Is there an easier way other than trying to drill little holes for the staples? The inner fenders are already in the car also along with the complete engine.

Drilled little holes to install mine.....dont know of an easier way......

Just used a staple for reference, then eye-balled it...yup, tiny drill bit was the way I did mine.

I often wonder if the factory had a gigantic swingline stapler to do this? :D

Just used a staple for reference, then eye-balled it...yup, tiny drill bit was the way I did mine.

I often wonder if the factory had a gigantic swingline stapler to do this? :D

I talked to member Mr64 (Dave W.) one year, and he told me that was his job when he worked at the Van Nuys plant. They were like a big pneumatic Swingline, with a fixture on the bottom that held the fender in place. He would pick up a fender, place it on the fixture, grab a shield and lay it on the fender, press a pedal on the floor, and, BANG, the staple was set. I asked him if the foreman specified a certain number and placement of the staples, and Dave said "Enough of them and spread out enough so they wouldn't fall off going down the line." :)
BillL

The line worker that installed mine had to be half looped, those staples were all over the place. I used the same holes for new staples and I gotta say, it just looks correct. My theory was if I tried to make them look pretty and uniform it would stand out. The AIM gives a guide and count on installing the staples.

Jerry

The line worker that installed mine had to be half looped, those staples were all over the place. I used the same holes for new staples and I gotta say, it just looks correct. My theory was if I tried to make them look pretty and uniform it would stand out. The AIM gives a guide and count on installing the staples.

Jerry

x2:yes:

This is what I did also.:thumbsup:

Is there an easier way other than trying to drill little holes for the staples? The inner fenders are already in the car also along with the complete engine.

Mike, don't forget the anti-squeak strips at the rear of the front inner fender wheel wells.

http://www.soffseal.com/images/blank.asp?ImageName=5064.jpg

They attach with staples as well.:thumbsup:

My 69 never had the the anti-squeak strips at the rear of the front inner fender wheel wells so I did not put any back in.

Mine were a PIA even with the motor out .But we did it as described above except we used stainless wire instead of the staples that came with them. We cut them to fit as needed and worked better than the staples.

I ended up using 5/16 staples that I had for my staple gun... the junk that that junk joint in Seal Beach sent me did not line up with the factory staple holes. This was for a '65....

I recently did this on a 69 with inner fenders that I had powdercoated.
What a pain.
I had to drill each of the holes slightly oversized and then push the staple thru the rubber and guide into the holes. Then push down real hard on the backside of the staple and bend the staple over with a hammer.
I kinda got a system down by inserting the staple and then laying the backside of the staple on a hard surface for support wile bending them over.

Biggest PITA I've ever encountered.

But I gotta say. When it was all done they looked fantastic.
I think I spent 2 hours to do both fenders.

Had to have a nice big blanket on the table so as not to scratch the powdercoating. I think I used a piece of 1x2 heavy wall metal tubing cut short to about 6" for the support piece. Made it easy to slip it in when/where I needed it and gave great support.
The whole job would have been a heck of a lot easier with another pair of hands to steady the fender. Doing it by myself was a challenge, to say the least.

If somebody designed a stapler for the hobbyist just for this purpose, I'll bet it would sell. Would need to have a deep reach and would need to be pretty powerful to get thru steel inner fender and flap.
I guess if using the original holes, then this woudn't be an option.

Sad part is I have a nother pair of powdercoated inners to do. Not looking forward to it.:noway: