repro rear fender for 47-48 Harley B.T.

[Tom Barlett]

Who makes or sells the best rear fenders for 47-48 Harley big twins?Thanks Tom Also I need a left 47-48 UL gas. Thanks Tom

[40 Nuck]

AAOK makes makes a pretty good repop.

AAOK.com

Their site has pretty good pics of detail also.

[Chris Haynes]

For the record the fenders that Bill York (AA-OK) sells are the same ones sold by V-Twin. Taiwan made and they need work before painting. The rivet heads are not the same as OEM, the fender flap doesn't line up with fender correctly. A few hours of work and they look a lot better, but anyone who knows will still spot it as a repop.

[exeric]

I'm re-working a reproduction rear fender for my 48FL and I can assure you it's more than a few hours work. All of the rivets are wrong and need to be replaced. The hinged section of the fender is too wide and needs to be sectioned and welded. The bead varies in width and needs to be widened and narrowed where necessary. Having said all of this, the fender is leaps and bounds better than many genuine fenders I have had to work with. The metal is fresh and not rusted through and it's not full of bondo or lead so you have good stuff to start with. I would not hesitate to go this route over paying huge money for original junk which is most of what you find on ebay.

[theknucklehead]

Eric,
The problem with reproduction fenders is that nobody makes a corect 1948 fender, nobody! The rear fender for 1948 is different than a 1947 rear fender. They both are "three piece" fenders and they both have wide braces but that's all they have in common. The hinge on a 48 and later is turned around, where three of the "knuckles" of the hinge are towards the tail section. Also the hinge does not have a tunnel for the wiring, but has a clip to hold the wiring flexible tube. And last but not least the wiring channel on the 47 and earlier is closed, all the way to the taillight. The 48 has an open wire channel.
I found it easier to buy a cheap repop fender and use the sheet metal from it to rebuild an original. I basically rebuilt it one inch at a time. The up side to all of this is that I got pretty good with a TIG welder and a grinder.
Good Luck!!!

[exeric]

I didn't know that Hank. Thanks for the information.

[exeric]

Hank, I was just looking at a genuine 1951 fender and it fits your description of the '48 features for wire ways. I assume that if I copy the '51 fender I should be accurate.

[Chris Haynes]

Hank, I was just looking at a genuine 1951 fender and it fits your description of the '48 features for wire ways. I assume that if I copy the '51 fender I should be accurate.

The 1948 used the Knucklehead style three piece fender. In 1949 the new Hydra Glide one piece fenders appeared.

[flthead]

chris ,i think he ment the way the wire runs

[Chris Haynes]

Here is what the 1948 hinge looks like. The part number is the same for all 1948-1957 Big Twin models

[theknucklehead]

Eric,
Yes, the wire tunnel is the same open style. The fender is only a one piece style, (49 and later) where the 48 should be a three piece. I have been able to remove the tail section open wire tunnel from rotten tail sections by carefully removing the spot welds. The main section of the open wire tunnel is actually formed from the fender main section and is not removable. I have seen where a "dremel tool" and a lot of patience one can cut the closed tunnel up and simulate an open tunnel, but it is a lot of work that nobody will ever see unless the rear wheel is off and you actually are looking for it.
I will send some pictures when I get home tomorrow.

[40 Nuck]

Thanks for the clarification on AAOK, Chris. I didn't realize that their source for the fender was the same as V-Twin ... much of their stuff is from different sources. I should've mentioned the rivets ... you're right ... I had to replace them.

[D.Mac]

All this brings up another question, where are you finding correct rivits? I've heard that the rivits available with the correct heads were too short to buck and had to be welded at the brace or hinge, is this true? One of my winter projects is to try to resurect a ratty 3-rib 1950 fender- it's dented, rusty, torn, and has some very ugly old repairs, but it's OEM! I have a re-pop single-rib fender that I will probably cut-up as a donor.
Doug.

[theknucklehead]

Eric,
Here are a few pictures of the open channel and correct underside of a 48 rear fender and hinge. The first picture is of a 47 and earlier hinge with the closed channel. Hope this helps.

[Chris Haynes]

All this brings up another question, where are you finding correct rivits? Doug.

Dixie Distrubiting in Springfield, OH has them by the thousands. Most aftermarket shops order from Dixie.