padgett Posted October 16, 2001 Share Posted October 16, 2001 Were common from '30s through '60s but think they died out in the '70s. Cadillac probably used them last.<P>Were proposed (all four wheels) for the Fielding race car but the design was rejected.<P>GM factory skirts had a channel in the fender and a hook/latch/lever assembly for locking them in place. Without the skirt it was really pretty ugly.<P>Do not think they were available for the Reatta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EDBS0 Posted October 16, 2001 Share Posted October 16, 2001 As I recall the 60 Cad had a pin at the top and a cam lever on each bottom corner.<P>Frankly I like the look of skirts.<P>Is there any one out there manufacturing skirts for modern day cars?<P>Miss that 60 Cad hardtop, 390 cubic inches 325 HP, 10.5 compression, 4 speed automatic. You could seat 8 adults or a dozen kids. Surprised the h*ll out of a lot of street racers. Too bad it weighed 5,250 some pounds, really strong in first, second and over 80mph.<BR> <BR>Regards, Robert<p>[ 10-16-2001: Message edited by: Drive it like I stole it. ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawja Posted October 16, 2001 Share Posted October 16, 2001 I personally love the look of covered rear wheels. They are actually a significant aerodynamic aid, and to someone with a historical knowlege of automobiles, are a "go-fast" styling cue, but due to the somewhat fortunate Europeanisation of American automotive design, they have been (temporarily I belive) relegated to the ash-heap of over-used and now discredited styling cues as they became linked somehow to opera lamps, landau roof treatments and white-wall tires. Also, they work best with the longer, lower, wider look which is not the direction of current automotive design or it would appear, the public's taste. If anything cars today seem to be getting taller and shorter. <P>I had a '73 Citroen SM with the rear wheels almost completely covered, with no break in the flow of the lower line of the fender, and almost invisible skirt lines, and a 1994 Cadillac Concours which is probably the last car you could get them on from the factory. Both cars had similar latching systems as I recall, there was a pin projecting from one end which mated to a socket, and a locking lever deployed pin for the other side. <P> Depending on the car, there are some aftermarket companys that make retrofit kits for certain models of automobiles, usually the companys who are going after the carriage top and gold grille crowd. I also seem to remember JCWhitney having some sort of universal fender skirt kit, the availability and quality of which, I cannot vouch for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 Fender skirts were standard on the limited production Reatta station wagon. It also came with the rear mounted spare (continental kit) and wood spoke 17" wheels.<BR>Only one is rumored to have been made but was destroyed by an angry crowd when it appeared in public. No traces of any of these rare parts have surfaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 Actually, Barney, there were two "one-off" prototypes (how's that for a contradiction of terms?) of the Reatta station wagon produced. I've also heard the stories of No. 1 being destroyed by the unruly mob. (There are several photos of the burning body -- walnut burl, if I remember correctly -- that received wide distribution by Movietone News, the forerunner of CNN.) However, Universal Pictures bought No. 2, and it's prominently displayed in the motion picture, "Men in Black." However, Barney, my recollection does not include fender skirts. The wooden spokes (18"?) were clearly visible at all four corners. The one odd feature, described in Buick's early publicity releases, was that the highly varnished hickory spokes were not visually compatible with the burlwood body. I'll bow to your superior knowledge on these rare cars -- but I did want to add this bit of information for historical purposes.<P>Jerry Sellers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 17, 2001 Share Posted October 17, 2001 I was wondering what era of cars had fender skirts, more importantly how are they held in place. I wanted to put them on a "project car" and I did not want them to fall off and rub against the wheel. Any help would be of great use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 I love you guys sense of humor. I'm glad we can have some fun and keep a good information flow as well. Keep it up! I find myself coming here at least once a week just to see what Barney, Wally, Jerry,et al, have to say.....and I actually learn something occassionally too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 Dave, Dave, Dave...<P>We're being serious here! Pay attention if you want to learn little-known facts about the Reatta...and its sister sportscar, the Yugo GT. For example: Padgett is deeply involved in a project to measure variable-speed/temperature-differential air intake through each of the 684 openings in the Reatta grille, Barney is charting the number, color and VINs of Yugos still afloat in Bosnia -- and I'm developing a coast-to-coast timezone calibration table for the "Headlights Recommended" sensor in the '90s and '91s. We're not kidding around here, Dave.<P>Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 Thanks for the history and the theory RawjaNYC and everyone who replyed it will help me in my project. One thing I had not thought of (and is very obvious now) was that every manufacture had a different method for the same problem. I enjoy the triva and vehicle history and I thank you for the extra facts (jjroverholdings,Barney Eaton) and stories of the giants that once ruled our highways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 O boy that last sentence did not come out right. I am sorry. It sould read "forever rule our highways." Anyway my project is "Future Truck" which is a contest among colleges (I am from Penn State) where we take a new truck, 2002 Ford Explorer, and overhaul it to be a hybrid electric truck. I am on the aerodymaics team where we change the shape, light weight, paint, and make it more applealing to the consumer market. I always have enjoyed antuque autos and I am proud to own one myself, maybe someday two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 18, 2001 Author Share Posted October 18, 2001 Bit off, I have never been into Yugos. However the Reatta is the third in my collection of the four cars whose front fenders are considered "toxic waste".<P>I also have a TranSport and a Fiero and am only missing a Trabant. (In the last two, the entire body is toxic when burned). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 My '90 coupe was delivered with both front and rear "virtual" fender skirts. To remove them I had to fire up my PC and hit control delete. Problem is after doing that the first time I forgot where I put them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 Well, in that case, you should go to www:upskirt.com. Try it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattaboy Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 regalgal, you have too much time on your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EDBS0 Posted October 18, 2001 Share Posted October 18, 2001 regalgal's post shoul be deleted by administrators or moderators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 22, 2001 Share Posted October 22, 2001 Well you folks got me so excited about the fender skirts that I got ambitious this weekend and made me a pair! Since that Reatta station wagon got destroyed, I didn’t have any real pattern to work from, so I may have gotten them a little bit low to the ground. I started to go for the bigger “cruiser” look but the side molding got in the way. I ended up with the basic wheel well cover type!<BR>A few hours with good pair of aviation cutters and some good wide roof flashing material and they are almost done! I am not ready to post pictures yet since I am working on some way to hold them on. I am thinking of a big tube of that black liquid adhesive weather stripping stuff. What do you think? I can carry a spare tube, so if I ever have to take a rear wheel off, I can just replace it and wait an hour or so if the stuff to dry.<P>If things continue to go well, I think I will do the continental kit next weekend. I am thinking of leaving the continental kit open on the backside and mounting the spare tire on a white select 60 wheel. What do you think? Won’t that be kool? I am sure I will be posting pictures of this soon. I may even make another set and try them on e-bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EDBS0 Posted October 22, 2001 Share Posted October 22, 2001 Dave please do the amphibian version first, I think there will be a bigger market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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