I am able to get my hands on a fender roller and a heat gun. And am going to attempting to roll my Rear fenders on the xB.

Is this pretty hard for a DIY? Any pointers or what to look out for?

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I have yet to do it...but it seems simple enough. Check out www.rollyourfender.com they have some tips on there.

 

i rolled mine with another person.

one holds the heat gun.
heat all around the fender.

the other rolling the fender flat.

pulling the fender out helps too.

 

Go Slowly...LOOK CLOSELY...DO NOT continue if the outside of the fender starts to distort. If you are carefull and pay close attention to what the metal is doing you can likely do this job. On many fenders all that is needed is a big rubber block to support the outside and a carefully applied hammer on the inner lip...the Xb fender is pretty thin so extra care should be taken regardless of the method used.

 

when rolling the fenders do u apply the heat to the outside of the fender and inside where the little flap of metal is rubbing against the tires?..i'm a noob.

 

Heat is not necessary. Enough heat to soften the metal to help forming would also fry the paint off the part. You want to form the area of lip up into the fender evenly a little at a time along the whole area to be rolled. SO...you work the top 3/4's say of the wheel lip in a few degrees...and then go around it a gain working it in a little more...and repeat until it is rolled as much as you want/need. Slow and steady is the key. trying to rush it and bend a spot too much all at once is what bends the exterior surface you dont want bent.

 

heat helps to soften the paint to prevent it from cracking ^

 

does anybody have a before and after pic of the fender roll?

 

Wow actually heat softening the paint could be a help. I have never rolled one so tight that that was an issue however.

You wouldnt see much in a pic. All that happens is the little 1/4 inch lip that sticks in toward the tire (where the splash shield mounts and sits behinds) gets bent up toward the insdie of the fender. The end result is that instead of it sticking in toward the tire, after bending it now points straight up, or possibly past verticle so the edge points toward the inside of the fender panel. Done correctly a simple roll will not be visible from the outside at all. Moving this area so the outside shape is changed is called flaring

 

so cant you just cut it.. or would that look ghetto.. or it rust.

 

Both!! And the fender also loses strength totally across the wheel opening. The little wheel opening flange adds a lot of strength to that fender. Rolling it loses some of that strength. To cut the flange would result in a flimsy mess.

 

Be careful and do it slow. I agree with 2Tone to ahve a friend to assist. I did mine myself and only screwed up one fender (1st one at that) because I did not use the heat gun correctly. but if you have a friend to hold the gun then you have 2 free hands to carefully roll the fenders. go slow and do not rush. you may have to go back a couple of times to get it to the desired flatness but don't rush!.

 

some one else here used a crowbar. why not try that???!!! Idiots!!!!

 

i just did mine, and did my friends one with his help. yes it helps when someone can keep the heat gun on the spot you working on and working on next. Start from the top, make sure your first bend is at a staight up angle, make sure you bend it only a little just to get it started. Then slowly, and i mean slowly add more pressure and start rolling back and forth. what i did was, get most of it rolled, then went back again to roll it flat. just take your time, dont rush it. also, since the tire moves toward the front of the car, ( during compression) it is not needed to roll too much toward the back. be carefull, on the part next to the back bumper, it will bend outward.