Volvo Front Fender Liners Installation

by Tony Sims
April 22, 2003

First things first : credit is due to Bill Riblett of the CSR for resurrecting this idea and providing the initial instructions to get me started. Thanks, Bill.

Second, a disclaimer: I did this work on my 1970 2800 CS. I know later cars have different bumper attachments, so you may need to devise some different mounting points for the front of the fender liners. Otherwise I think everything is the same, but no guarantees!

NB:

• If you have "rolled" your fender lips, you will probably not be able to install the liners. They require the fender lip as a mounting point.
• If you are running wheels and/or tires that are significantly larger than original, or a different wheel offset than original, there may be tire interference with the liners. I have 195-70/14 tires on 7x14 wheels, and have no interference. I used to have 205-70/14 tires on 7x14 wheels, and it looks to me like these would fit. The closest "fit point" is at the back of the fender well, where the tires could rub when you are turning. You might also have rubbing at the fender lip if you have a close fit now, which could pop the liner loose.
• If you have short springs, this may increase your risk of tire interference. My car has ST springs, and I have no interference, but as noted I do not have large tires/wheels.

This project is not difficult, but does require a minimum of mechanical ability and a few tools. I'd allow about 4 hours for the actual installation, plus whatever time you need to prepare the car (see evangelizing in "Cleaning and preparation" section below). For some people this may mean the fender liners will not get installed for several years, and a local body shop owner will be ordering a new Harley...

Tool list:

• Power (air or electric) drill and bits sized for your fasteners
• Hacksaw and a jigsaw or keyhole saw ˆ OR (easiest) - an electric jigsaw with metal blades
• Screwdriver (phillips or flat, depending on your fasteners)
• Metric sockets, ratchet and extensions as needed
• Pop rivet installer (optional)

Materials list:

• Front fender liners from a 240-series Volvo
• Approx. 3 feet of .75‰ x .125‰ (20mm x 3mm) aluminum bar stock
• Approx. 1 foot of 1‰ x .125‰ (25mm x 3mm) aluminum bar stock
• 1 foot of .75‰ x .125‰ (20mm x 3mm) mild steel bar stock (optional for top mounting bracket)
• 10 to 12 Volvo fender liner attaching screws w/10mm hex head and flat washer, or equivalent 1‰ x 3/16‰ screws with 3/4‰ flat washers
• 6 to 8 - 5/16‰ (8mm) length small sheet metal screws - OR - 6 to 8 ˆ1/4‰ (6mm) reach aluminum pop rivets
• Body seam putty - OR - RTV silicone
• Assorted cleaning supplies, paint, rust treatments, undercoating (again, see evangelizing below)
• Optional but recommended -- One pair of cheapo flat plastic "truck and van" mud flaps from your local car parts chain store (Approx. 7 inches wide at the bottom edge). If you are even cheaper than me, you will actually use the Volvo-branded mud flaps from your donor car.

Availability note: I got the aluminum and other hardware at Home Depot.

 

Step 1: Getting the fender liners

The fender liners you want were used in Volvo 240 series cars during the later years of production. They're made of thick, pliable plastic. I'm not a Volvo expert, but this series was built from probably the mid-70s to about 1995, and the fender liners were used from at least the mid-80s, as that was the vintage of the car that donated mine. From what I have seen in poking around the u-pull-it yards, the 240 fender liners are the same for all model years. I did not look at 700 series cars, but they might also use a compatible liner.

Bill provided the following part numbers if you want new parts or don't have a junkyard full of Volvos nearby -- left: 1254747-7 and right 1254748-5. I have not confirmed these numbers, but I'm sure you can still get the liners from Volvo, given the length of production of the donor model.

All right, time to get started. If you are heading to the u-pull-it for your liners, a couple of tips ˆ look through the cars available and find the best pair of liners you can. Avoid liners that are torn or cracked, and try to avoid any that have the little "fingers" that grip the fender lip broken off, as these are critical to getting the liners to mount solidly in your coupe. Don't worry about dirt, it washes off.

Also, when you pull the liners, scavenge 10 or 12 of the 10mm hex-head mounting screws ˆ they worked on the Volvo, they'll work on your coupe. You'll probably only need 6 to 8 total, but you won't be paying for them, so why not grab a few extra in case one rolls under the water heater? They come in 2 flavors, pointed and flat-tip ˆ I ended up using a pointed one to start threads in mounting holes, then I used flat tip ones for final assembly so there weren't sharp points to catch skin on later.

