Front inner fender question

[68Timber]

Mine could probably be saved, but LMC lists them for $39.95 for my 79. Not that I'm made of money, but at that price I'm thinking maybe just replace them and put my time and effort into something else. The RF is flaky where it was under the battery and the driver's side has two holes in it where an aftermarket cruise was mounted but otherwise OK. Any downside to the reproductions?

[Jake Wade]

The shipping will kill you, unless you live close enough to pick it up.

[piecesparts]

There will also be rust in the area where the fender well bolts to the cab at the back of the opening. I would replace, but as stated the shipping can be a little prohibitive.

[68Timber]

It lists a $20 oversize charge, not sure how much it would be for the actual shipping.

[tucsonjwt]

I have no experience with aftermarket fender liners, but all of the aftermarket sheet metal I have seen is thinner than OEM and doesn't line up as well as OEM. Good used OEM liners are available on Ebay but shipping is going to be high however you buy it - unless you buy it locally. Greyhound will ship for usually $50-$70 but you have to drive to a big city station to pick it up. Fed Ex is more reliable and faster to your door for about $20 more.

BTW, the holes for cruise control might be for a cruise control transducer which were a factory option on earlier model years - up to 1982, I think.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

There will also be rust in the area where the fender well bolts to the cab at the back of the opening. I would replace, but as stated the shipping can be a little prohibitive.

It does have some rust and cracking on the RF on the backside, behind the brace.

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

I have no experience with aftermarket fender liners, but all of the aftermarket sheet metal I have seen is thinner than OEM and doesn't line up as well as OEM. Good used OEM liners are available on Ebay but shipping is going to be high however you buy it - unless you buy it locally. Greyhound will ship for usually $50-$70 but you have to drive to a big city station to pick it up. Fed Ex is more reliable and faster to your door for about $20 more.

BTW, the holes for cruise control might be for a cruise control transducer which were a factory option on earlier model years - up to 1982, I think.

I had a 76 w/factory cruise, this was some JC Whitney-type stuff. I'll check the junkyard for inners, maybe I'll get lucky. Thanks.

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

I have no experience with aftermarket fender liners, but all of the aftermarket sheet metal I have seen is thinner than OEM and doesn't line up as well as OEM. Good used OEM liners are available on Ebay but shipping is going to be high however you buy it - unless you buy it locally. Greyhound will ship for usually $50-$70 but you have to drive to a big city station to pick it up. Fed Ex is more reliable and faster to your door for about $20 more.

BTW, the holes for cruise control might be for a cruise control transducer which were a factory option on earlier model years - up to 1982, I think.

I put a set of the aftermarket fender liners on my son's 86 Chevy several years ago and they are still there. Yes the metal is a little thinner, but if you paint and coat them, they seem to hold up well. I did fill a couple holes in his, since we removed the jack and all of the other non-essential items from under the hood, but a little welding, body filler and paint it all looks good. I then coated the underside with rubber undercoat. My advantage is that I live 80 miles from LMC and I can drive to their front door and pick up what I need. They are even open on Sundays.

[77 ChevySport]

Any downside to the reproductions?[/QUOTE]



I have never bought or seen them before but if the holes are not drilled from an original one you will have a nitemare trying to install them I would find an original set either from EBay or a junkyard. JMHO Larry

[tucsonjwt]

From talking with body men, it depends on your tolerance and patience for aftermarket sheet metal. If you are willing to spend the time to tweak the parts to get proper alignment, and perfect alignment is not your goal, then aftermarket will work out OK. For some, thin sheet metal is OK. For others, the heavier OEM sheet metal is worth the hunt for good used parts. Each to his or her own. For my money, if i am going through the hassle to rebuild the truck, an extra $50-$70 is worth it for the better parts. Good used sheet metal is still available in the desert Southwest - rust free, low cost - just shipping is high which is true for aftermarket also.

[tucsonjwt]

One more thing about LMC and other aftermarket sellers - read the fine print. They almost guarantee that your parts will arrive banged up and need some work to get back in shape. I am not criticizing them - just pointing out reality when shipping a thin part essentially loose in a thin cardboard box - if any box at all. I have seen them shipped with just a label slapped on the part.

[68Timber]

Thanks man, that's why I asked. Hopefully I can find some at the pick and pull better than mine.

[Dead Parrot]

About 15 years ago I replaced the driver's side fender with a NOS part and the passenger side with a Taiwan/China part. What was available at the time. The Taiwan part is thinner metal and did have some minor fitting issues but since that the truck has been in two right front collisions, can't really blame the fender. What is apparent after the 15 or so years is the GM NOS part has far worse rust issues then does the Taiwan part. I used the same type of paint and primer(Rustoleum) on both parts.

My guess is despite the thinner metal, the Taiwan part had a better anti-corrosion base coat. Don't know if that still holds true today. Standard disclaimer - small sample size and your results may vary.

This didn't keep me from grabbing an almost pristine driver's side inner fender for $5 and a near perfect radiator core support for $30 at the local pull-a-part. Added bonus was previous pickers had stripped it down to the parts in question so my work was just a few bolts worth. Sadly, the yard folks had used the formerly in near perfect shape outer fender as the support for that corner.

[motornut]

I got aftermarket ones, $50/per ,no fitting issues.
shipped with a sticker, no box,some scratches.
a coat of rust paint,sealed them up.
I didn't fill the holes,or put the jack etc back.
kept the old ones to fix later

[68Timber]

John, I appreciate the feedback. If I don't find a good pair at the pick-n-pull I'll go aftermarket. Are yours LMC, and do you remember how bad shipping was?

[Jake Wade]

Just go to LMC, put the items in your cart. the shipping charges will be displayed.

[77BBGMC]

I bought a set a few years ago along with the battery tray from LMC, definitely thinner gauged material but they fit good and serve the purpose well (it's the only after market item I've bought so far that fit but that's another topic). I had mine powder coated so should last awhile.

[motornut]

When I can wait a bit longer,my auto parts guy eats the shipping.
But he said it came from here.

https://ecat.crosscanadaparts.com/ba...%28FULLSIZE%29

hmm shows the price higher,and now they even come in CHROME?

[68Timber]

Well, I was going to call them tomorrow, I didn't think about letting the shopping cart calculate shipping. Not bad, $18.75 delivery and handling plus $20 oversize part fee. That's less than I thought it'd be.

[Jake Wade]

That's not terrible