Getting wheel well covers off

1930artdeco

1930artdeco

Well-known member
Hi all,

I am trying to replicate my wheel well covers and need some ideas on how to get them off in one piece. There is a chance that I can get them 3D printed if I can get them out of the car and take them down to the printer. But as you can see they are a tad broken up. Any ideas on how to get them out with out crumbling and preserving the texture?

Mike
 

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When redoing the interior of my Ranch Wagon, I'd decided that there was no way the coating could be repaired and still look good. I opted to remove the existing coating, which wasn't really all that easy. It took a chisel, hammer, sandpaper and a bit of sweat. Interior heat over the years had cracked the surface like yours, but the coating was still VERY firmly attached to the metal. Looks like the surface of your '57 is somewhat different than what my '54 had. Mine came off in little pieces, not intact...and that was the only way it was coming off.

I created a decent (but non original looking) textured surface by using a lot of that gravel guard type product, then some color coats and some sort of satin clear coat. The deficiency is that my repair probably doesn't have the same kind of road noise deadening qualities as the original.
 
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If I can't print them then I will probably have to make a mold of them and them create something that looks really close.

Mike
 
you can wrap the wheelhouse in wax paper then cover with fiberglass mat and make a fiberglass mold then you ll have a negative mold or finish the glass and spray bed liner on it
 
Sure thing K. Although I just realized they are coming out get a rewire job done. But if I do t have to take them out with the wiring going behind them and the paneling I will push this project off till the summer. I will still take pics for you though, anything in particular you want zoomed in on?

Mike
 
I’ve looked at all the pictures I could find of those country sedans, and all the pictures I found showed carpet over the wheel wells. So there must not be an easy solution to restore as original.

Right down the road from you in Burlington, Mike, Dragers has a 57 CS for sale. There’s pictures of the rear with the carpeted wheel wells, if you’re interested in that solution.

https://www.dragers.com/vehicles/498/1957-ford-country-sedan
 
That's what I was thinking, covering them with carpet or roll & pleat ... ;)

Guess it depends if trying to perform a dedicated restoration or something custom.

502258

As to the shots, maybe just how they are installed and a shot of one removed (interior of cover).

I actually had a 57 DEL RIO at one point (1969) and didn't realize what it actually was. Used to go through them like BUDWEISERS at that time.

THANX!
 

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Mike...I think they were vacuum formed originally. That is a no go for me as i don't want to invest thousands of dollars for two covers. But who knows I may be able to come up with a simpler solution that gets me close to original.

Mike
 
While you’re working on removing the old and doing the rewire, you might think about bed liner as mentioned above. Rustoleum makes a spray/roll product, and also a thicker roll on only product. The lighter stuff is in the $20 gal range, so it’s cheap as those things go.
 
miker98038 said:
I’ve looked at all the pictures I could find of those country sedans, and all the pictures I found showed carpet over the wheel wells. So there must not be an easy solution to restore as original.
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That's my impression, too. I've never seen a mid-fifties Ford wagon with a well-duplicated (authentic) or repaired interior rear wheelhouse surface, even on nice cars. There are probably some out there...I've just never seen them.
 
Vacuum forming is not very expensive btw, it’s mostly about doing pattern making. Woodworking or plaster. You would basically have to make a pattern or buck of the wheel well, then find material to vacuum over the pattern. I’m this case a heavier vinyl that is already the color that matches your interior
I light take a stab of forming some vinyl. We have some machines at work I think the larger one might fit a wheel well pattern. The main thing is I think the pebbled texture might mess up. I think even marine vinyl can take the heat. Shrink over the pattern.

I personally don’t like the carpet. On my wagon I think it still has the originals.
But carpet was installed in the service are instead of the battleship linoleum. Which is also still available .
 
If you have extra vinyl. You might be able to make a rudimentary sort of garage vacuum form pattern or even just a frame hood to the vinyl while you form it down with a heat gun.
 
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I'm coincidentally in the middle of doing just this project on my wagon. It isn't a coating, it's the same rubber material as the wagon cargo mats, but with an embossed pebble pattern rather than the pinstripes used on the mats.

I have access to some specialized equipment, and I've 3D scanned the wheelwells and designed a 3D printed buck for my vacuum forming setup. I'll post some pictures as work progresses if there's interest.
 
I'd thought about setting up for proper production of these, but I'm not certain how much demand there is for them. I have access to the correct rubber material in the correct colors, and while I only have my molding buck designed for '57-'59 wagons it wouldn't be difficult to scan and model others.
 
I think you might find more interest than you think. Especially if the cost is reasonable and you do both wagons and sedans.

Mike
 
Initially, I think you would have a very popular product if you offered '55-'59 wagon rear wheelwell covers. Heck, look how long we had to wait to get new reproduction gas tanks for these wagons.
But my '55 Courier came from the factory as a plain cargo wagon like most did and they didn't have any covering on the wheelwells, just base enamel over the steel. So i'm good to go.
 
Is the wheel well profile the same for '55-'59? I'd assumed there wasn't much carryover between '56-'57. 3D scanning/building the buck is the time-consuming part, so it would definitely decrease the tooling costs I'd need to absorb.
 
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