Front fenders

[cj847]

I know it comes up a lot, but does anyone have any recent experience with front fenders (ie do they fit with reasonable tweaking?)

I am not sure how many different manufacturers there are. I think these are manufacturers:
AMD (triplus manufactured in Taiwan)
Key
Sherman
Goodmark (manufactured in Taiwan)
Might be manufacturers or might be distributors:
OER
Counterpart

What's the latest info on fit? Any recommendations?

[collins10672]

i wonder the same thing about these fenders.what i have seen others report on the triplus(amd) fenders are that you have to practically rebuild the front section where it meets the grill panel.i have seen some use counterpart fenders on a build on youtube that looked and fit great but i dont know what gauge metal they are.i dont want to put 19 or 20 gauge fenders on a truck that came with 18 gauge from the factory.i did buy a set of triplus after market rockers that look ok but nothing to brag about although they are the correct 18 gauge steel.i ran into a set of nos rockers about 6 months after buying the triplus so i bought those and i am extremely happy with the gm parts.i guess i will fix my original gm fenders that are on the truck.most everyone gives the 60-66 aftermarket fenders a bad review but i dont have any experience with them.but i am picky and like gm parts the best even though nos are getting harder to find.giving $2000-$2500 for a set of new gm fenders is crazy although they are the best fit you will get.

[AcampoDave]

I know it's apples and oranges but there's not too many replies here so for what it's worth; I bought a Tri-Plus tailgate from Summit and I liked it. Here it is https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=822249 I felt Summit is pretty cool about returning stuff so it didn't feel like a huge gamble.

[0ldSoul]

I'm also interested in the most recent opinions on these aftermarket fenders.. I'm dealing with our quarter panels and braces being in bad shape..

so I'm trying to decide whether replacing these or getting new fenders..

Pros with refurbishing what I have:
Retain most of the OEM fender and patina

Cons:
Almost the same cost as replacing with new altogether

for what it's worth, these are the parts I'd be replacing vs. buying all new fenders:
https://classicparts.com/1960-66-fro...niSSrJhjo5OsZA
https://classicparts.com/chevy-gmc/t...ear-brace-left
https://classicparts.com/chevy-gmc/t...ower-tip-right
https://classicparts.com/chevy-gmc/t...lower-tip-left

[rbruno68]

While I have not yet bought fenders or fender patches, I think the rocker and cab corners I bought from AMD were pretty good. The cab corners were better then the rockers. Because I was worried about the fitment of the rockers, I only used the the AMD rocker to make patches which had its own set of problems. As far as how the curves and body lines aligned with original, it was good except the lip where the door seal goes. That was a different shape. I also stayed away from the areas that met the A and B pillar. I think that is where a lot of people have issues with the rocker fitment. I was lucky that area didn't need to be replaced. I tried to keep as much of the original body lines as I could so the doors would look right.

From what I have seen of what guys have had to do to make repro fenders work well, I know I don't have the skill set to cut them apart and refit them to work. If I had the skill, I might consider it to have all new metal. But when the time comes, I plan to repair my original fenders the best I can so that most of the body lines will stay the same and match.

[cj847]

I bought an AMD passenger fender. I have test fit it and can say I can make it work but will probably try a different brand for the driver's side. I will post a review in a few days.

I would have preferred to fix my old fender but they have rust in back and in front (where it bolts to the grill support). Most of the problems I have read about tend to be about the shape and fitment of the front edge to the grill support.

[cj847]

Here's a quick review of the AMD fender so far. I will add as I get it final fitted.

I will say I expected to have to do some significant tweaking, pounding, etc. I don't consider that a real issue.

Here are some things that will bother you if you are trying to get a really good looking truck.

The front section is not formed well and has some "short" places in it. I am going to tighten it really tight and hope for the best (ie its not a show truck).

The two pieces have some air gap. I will fill this with seam sealer.

The item that bothers me the most. Its a little hard to see in the pic. The fender is bowed in the center. The front and rear holes line up perfectly, but the center holes are way outside of where they should be. You would think you could just lean up against it and make it fit, but I can't. I think the die didn't create enough stretch in the area to keep the upper edge straight.

[collins10672]

i wish someone would retool aftermarket fenders and make them correctly?

[cag]

so without having the factory dies, how do they "form" these parts?

[jweb]

I bought some AMD fenders from Summit. I cut the spot welds for the front and was able to close the gap you show in your photos. I also had to cut the spot welds at the bottom of the rear brace to align the fender to the door.

They aren't perfect but I know they are rust free. Compared to the original fenders I tried to repair, these new fenders look much better.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos, all of my parts are at the paint shop.

[cj847]

Attached are my photos as fitted. It actually doesn't look too bad. I was thinking I would try another brand for the drivers side, but now thinking I might go with the devil I know. Sorry about the rotation. I saved them 3 times and spun them around and they're still wrong.

[DPowers]

The consensus that I have heard from people that have done multiples of these trucks, it seems that either go 100% repop or 100% OEM for best results. Issues seem to be more prevalent when trying to match up repop and OEM.

[raggedjim]

Pretty decent video about reproduction sheetmetal. Some of the dies are original GM dies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzxAMR-K-EI

[short&wide65]

Originally Posted by collins10672

i wish someone would retool aftermarket fenders and make them correctly?

Originally Posted by cag

so without having the factory dies, how do they "form" these parts?

As pointed out in the video above, some of the dies are factory GM so that doesn't even help.

The problem is that the tolerances on these trucks were absolutely awful when new. Every plant was different, every supplier produced things differently and every shift even assembled things slightly differently.

Even used GM fenders fit slightly different on different trucks. With the aftermarket, one brand of fender might fit well on one truck, it may not fit well on another.

[Grounded63]

It's not so much that the tolerance of the trucks, were so poor from the factory. But, the tolerance and fitment of almost all of the available replacement parts are so poor.

What original dies, that they may have. For producing replacement panels. Were worn out from GM, and sold for scrap, decades ago. They don't get better with time, use. Not to mention the skill set needed to set them up, and use them correctly. Didn't go with them.

The truth is with most ( non-factory ) replacement panels. For restoration work. Your are being sold a similar looking part or item.

Not an actual faithful reproduction, or an exact copy. Of an original factory part. Some of them need extensive re-work to be usable. If you want them to fit and have a factory type quality of appearance.