Fiberglass fenders

[crvc]

I bought a '67 type 1 with plans for a ground-up restoration. Then I found the rear fenders are fiberglass. When repainting, do I simply roughen the existing paint then spray over it? Will it look different from the rest of the car as the paint ages? Looking for reasons to get rid of them for steel fenders but I've been told '67 fenders can be pricey. I assume that's the reason plastic fenders were installed in place of steel.

[Lymkey930]

They should paint like metal and look just as good until they start to crack. It will look like spider webbing in the paint. Metal would be a wiser move if you are going back close to stock.

[vw carnut]

Go w/metal fenders. You are RESTORING the car right? The metal will
also hold up to vibrations,bumps,road debris, etc much better.If you must
use fiberglas,rough the paint on them up,primer them,blocksand them,primer them & than paint. Reinforce around all points of attachment
bumper holes,light mounts, etc so spiderwebbing will take a lot
longer to happen. Good luck w/your resto & keep us all informed!

[crvc]

Thanks for the replies. I have the '67 and a '74 that I'd already turned into a baja. I took the front fenders off it and turned them into rear fenders but now they're too short to be legal on the road. I could use the plastic fenders there. So I'll start looking for steel fenders for the '67. I'm waiting for the rain to stop so I can pull the '74 body off the pan. Then the pan gets restored and new heater chanels go in. I wrote for advice on brazing vs welding the new pan. It there's an inch of overlap I think I'll braze the pan. If I check under the pan and find gaps in the braze I'll fill them with more braze. My gut feeling is that the two layers will be stronger than but-welding sheet metal.

The goal is a "period" 1967 vw with a decent powerplant under the deck lid.