Rolling Rear Fender Lip

[stagedgs]

Over the course of the last few months, I've read a few threads where rolling the rear fender lip has been mentioned when talking about fitting larger rear tires. For those that have done it, how did you roll the fender lip and still use your wheelhouse molding after you were done? For some reason if the molding is left in place while rolling the fender lip, I see the wheelhouse molding being on the losing end of the battle between the tire and the baseball bat (assuming I use a baseball bat between the tire and the body to roll the fender lip). My wheelhouse moldings are in excellent shape and I do not want to beat them up trying to fit larger tires.
Also, has anyone used Eastwood's Fender Roller?
Thanks.

[cray1801]

Good question!

My tires clear but just barely. I have 15 x 9 rims with 4.5" rear spacing with 275/60R-15's Drag Radials.

I would still consider rolling the lip. Last week I had the rear jacked up and while rotating the tire by hand I almost cut two of my fingers. My right hand got caught between the tire and the trim edge..OUCH. I hesitated for a second realizing I needed to push on the tire hard and rotate the tire back to get my hand out. Yes It left a mark... :Dou:

I'm thinking you could take a round wood rod (of the right diameter) and rotate it as you sandwinch it between the tire and lip, then rotate the tire as you rotate the rod. Step up in rod size as the lip is rolled. I have not tried this so not sure this would really give the desired result.

[stagedgs]

Thanks, Craig.
I'm concerned with what happens to the wheelhouse molding when you roll the fender lip. Does the molding stay up against the outer fender surface, or does it bend down and get all bent as you roll the fender lip up; if that makes any sense? :Do No:
If you take the molding off before, so it doesn't get damaged while rolling the fender lip, I can't see a way to get the molding back on afterwards.

[stagedgs]

ttt

[daward]

I rolled my rear lips with a flat-body hammer (not sure of the correct name). I took off my rear stainless prior, and bent the lip a little at a time--from the 10:00 to the 2:00 position. There was no rim/tire on the car when I rolled the lips, I couldn't see how a bat would work so I stuck with a hammer and some patience.

I wedged a 15x8 rim with 5'' backspacing and a BFG Drag Radial 275/50. I'm still trying to figure out how to work my stainless moldings in, as the rear lips are rolled very clean.

[70 gsconvt]

I had 275 DragRadials on my car and had tons of room both inside and out. It's with the 325's that I am now "tight", but it does work with the fender well lip rolled up or trimmed. What is your backspacing. On a 15x8 wheel it should be 4.5" to have the wheel centered in the wheel well. Your wheels may have only 3.33" backspacing. That seems to be a common backspacing from a lot of wheel manufacturers. Must be something that the Chebby guys need.

There is an easy way to do this. Get an old WOOD baseball bat. Simply put it up in there on the back side of the tire, have someone start the car and SLOWLY move the car forward. This will roll that lip up.

Know now that it will also permanently mar the bat. But sacrificing the bat and not kinking metal makes it worth it. I've seen it done. It's smooth and does a nice job.

[stagedgs]

My new 15x8 rally wheels have 5.25in backspacing. With the 225/70R14s that are on my car now, I have approx a 1/2 - 5/8inch of clearance to the fender lip. I would like to fit wider tire in the rear, and that is why I would like to roll my fender lip. I would like to fit a set of 275/50R15s, but I do not think I will have enough clearance to the fender lip if I do, which is why I want to roll the fender lip. But, if I do the baseball bat trick, what about my wheelhouse molding if I leave it on? I am worried that as I roll the fender lip up, the wheelhouse molding will peel down and away from the quarter panel and kink.
Thanks.

[70 gsconvt]

You are trying to put a tire on that is 2" wider than you currently have. Have you checked the inside clearance yet? You may want to take a look there first also.

You may have to use a 255/60R15, which is 10" wide, about 1.2" wider than you now have. Rolling the lip will give you about 1/2" or so. I think you will be cutting it too close trying to stuff that 275 in there.

As for your trim, I think you would definitely have problems with that. I think you should remove it before rolling the fender. Then get another pair for the back and trim them with a RotoZip or other cut-off wheel tool. That's what I did. You'll never get something that small and delicate to bend and stay laying on the fender right.

BFGoodrich Radials also come in a 265/50R14 size. This is 10.4" wide. Kind of in between the two. Your best bet would be to roll the fender first, then see how much clearance you've added before deciding on a tire. And make sure you check the inside clearance also.

[stagedgs]

Thanks, Philip. That was the kind of feedback I was looking for.
After trimming your wheelhouse molding back, did you worry about fastening the molding at the top? I am assuming you cut away the factory attaching holes when you trimmed your molding. Maybe a little silicone on what's left of the molding so it doesn't vibrate against the quarter as you go down the road?
I think I will be OK on the inside of the tire. I have a fist's worth of clearance to the frame at the front and my exhaust at the rear with my existing tires. I plan on going with a 15inch tire, and it appears if I go with a 50 series, the overall diameter of the tire will be near the same as the 225/70R14s that I have on there now. So with the backspacing of my new wheels I will be shoving the majority of the width of the wider tire towards the inside of the car. I just need to gain a little towards the outside, and I think I can gain what I need by rolling the fender lip.
Thanks.

[daward]

Thanks, Philip. That was the kind of feedback I was looking for.
After trimming your wheelhouse molding back, did you worry about fastening the molding at the top? I am assuming you cut away the factory attaching holes when you trimmed your molding. Maybe a little silicone on what's left of the molding so it doesn't vibrate against the quarter as you go down the road?
I think I will be OK on the inside of the tire. I have a fist's worth of clearance to the frame at the front and my exhaust at the rear with my existing tires. I plan on going with a 15inch tire, and it appears if I go with a 50 series, the overall diameter of the tire will be near the same as the 225/70R14s that I have on there now. So with the backspacing of my new wheels I will be shoving the majority of the width of the wider tire towards the inside of the car. I just need to gain a little towards the outside, and I think I can gain what I need by rolling the fender lip.
Thanks.

If it helps at all, with my 5" backspacing on my 15x8 rims (they were from an LT1 Fbody) I had room on the INSIDE, but not on the wheel well's lip. That was a 275/50 as I said before. So the tire DOES fit, but the 5" backspacing was about a half inch off...

I'm an idiot on the backspacing of a rim/tire combo, but if I had centered that tire under the rear wheel well it would have been PERFECT... but unfortunately it didn't work. I flipped the rims and recouped my cost.

This was all on my '66, which I do believe has the same rear dimensions as your '67s :bglasses:

[stagedgs]

Thanks, Ed.

[70 gsconvt]

Sounds like you need to flip those rims (sell and buy right size) and get ones with another 34/" to 1" of backspacing and you won't have to roll/cut the lip at all if you have that much space on the inside of the wheel.

[stagedgs]

We'll see. Based on what Ed said it sounds like I am only a quarter inch off on my backspacing. I think I can fit a pretty good sized tire in the rear using what I have, with a little bit of work.
I was pretty lucky with the turnaround time for my wheels (order to delivery of three weeks). I do not know if I will be so lucky if I were to flip my wheels and try it again though. I have read about some real horror stories on this board, about long deliveries. Wheel Vintiques tracked down a mess of wheel centers when I first contacted them, before I ordered the wheels I now have.
Thanks.