Mogans

I'm an idiot, I should have known this was too low. The car was not rubbing at first, but then it was and I rode on it longer than I should have. I'm going to have the height adjusted, but my question is, how big of a deal is it to repair this kind of damage? I'm not a DYI'er, so I'll be having someone do it for me. It's the right front that is damaged.

hacker-pschorr

Do you know your front offset, tire size (and brand / model) and what did you set the ride height to?

That shouldn't be a big deal for a good body shop to fix. I had similar damage on my 79 due to the previous owner putting way too big of a tire up front for how low it is.

SeanR

Is that body filler that is getting knocked off?

Mogans

Tires are continental sport contact 2 225's in front. I think the offset is 52 in the front. Not sure of the ride height, I didn't change it from what it was. Is there a consensus as to what it should be in order to be low but not rub? Regarding the other question, I think it's just the metal of the car and not body fill, but I'm not good at the fix-it part, so not sure. But I think you answered my question Hacker when you said it shouldn't be that big of a deal to get it fixed (body). It's pretty small but it will bug me.

hacker-pschorr

Understandable, just trying to be positive.

Might be a good time to fix those rock chips on the nose (assuming your car has any).

mark kibort

you should have known the offset was wrong. (all the discussion here) ride height wasnt the issue here, but it could make it more likely to happen, and make the damage more.
you might be able to baseball bat it back in shape and then just use touch up to clean it up. the pictures are a little unclear of the extent of the damage.

Mogans

Positive is good! I'll let you know how it goes. Bummer to have to raise the car up, it really looks great crawling along the road the way it is now! I'll post some before and after's when the work is done.

mark kibort

This is why it is always recommeded that darn lip is rolled inward. it looks like the tire went up agaist the lip, and then when it went downward, it pulled the lip down and split it. now, rolling the lip now might work and smooth out the entire area. aluminum is very brittle and as long as that crack didnt get into the real fender area, it might be saved. a front view would be nice to see how much the area is distorted.

123quattro

It tore the bottom lip of the fenders out.

hacker-pschorr

I've had 225's on et52 wheels for about 8 years on my 81 with sports package stock ride height - no damge.

On my lowered 79, the same wheels hit the fenders if I hit a driveway entrance size bump while turning.

81 has stock fender lips, the 79 doesn't have any (they were ground off completly).

Mogans

Yes, you're right (note "I'm an idiot" comment in OP). I know 55 is the lowest were' supposed to go, but on my other 928 I have less than that and never a problem. I think the ride height will address it. Damage is not extensive, just irritating.

mark kibort

you dont have to raise it up. just roll the lip with a baseball bat (wood) and that can end up almost perfect, even after this damage I would bet. I just need to see a front shot of the area to determine that . the lip is what caused the damage. Its an area that caught the tire on the way down through its motion. often neglected when folks go to bigger tires.

mark kibort

Not really, and to Hackers point, this is not a bad set up as far as tire and ride height. you can fix this yourself, but you need to do it very carefully. it can be fixed without a body shop. Its only that darn lip and when it is bent backward slightly, the fender will look better and that very small area might be seen, but it wont look near as bad. the process is jacking the car up in the front and finding the point where the bat can slowly bend back that lip area. eventually, it will be pointed upward slightly. (depending on how much clearance you want) ride height wont fix anything, as if you hit a pot hole, his effect could happen again. use the fat end of the baseball bat and work your way rearward and frontward from both ends, as that gets the bend started. when you get to that area, it will fold gently back and give the fenders shape back as well as bend back the area with the crack. you are lucky, the crack is on the lip, not the visible fender area.

Bertrand Daoust

Mogans,

What ride heights does the car has - front and back please?

Thank you.

Mogans

Do these show you what you need to see? Thanks for the help!