in the future.... long future i will be putting on tube fenders. i dont have a tube bender and dont have enough confidence yet to do this, ive done some reading up on it but do i have to put the extra panels on or can the sheet metal be welded right to the body metal???

the fenders will be tied into bumpers and sliders.

thanks cole

 

Sure can. You will need a MIG welder and probably some .023 wire. You will have to make a series of tack welds spacing them about an inch or so apart and fill it in the same way. Otherwise you will make too much heat and warp the sheetmetal.
Could be done with a TIG too but I have no experience with them so I can't advise.

 

Also with a MIG you need to be carefull or you could blow right threw the sheetmetal. Try to aim the wire at the thicker stuff and have the puddle wash up onto the sheet metal. TIG is a good bit harder than MIG but the welds look a looot cleaner IMO. With TIG welding you have to keep the tungsten clean or you will get a crappy weld.