Repro Fender Blues

Do we really know how many are sold each year? I mean at 300 a year times 40 years of production only comes to only 12 thousand. if we back up to when the dies were still "good" 10 years (?) ago that means the dies wore out after 10,000. Did Ford replace the dies several times a week?

Again I know the cost to create new would take many years to re-coupe, more then a reasonable business could afford. I wonder if it would be a possible business model to "correct" the errors on a large scale with gigs and tooling and then resell them as correct? Just putting thoughts online.

But when i win the lottery!!!:cool:
 
Mike V. Florida said:
Do we really know how many are sold each year? I mean at 300 a year times 40 years of production only comes to only 12 thousand. if we back up to when the dies were still "good" 10 years (?) ago that means the dies wore out after 10,000. Did Ford replace the dies several times a week?

Again I know the cost to create new would take many years to re-coupe, more then a reasonable business could afford. I wonder if it would be a possible business model to "correct" the errors on a large scale with gigs and tooling and then resell them as correct? Just putting thoughts online.

But when i win the lottery!!!:cool:
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I'm sure Ford had many sets of dies. When they needed repair they went to the tool room. They use to repair that kind thing all the time.
We did some die work at our plant, but they were much smaller parts. Yes the dies wear, but repairing and maintain are part of the game.
 
For making fenders fit splash shields, I bolt them together off the car, on the floor. Lay down a couple nice big soft blankets. Then put the splash apron up to the fender lip, and you may have to use a body hammer to bend the lip on the fender a bit to get it to line up with the splash apron, but then you can get some clamps, mark your holes and then take them apart drill your holes and it's done. We've even done this on fenders and aprons that have already been painted and never test fitted before.
 
My memory is sketchy on this, but I recall seeing a picture in a book I have of a Mod. A die duplicating machine (Actually, I think it was the punch, the die is female) Anyway, it seemed that Ford maintained "Masters" and duplicated from those much the same as a record manufacturer did with recordings. BTW the machinery was huge.
Terry
 
Terry said:
My memory is sketchy on this, but I recall seeing a picture in a book I have of a Mod. A die duplicating machine (Actually, I think it was the punch, the die is female) Anyway, it seemed that Ford maintained "Masters" and duplicated from those much the same as a record manufacturer did with recordings. BTW the machinery was huge.
Terry
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I think you are right was it a Keller machine. It made dies from a master.
I think it was in the Model A Ford as Henry built it.
 
I don't see why anyone can't understand the problem as Brent so clearly stated. If they had 7 different specifications on the fenders which one were they supposed to use. Even if they unknowingly used the wrong one I don' t think they were willing to throw $300,000 down the drain. Workable original fenders also reduce the urgency of making the investment in additional dies.

They state that they are good quality and close to specs but need fitting. My Tudor has 2 repo's with the right well. Yes they had to be fitted. My advice is to let the professionals fit these for you unless you are willing to spend quite a bit of time getting them right. In the end they do fit.
 
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