anyone firmiliar with it. the rivits came loose on my front fender causing the paint to chip so i ground them off. need to reattach fender . any tips would help thanks in advance

 

I wouldn’t use JB weld to fix that. The stuff is strong but I am afraid there in not enough surface area for the product to perform as you will need it to. I would rivet it again if it was me, or find new fender.

 

You don't say what type! My WG fender did the same, I used short 1/4-20 flathead(actually slightly domed) screws with nylock nuts to replace the rivets. Have held real well for a couple yrs now.

[IMG]local://upfiles/36103/2ACB92C3DDD04A78A145DE7E6537AE1D.jpg[/IMG]

 

I agree with Loner. Depending on what paint was on the fender, I would either use blind rivets (also known as cherry max or pop rivets) or get some soft aluminum rivets and buck them with a hammer and a rivet set. If you use the blind rivets you will have to fill the center hole with some bondo and sand before paint. Just my opinion...

 

My front fender is JB welded and has been since last summer.If you strip the paint off the contact surfaces it'll stick.Check it out, the picture with the duct tape was from when I filled the holes from the top.I then stripped the paint off everywhere the bracket touched the fender and used JB Weld.I also rotated the fender back by about 4 inches as you can see in the last pic.

 

I don't feel al rivets will hold the vibs, and will loosen up.JB can be used and does eliminate the holes, it's pretty tough stuff. I still like my screws, they can be tightened easily if they loosen up.

 

I would re-rivet or use a nut & bolt as well. Vibration will make the J.B.Weld crack over time.

JMHO, RR

 

Just a question, maybe it has already been answered.

I have the same problem on my front fender and I am planning on having it fully TIG welded. Is there a problem with welding it? Why is it rivited from the factory?

Thanks.

 

I'm not so sure, JB is tough stuff, the trick is to let the bead form when you mate the parts and DON'T wipe it off. The bead will prevent peeling at the edges by providinga little flex at that point. Hell, most modern aircraft are bonded together with similar if not the same material. There is enough surface area for a really strong bond on the fender. Fill the holes at the same time and you have a smooth finish.
Trick, use masking tape on both side of the holes to hold the JB in place(makes for minimal finishing).

 

Yes, aside from the difference in thickness of the metals, any welding will cause some weakening of the material. Because the WG fender is only supported in the middle, it is most likely it will generate a crack in the sheet metal due to vibration at the point it is welded to the brace. Mine is developing a stress crack where the fender meets the brace and its not welded(it's also 13 yrs old).