 

Step 2: Cleaning and preparation

WARNING: Proceeding beyond this point may expose you to knowledge you will wish you did not have. The definition of the term "rust-free" is NOT „ a coupe without rust" ˆ it is "all the rust on your coupe was included at no extra charge". You are about to start poking around in what may be the most rust-prone part of your car, so be prepared for unpleasant surprises.

My advice is to devote several hours to cleaning every part of the area inside the fender that you can reach, using your fingers, air pressure, screwdrivers, wire brushes and other implements of destruction, even ˆ gasp! ˆ soap and water (I have a small pressure washer, it kicks ass at blasting the gunk off the dark side of cars). Putting the car up on jack stands and taking the wheels off will make this a lot easier and you'll be able to do a better job. There are many places where dirt lodges in large quantity, and the more of it you can remove, the slower your car will rust into oblivion. There are many drain holes that probably have been blocked by dirt, undercoating or a big bowl of Kellogg's Crunchy Rusty Flakes. Clean them as you go and try not to block them again. Borrow the family hair dryer to dry things out afterward, and consider spending some time treating the rust you find with products such as Rust-Mort or naval jelly, and a quality rust-prevention paint like the spendy stuff from Eastwood (I don't personally recommend POR-15 because it must be top-coated). Put a good coat of rubberized undercoating over your repairs.

Pay particular attention to the fender lip. Use a soft plastic brush and soap and water to scrub the back of the fender lip clean of all dirt. Clean, treat and paint ANY rust you find here (but skip the undercoating). Also make sure you clean the outside of the foot well at the rear of the fender well, as there will be a mounting point on it.

If you're using "previously owned" fender liners, give them a good scrubbing with 409 or Simple Green, at least on the back side. Dirt is a sponge that holds water and invites rust.

Once the fender wells are clean and dry, jack up your car, put it on secure jack stands and remove the front wheels.

 

Step 3: Fitting and trimming

PLEASE ˆ Don't try to cut the fender liners with a razor knife or utility knife. The plastic is too thick and too tough, and you risk slipping and excising a valuable piece of your anatomy. This is a job for a saw.

I made a total of 3 cuts to each liner to get it fitted to the coupe. You could probably do it in 2 cuts, but my advice would be to do it the way I did, with a fitting between cut 1 and 2 to confirm the best line for the second cut. As always, it's better to cut too little and have to cut a little more, than to cut too much and be screwed.

Cuts 1 and 2 -- The fender liners have a "bump" molded into them that is one of the mounting points on the Volvo. This interferes with fitment to the coupe and must be removed. The photos below show the 2 cuts I made to remove the "Volvo bump" and get the liners to fit up reasonably close against the rear of the fender well. I'd recommend that you "test fit" the liners before you cut and to determine if these are the specific cuts that will work best for your car. I only have experience with my 1970 car, I can't swear all cars are the same.

As far as locating the liner in the fender well ˆ in my car, the rear lower edge of the liner is positioned approximately 1.75‰ (45mm) above the lower edge of the rocker panel, or about .5‰ (13mm) above the place where the rocker "folds" under to horizontal (where the jack points are). This is really an "eyeball job" ˆ you just have to work the liner into the fender well until it looks right. Getting the liner on the fender lip is easiest if you get one end on and then work your way around the perimeter of the fender lip. You'll be more successful in fitting the liners if you have 3 or 4 arms, or can bribe someone to help you. I did it alone, but my garage is separate from the house and far enough from my neighbor's yard that the cursing blends into the background noise.

Cut 3 ˆ the Volvo liner is profiled to go around the strut and spring, but the coupe strut and spring are slightly different so a little additional trimming is needed. The photos below show the cut I made to allow clearance around the coupe strut.

 

Step 4: Stiffener

I'm sure there's an opportunity for a Viagra joke here somewhere, but I'm going to resist the temptation. The leading edge of the liner needs to be reinforced to allow it to hold the liner tightly against the fender lip. I made a stiffener out of aluminum stock and riveted it to the back side of the liner. Screws will work too, in fact I used screws first, then replaced them with rivets after I remembered I had a rivet tool. . .

I made the stiffener out of .75‰ x .125‰ (3/4‰ x 1/8‰) aluminum stock. It needs to be roughly 9 inches long (really, just let the whole Viagra thing go, OK?). The pictures below show the installed reinforcement.

