Left front fender, remove and recondition?

[zenithblue71T]

Guys, what’s the best way to remove the left front fender on my 71T? I need to remediate the tin worm. I heard you have to cut the fuel neck. I removed and restored my right fender 5 years ago. It was easy, relatively and I know where all the hardware hides. I have extra rubber cement tape from the last time I did this. The left seems very problematic with antenna, fuel breather, fuel neck and fuel door release mechanism. Having the S trim sucks too. Any advice or step by step instructions? I searched forum and YouTube but couldn’t really find anything.

[edmayo]

I start by pulling the door hinge pins (pull pins so you don't lose alignment) that gives you access to the antenna and fender to cowl bolts. When reinstalling that will also male it easier to get flap cable back in the plastic tube. Loosen fuel filler hose clamps in the trunk and slide hose free of the black filler neck and pull filler neck out filler neck hole. Undo vent hose clamp at filler neck pull out of filler bowl. Undo all the attachment bolts on the trunk side and the bolts along the inner support flange, and the rocker trim you already mentioned. And don't forget the bolt to the headlight bucket from the support bracket on the battery box. Pull the headlight /park light harness by pulling the bulkhead plug from the inner fender. That pretty much covers it.

[JM9090]

We have done the job 2 years ago, so based on my experience, no need to cut the fuel neck. Unbolt it from the fuel hose and pull it through the inner fender outside the fender. To get it out of the fuel neck, will give some resistance, as well as the rubber that holds it in the fender, but twisted a bit at the inside and a combination of pulling zt the outside and pushing from the inside should work fine. No major technical skills needed for this, just some feeling on how to move it when getting it out.
Easier to remove first the fuel flap and release cable, which you more space. The release cable gets through a channel on the inner fender to filler hole. Just remove the cable clamp and pull the cable for the inside back (no need to pull it completely out, just 5 - 10 cm is enough.
My antenna is after market on thr right fender, so could be a little different from yours, but the logic should be the same. Unplug the antenna cable from the radio. Normally you can reach this without removing the radiio. Check where this cable is routed under the dashboard and where it goes through the body to the fender, so that you can re-route back the same way when re-installing. Pull the from the inside of the fender through the body. Check on obstacles on the inside of the dashboard, while pulling it out in order to avoid that you disconnect unvolontary other electrical cables. A grommet where the antenna cable gets through the body, can give some resistance when the plug needs to get through, but untight the grommet, can give more space for the plug. Remember the hole in the body where the cable came out, so you know where to get it back (and avoid that somebody else at the bodyshop closes this hole). Check on the inside of the fender, if the antenna is not fixed on the inside fender by some bracket.
The other things are mostly just mechanical disassembly, similar to the other fender you did on the other side.

[zenithblue71T]

Thanks guys, much appreciated