other body parts over the years that did not mate up -- as your rear fender and running board.

You may have a 1937 rear fender.
 
I do know there were changes to the box in 37, and I am certain my box is a 35 so that would explain the rear hole in the fender. Drilling to match fixed that easily. The fitment would be the fender to running board. Is anyone else making that patch panel besides NW Classic Parts? The patch panel would correct this issue.
 
1935-36 is different from 1937 rear fenders at the front against the frame. This was to make clearance for the cable brake system of 1937 vs the rod brake system of 1935-36. This fender is clearly not 1935-36 but does not look quite right for 1937. My understanding is the bolt pattern of the fender to the bed is the same except for one bolt at the very back.


In looking at your fender there appears to be a horizontal crack about 2 inches above the running board mounts. This looks suspiciously like a repair line, perhaps the front of the fender was shortened at some point in its life?
 
Would like to see some exploded diagrams of the bed assemblies between 35/36 and 37. The line you are seeing a rust line, but I will have a deeper look to see if it has been modified. If it was, someone did a good job at it, as the other repairs have been sub par. Are there any other suppliers for patch panels for these other than NW Classic?
 
First supplier I have seen with parts for the box with photos, that helps some. I do need the bracket and chain kits for mine, just plain if they are available as a kit. Finding a decently priced patch panel may be a challenge, the only ones I have found have been priced at over $400 for the pair, and it's just the very bottom piece of the fender.
 
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To me it looks as if your running board is low in the rear. 35-37 rear fenders should all bolt up without issue. Make sure your box is mounted correctly and that you are using the correct frame holes for the running boards. Sometimes using a later frame might not have all the holes you need. Also, these running boards are not flat. They have a gentle sweep to them so it might be beneficial to compare left and right running boards as well as fenders. Pull a tape measure to make sure things measure somewhat close for each side. If your box is in the right spot, install your bed filler panels. This will let you know exactly where your running board should land.

In regards to the patch panels for the 35-37 rear fenders, nobody other than myself and Hardison Metal Shaping are making anything. My pair retails for $280 for the pair without the inner reinforcement panels. These are handmade in very low quantity. They are not made in China in large quantities. I understand the cost might seem high to some, but if you knew how much time in money I invest to be able to produce these, you would understand. I am not planning to make these parts forever. It was never my intention to offer any of them for sale, but when guys need these parts, word spreads. You might not need these patch panels though. Maybe just the inner reinforcement pieces, but it’s hard to tell without stripping the area to bare metal. Hopefully this message helps you get your issues sorted out. If not, let us know what we can do to help. Lots of knowledgeable people on this forum.
 
So I had a second look at this and put in the filler piece between the bed and running board and found that the running board was pushed down nearly an inch at the end. having a better look underneath I could see the metal edge of the board was pushed down. so I got my jack up underneath and started to slowly push the board back up into the correct position and it finely did line up. I can see that the very edge of the running board is going to need some work, and the fender as well. As Karl mentioned above the 37 fender is a little different, and it does not mate up against the frame like the 36 does. I think this was to accommodate a bracket for the cable on the braking system for the 37 model year. I would need to take a look at my 37 car to see if this is the case as it would seem the the routing would be the same. I did order the braces for the fenders from Bob Drake to see if this helps to stabilize the rears of all 4 fenders, but getting this figured out does help me move forward on this project. I plan on getting in contact with Wescott's on ordering some bed parts which gets this closer to completion.
 
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