Reproduction Fender,what brand or OEM

[SWB]

Needing some input on sheet metal. I'm in need of a passenger side front fender for my 72 C20 and was looking reproduction. Please give me your input and experience on the top brands Dynacorn, LMC, Goodmark, Brothers etc. I have new "Cooper restoration" cab corners and rockers and am very pleased with the quality. I'm sure it's all foreign manufactured by a couple companies and everyone throws there name on them. I would look for an original fender but here in Illinois I would be hard pressed to find a solid one. If you have a nice one and are close to central Illinois let me know..

[randy.powell]

SWB - do yourself a favor and find yourself an OEM fender. Trust me, been there, did that. On the front lower edge of the re-pop fender where the outer grill fits in the gap is horrible! The tooling being used to stamp these is worn out!

My truck was all painted and going together (NOS outer grill) and the fit was soooo bad I stopped, got my original fenders out of the shed, redid those, threw the aftermarket crap in the shed, and installed my OEM fenders. Fit is perfect. Only cost me about another $1000 and another week.

B/R,
Randy

[SWB]

Thanks for the info Randy, I've been out of the rebuilding world for a while and it looks like the aftermarket sheet metal world hasn't gotten any better..

Originally Posted by randy.powell

SWB - do yourself a favor and find yourself an OEM fender. Trust me, been there, did that. On the front lower edge of the re-pop fender where the outer grill fits in the gap is horrible! The tooling being used to stamp these is worn out!

My truck was all painted and going together (NOS outer grill) and the fit was soooo bad I stopped, got my original fenders out of the shed, redid those, threw the aftermarket crap in the shed, and installed my OEM fenders. Fit is perfect. Only cost me about another $1000 and another week.

B/R,
Randy

[BCOWANWHEELS]

are repop doors the same also fitment wise

[6t7c10]

Originally Posted by BCOWANWHEELS

are repop doors the same also fitment wise

I think it’s really hit or miss with any of the panels. I have both reproduction doors. Passenger side fits perfectly, drivers side is horrid.

[randy.powell]

SWP - this is why you don't want to use aftermarket sheet metal. First pic is aftermarket junk, second is my OEM fenders. Expensive mistake on my part. Inner/outer grill NOS, the aftermarket fenders just don't fit! The dies they are using are flat worn out. I purchased these about a year or so ago....
B/R,
Randy

[davepl]

Wow, that's some grim fitment and quality. Sorry you had to put up with that but thanks for the cautionary tale!

I just had to put quarters on a car and used a sawzall to remove them! Wasn't fun but they don't -make- quarters for this car so I was stuck finding a rust free original, of which there are none (Canada car) so I'm cutting Catalina pieces off to put on a Parisienne, and I bet they STILL match better than aftermarket stuff!

I wonder what the bedsides are like? At one point I was considering making a shortbed out of mine which would have required an aftermarket bed...

[randy.powell]

Dave - beds/bedsides no better. Ditto for the aftermarket doors... If I were to do it again, I would get everything trucked in from the desert. Would be cheaper in the long run...

[SWB]

Originally Posted by randy.powell

SWP - this is why you don't want to use aftermarket sheet metal. First pic is aftermarket junk, second is my OEM fenders. Expensive mistake on my part. Inner/outer grill NOS, the aftermarket fenders just don't fit! The dies they are using are flat worn out. I purchased these about a year or so ago....
B/R,
Randy

Great visual Randy. Thanks ! !

[35boulder]

Originally Posted by SWB

Great visual Randy. Thanks ! !

What he said!

[BRL]

Originally Posted by randy.powell

Dave - beds/bedsides no better. Ditto for the aftermarket doors... If I were to do it again, I would get everything trucked in from the desert. Would be cheaper in the long run...

I do not know what gauge sheet metal the aftermarket uses, but a friend bought a passenger side door from a maker who's name I won't mention here.

It sure wasn't inexpensive, and after he had the whole truck repainted, I went to close the door gently by placing my thumb just above the handle to push...and dented that spot!

Thankfully he wasn't upset because he knew an original wouldn't do that.

[randy500]

Goodmark fenders fit great but as shipped they fit like randy powells fender, its easily fixed prior to paint....don't throw out your old fender, the top of it needs clearance where the grill meets the fender/hood gap line, its totally obvious and simple to fix when you compare the original fender to the reproduction one.

[BCOWANWHEELS]

TRI PLUS has the best sheet metal I believe

[turp mcspray]

Originally Posted by randy.powell

SWP - this is why you don't want to use aftermarket sheet metal. First pic is aftermarket junk, second is my OEM fenders. Expensive mistake on my part. Inner/outer grill NOS, the aftermarket fenders just don't fit! The dies they are using are flat worn out. I purchased these about a year or so ago....
B/R,
Randy

I purchased a pair of fenders, just a few months ago. They were advertised as "new tooling", and as good as NOS. They fit exactly like the top photo. Many hours later, that fit just like oem.