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Lots of guys have asked me how to go about rolling fenders and how much clearance one can create with a roll. I was at the shop the other day and snapped a few pictures to give those interested some pics. The GT cars have the fender lips partially rolled from the factory, the TT cars do not. Both the GT and TT cars will benefit if you are trying to fit larger wheel and tires beyond a 315. I also tightly roll the front but that's not really necessary for most.
Rolling the fenders is very easy and I prefer doing it with a simple 2.5lb steel mallet from Home Depot. I wrap the business end of the mallet with a few layers of Gorilla tape duct-tape to protect the finish on the inner fender lip. What I recommend is that this be done on a nice hot sunny day after the car has sat in the sun and the paint is hot and flexible. After taking the rear wheel off, I take a heat gun and evenly heat up the fender lip with a nice back and forth motion. After a few minutes of this when the fender lip is hot to the touch, I take the mallet and slowly tap the fender lip from underneath and from the inside of the wheel well working it back and forth. The fender lip will begin to fold over onto itself in short order. Every few minutes I will take the heatgun and heat up the fender lip some more to keep the paint nice and pliable. Rinse and repeat. After of few minutes of working the fender lip back and forth, you will get the desired results. I've never had any issues with paint cracking when using this method and this will allow you to roll the fender far tighter than using a fender rolling tool. Now your tires can easily tuck under the fender.....
Here are a few pics of the results. On my car, for maximum clearance, I have also ground down the metal bracket near the area of where the fender meets the plastic bumper cover. I also trimmed the lip of the plastic bumper cover on the inside as you can see below. This was necessary to run the 27" tall 315/680 tires I use. I also don't run the front portion of the rear fenderliner for additional clearance. None of this is necessary with a standard 25.5-26" rear tall tire.
Last edited by powdrhound; 09-17-2022 at 07:49 PM.
This is an interesting method. I have the tool, but you are right, the tool will "pull" the fender pretty hard before getting it this tight. I was able to fold it over quite a bit on the front of my car though. On the rear, there has yet to become a need. I really want to run a 275 in the front, so who knows. I may try this method when trying to move to a wider setup in the front.
This is an interesting method. I have the tool, but you are right, the tool will "pull" the fender pretty hard before getting it this tight. I was able to fold it over quite a bit on the front of my car though. On the rear, there has yet to become a need. I really want to run a 275 in the front, so who knows. I may try this method when trying to move to a wider setup in the front.
The front is very easy to roll tightly due to the fact that it is already rolled from the factory and the fact that the wheel metal is very thin compared to the rear. The rear is significantly more difficult but the "mallet method" makes it rather easy.
I've always preferred using a fender rolling tool, I find it easier to control than the mallet method. A few companies make the tools but the Eastwood one is the most common to see. If you buy the car version you have to modify it to work with the 5x130 bolt pattern by slotting the holes.
The general process is the same with using heat to make sure the paint is softened and making multiple passes to slowly fold the lip over.
Yes, bolts to the hub. I’ve used both the Eastwood tool and the mallet. I can get a far tighter roll with a mallet, almost a knife edge roll where the fender lip completely folds onto itself.
09-17-2022, 07:46 PM
Fender rolling DIY..
