For years, restoring a car meant trying to find good, used sheetmetal to replace the rusted stuff that always seemed to be included with a recently acquired project car. Over the last couple of years, more and more "new" sheetmetal has begun to show up with vendors, making restorations a lot easier than in the past. But, is this "new" metal as good as the old stuff? I mean, you may not have to fix rust, but what's the quality like?
We recently found out that Auto Metal Direct (AMD) was ready to deliver brand new front sheetmetal for '68-'70 Satellites, Road Runners, and GTXs. When we found out about it, our ears perked up as we just happen to know of a certain '68 GTX that needed to have the front fenders and hood replaced because of rust.
By looking at the headlight...
By looking at the headlight area of the fenders, you can notice small details that are not a big deal as far as function and one that might even make things a little easier during the resto of your car.
We found out a few things about re-pop metal, and what to expect when installing it, because in this instance, some changes between early and later production cars meant that small changes like hood latch location could present a problem. We also found a couple really small deviations from original sheetmetal in our "new" stuff, but some of the difference may actually be a help. We can sit here and write about the good and the bad, but instead, we'll just shut up and show you.
In these two images, you'll...
In these two images, you'll notice that the headlight bezel attachment is different. The original fender used a plastic nutsert, while the new fender has a metal tab. Since the plastic nutsert is a very hard item to find, using a readily available clip nut is the better option.
The underhood edge of the...
The underhood edge of the fenders is really close in factory appearance. We noticed one area that differed was the rear hood-bumper mounting point. Our fender has a small round hole, while the AMD piece has a slot or oval.
The top of our AMD fenders...
The top of our AMD fenders were a little straighter across the top edge than our factory doors.
Underneath, the AMD fenders...
Underneath, the AMD fenders are constructed very well and feature factory style supports and braces.
The measurement for the antenna...
The measurement for the antenna hole on our factory fender was at a slightly different location than the AMD piece. A detail like this could be a difference between our fender and the new one. Our original fender's hole measured 61?2 inches from the rear of the fender. The AMD fender's hole measured 63?4. Who says Ma Mopar made every antenna hole in the exact same location each time?
When we got to the hood, we...
When we got to the hood, we noticed that the underside bracing looks very close to factory.
What we did learn when ordering...
What we did learn when ordering our sheetmetal is that early '68 cars have the hood latch assembly in a different location than later cars. When you order your hood it would help to know if your car is an early or later production, or you can just measure the location.
It may just be an isolated...
It may just be an isolated instance, but the underhood bracing around the hood louver area had more gap than our original hood.
There you have it, brand new...
There you have it, brand new sheetmetal available for your B-Body. Sure, we noticed a few deviations from the factory metal, but building anything by reverse-engineering a 35-year-old piece is a tough job, and you have to hand it to AMD, they made much needed parts available for all.
Once the hood is installed,...
Once the hood is installed, you can see how well the panels align.