what is involved in rolling the fenders? is there a machine that does this or is it a by hand process that involves repainting, etc?

 

I dunno if there's a machine for it but I've seen it done by hand. Essentially what they do is attach the device to your wheel hub and there's a metal rolling pin basically that runs along the inner lining of the wheel well to curve it upwards more to allow a bigger gap for more aggressive tire setups. Pretty easy and simple to do really. Hope that helps.

 

so that means repainting, yes?

 

No you don't need to repaint. It rolls the inner part of the fender on the inside of the wheel well. I don't think it's an area that's painted to begin with actually. To put it in better words if you take your hand and grab the wheel well as if you were trying to lift the car from the wheel well, where your fingers would be touching is where the fender would be rolled.

 

Here is an idea of what the fender rolling too is


So you are rolling the lip on the inside of the fender. This is not as easy as it looks, because it takes a good bit of experience to do it right and not crack the paint. Along with this tool, you'll need a heat gun too.

 

You don't necessarily need a special tool to roll your fender. I just rolled the fenders on my 996TT this past weekend and only used a heat gun and a rubber mallet. You need to heat and soften the paint around the edge of the wheel well where the bending is going to take place so the paint/clear coat doesn't crack. Once you heat the area, use the rubber mallet to bend the inner lip that is rubbing with your tire. Make sure to just do between 2-3 inches of area at a time. It took me a total of about 45 minutes to an hour to do both rear sides. That included removing the wheels/tires and putting them back on. For a look at how its done with a rubber mallet, just Youtube "rolling fender" and you will find video on how to do it without that special rolling tool. Good luck.

 

Griot's garage sells a nice roller.

 

You can rent a fender roller from these guys:
http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=999

Beats having to the buy a whole fender roller just to use it once.

 

I have the Eastwood roller and it works well. It looks exactly the same as the one pictured above. Heat the area with a heat gun to prevent the paint from cracking and go slow until you get the hang of it. I did the fenders on my 335 over 3 years ago and I still have no cracking of the paint.

 

Im going through this right now... Seems that most shops that do the rolling use the eastwood roller or a similar variant. I have not been able to find one that accepts the porsche bolt pattern yet.

I contacted 3 rental places with the same (non) result.

Im about to just order one from Germany

 

Cant you just buy an adapter?

 

I don't know if I would want to do it with that tool above, seems like a battle between those 2 different pieces of metal. I would not want any even minor warping of anything that spins as fast as an axle or brake disc. Any out of balance amount will create major problems.

I do not offer any advice nor do I suggest a way to do this as it may be dangerous. Research and pay a professional. I have seen it done with sports equipment, but I forget the particulars.

 

what do you guys do with the liner that mates up to the stock flat lip? if you roll the lip the liner is still down below right?

 

Not sure if you understand how the roller works. Nothing is spinning and it's not dangerous. The roller is adjusted by by small screw jacks to maintain pressure on the lip and it's moved back and forth by hand. The Eastwood has slots and different bolt patterns. I'll try it on my turbo and see if it fits.

 

This is the 100% solution. Do it once and have it done by a pro. No paint cracking, fender liners tuck under the rolled lip and if you have PCCB rotors no chance of chipping them. The cost is minor compared to a botched job. Body work is an art not a science.