 

Step 5: Mounting

I originally thought I would need 3 inboard mounting points ˆ front, rear and top ˆ in addition to the fender lip, which serves as the outer mounting point along the entire perimeter of the fender opening. My choice for the rear mounting point was to drill a hole through the liner and the lower corner of the foot well, and insert one of the Volvo mounting screws. You may have a solution you like better. For the front and top mounting points, a bracket will need to be fabricated. I used 1‰ x .125‰ (25mm x 3mm) aluminum bar stock for the front mount.

After getting the front and rear mounted, the liner was mounted more securely than I had anticipated, so I decided to wait on the top mounting point to see if it really is needed. So far the liner has not moved, so it might not be necessary to drill any more holes and make any more spots for rust to start. I had planned to use mild steel stock for the top mount, as it would span a longer space and so would need to be a little stronger than the aluminum to really hold well.

I found it was easiest to secure the rear of the liner first, as this is just a screw. Then the liner will be static in front-to-rear position and you can set up the front bracket to whatever position fits best. After getting the liner positioned, I drilled a hole through the liner and foot well at a point approximately 3‰ (76mm) up from the bottom and 5‰ (127mm) in from the fender lip, in the lower corner of the foot well. BE CERTAIN the liner is positioned correctly and held firmly against the fender lip before you drill the hole into the foot well.

I used one of the pointed Volvo screws to thread the hole. I removed this screw and put a piece of body seam putty around the hole between the liner and the foot well to seal the hole. I replaced the pointed screw with one of the flat tipped ones to complete the mounting.

For the front, I fabricated a bracket that mounts on the car to the rearmost bumper mounting bolt, and on the fender liner to the original Volvo mounting hole. I made this bracket from 1‰ x .125‰ (25mm x 3mm) aluminum bar stock. Cut a piece of stock approx. 3 ¼‰ (84mm) long. Mark the stock with a punch at 3/8‰ (10mm) from each end, centered. In one end, drill a 5/16‰ (8mm) hole at your mark. At the other end, drill a hole that is sized for one of the Volvo mounting screws (I think I used a 3/16‰ bit) or sized for whatever mounting hardware you will use on the fender liner side.

Now mark the stock with a line ¾‰ (19mm) from each end. Bend the ends of the stock 90 degrees at this line, in opposite directions. I used my bench vise and a plastic mallet to bend the stock, you can do it by tapping it over any 90 degree edge with a hammer or even a chunk of 2x4. It doesn't have to be perfectly 90 degrees, you can always "fine tune" the bends with pliers after you get the bracket on the car You should now have a bracket that looks like this:

Each end tab should be about 3/4 „ (19mm) long, and the middle dimension is approx. 1 ¾‰ (44mm). One hole is sized for the bumper mounting bolt, the other for your fender liner mounting screw. It is easier to thread the liner mounting screw before the bracket is installed on the car.

Remove the rearmost bumper mounting bolt, install the bracket and finger tighten the nut. Attach the other end of the bracket to the fender liner with a screw through the original mounting hole. Now adjust the bracket to hold the liner snugly against the fender lip with the leading edge of the liner relatively level. The following pictures show the bracket.

The top mounting bracket would use an existing hole in the Volvo liner, and would attach to the brace that is in front of the coupe strut. Once you have the liners in the car this will make sense. Since I have not added this mount, I don't have any pictures at this point.

Step 6: Mud flap

This may not be for everyone, but I decided to add a mud flap at the bottom of the rear edge of the fender liner. I found some flat plastic mud flaps at my local Auto Zone that were a good fit, about 7 inches wide at the bottom. I cut off approx. the bottom 4 inches of the mud flap and attached it to the back of the fender liner with the small screws that came with the mud flaps. It extends down below the bottom edge of the rocker panel about 2 inches, just enough to deflect water and dirt away from the openings in the front of the rocker panel. These mud flaps are almost invisible, and when you do see them they look (to me, anyway) like they could be original.

The overall end result looks like a factory job from the outside. The liners fit pretty well, and cover most of the vulnerable areas of the coupe fender well.

I'm still pondering an option for rear mud flaps to keep dirt and water away from the seam where the trunk floor joins the rear fender apron. I'll write up a tech article on that once I come up with a solution that is as subtle as the front version.