Fender choices... there are a bunch of fender options for a tub like this, input please...
Here are some I've come up with.
1. Original M416 fenders. Recently I picked up a pair of NOS (new old stock, never used) M416 fenders, so if you could find a pair of these, they could be used with this tub kit. You'd also need the angle brackets that are necessary to bolt these to the tub and frame.
2. 10" "Jeep-style" fenders. etrailer.com offers 10" wide "Jeep style" fenders; they're not quite the same shape as the original military fenders, but some trailer manufacturers use them, like Sierra 4x4, so maybe that's a look people like. Here's a photo of a Sierra with those fenders:
etrailer.com sells fenders like these for $29.95 each plus shipping; Northern Tool offers them for $32.99, but if you have a Northern Tool near you, you could pick them up and avoid shipping. But - I think if you look closely you can see that these fenders on the Sierra don't quite cover the full tread of the tire - something a little wider is really needed.
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The two options above don't really cover typical "tow-vehicle-sized" tires, they're really best for the original military 6.50x16 or 7.00x16 tires. For example, here's a really beautiful M416 I found on the internet with tow-vehicle-sized tires and the original fenders, along with an unrestored M416 with original tires and fenders:
So I think there needs to some fender options for wider tires.
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3. 13" wide Round Fenders/ If you like the M100 round fender look, there are 13" wide round fenders available from a number of places, one of which is etrailer.com. The photo below shows an original M100 with its narrow fenders, and the 13" wide fenders that are on the market:
etrailer.com sells these 13" round fenders for $42.95 each, but I like KMT Service Parts, they're not too far from me so I can avoid shipping costs, and they sell the same size round fenders for $28.68 each or $52.30 per pair (Wow, two at KMT for only $10 more than one at etrailer, even if you have to pay shipping that's a good deal).
4. Wider M416-style fenders. Another option I'm planning is M416-style fenders that are 12.75" wide.
The way I've designed them, they can either be bolted directly to an original M416 using the brackets welded to that tub and frame, or they can be bolted directly to the fiberglass tub without the added expense of brackets. If these do get manufactured it may also make sense to also offer them in the original 9.75" width for people who just need to replace their bent or rusted M416 original fenders and don't need any extra width.
Are there any M416 owners out there that would be interested in getting a set of wider stock-fit M416 fenders to cover a wider wheel/tire combination? (or original-width fenders to replace bent/rusted ones?)
5. Fiberglass fenders. Another option, this time in fiberglass, would be to use the molds I made for my Retro Wrangler pickup. These cover larger tires very nicely (my truck has 32's). They're not exactly like the military fenders, but maybe some people would like this style...
If you guys know of any other good fender options that are currently available, I'd be very interested to hear about them. Or if you've got any fender ideas you think I should implement, either in sheet metal or fiberglass, I'd like to hear those ideas too. I could always make a new mold or two for additional fender designs in fiberglass.
Input please: if you were building one of these trailer kits, which fenders would you choose, and why?
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