HELP!!! WHO MAKES THE BEST REPRODUCTION QUARTER PANNELS 69 CAMARO???

[westcoastgirls]

HI GUYS,

I HAVE A 69 CONVERTIBLE, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BUYING QUARTER PANNELS.

WHICH QUARTERS ARE THE BEST AND CLOSEST TO ORIGINAL.

I KNOW NOTHING COMES CLOSE TO ORIGINAL, BUT LOOKING FOR QUARTERS THAT HAVE GOOD FITTING AND CLOSEST TO ORIGINAL QUALITY AS POSSIBLE

THANKS CRG!!!!!!!!!

M-

[Buddy]

Ain't gonna happen   Try your hardest to find original GM, they are worth twice as much or more than repro.

Does anyone know if Dynacorn has there own Qtr's? If so what is the Quality?

Buddy

[Jerry@CHP]

A couple of the body shops that we use like the Goodmark stuff.  With a little work, they can be installed without issues.

Jerry

[RamAirDave]

All the repos are basically the same, just different boxes/labeling.

The ones out now aren't just perfect, but really not that bad as far as fitting.  Sure, they'll need some tweaking and adjustment, but nothing major.

[hotrod68]

Agreed...expect to tweak anything but NOS or good used. I have cursed Goodmark long and with justification because their OWN fenders didn't fit their doors, but I've learned that's just the aftermarket. Regard anything repro as suspect, and that includes all of it--from 1/4-window trim to weatherstripping. I've heard good things about Dynacorn lately, but have no experience with them. Good luck!

[jdv69z]

I would be curious to know why these companies' sheetmetal parts are not as good as GM. Obviously they have to make dies to produce these repro parts, and they should know what they are trying to match, ie the original GM parts. Only thing I can figure is that since they are not selling as many parts as GM did originally, they cannot afford to spend as much on tooling as GM originally did.

Jimmy V.

[JohnZ]

The original GM die process was quite complex, and took 7 or 8 separate major die operations (in a continuous line with eight huge presses, dedicated to producing that one part); I'm sure the reproductions are made with only 3 or 4 die operations, with lightweight dies that are easily changed out so one line can make multiple different parts, so accuracy suffers as a result.

Here's a photo of a typical GM multi-stand press line of the era; more of the presses are below floor level than above, and today a press line like that would cost about $80 million.

[jdv69z]

Thanks John, I can see where it would be impossible to replicate anything like that process just for Camaro Repro Quarters, etc. The guys that make the actual dies must be some kind of craftsmen

Jimmy V.

[1968RSZ28]

Here's a photo of a typical GM multi-stand press line of the era; more of the presses are below floor level than above, and today a press line like that would cost about $80 million.

Cool photo John.  $80,000,000!  Makes those $1500 NOS GM quarter panels seem cheap.   

Paul 

[Bjv69ss]

For what it's worth I have GoodMark 1/4"s on my SS coupe.  They fit ok but the Goodmark trunk lid is too long.  The corners needed to be reworked at the hing side.  Like everyone has said, "They fit with some tweeking"

[Hylton]

I used full Goodmark quarters just recently on my 69 RS/Z and they fit just as well as NOS. Remember that over the years, a car will have twisted somewhat from it's factory condition and that will cause you to curse aftermarket panels. Thinking of restoring a car that was raced most of it's life? Don't expect it to be an easy resto just because it is rust free.

[fireZ]

I put a pair of Dynacorn quarters  on a 68 car last year for a fellow that just could not afford NOS and really they were not to bad to fit up correctly. I also used their rockers

[camaro502z]

Goodmark, I sell the stuff and I've yet to receive a complaint about these.

[keith k]

I have seen some NOS panels that fit horribly, as well, and it wasn't because the body had twisted with age.

Keep in mind that while the $80M press line was used while the cars were in production, once they go out of production that's frequently not the case.  Many of the "NOS" quarter panels out there are service replacements that could have been stamped many years after the vehicle went out of production.  Once out of production, service panels were typically stamped in a different facility and on different presses than they were when the car was in production (the production presses are too busy making parts for current models).  Most of the original dies would have been used, but because the presses are changing over dies frequently to make small runs of service panels, there will be much more variability in the parts coming out.  Plus I'm sure die maintenance suffered.  Check fixtures and gauges are normally much simpler for service parts, and there's no incoming QC inspector at an assembly plant for the stampers to worry about catching bad panels.  The parts were put in boxes and shipped to service warehouses.  The first people to see them were body shops... and if the fit wasn't great they just dealt with it.

But... if you can get "NOS", in most cases the fits will still be better than the repro stuff. 

[hotrod68]

502z--consider yourself complained to...chuckle. When a company's fenders don't fit their own doors' contour by a +3/8" gap you have a problem. When the holes in your header panel don't align with an original factory grille, you have a problem. When a headlight eyebrow is welded too closed and the headlight door won't even fit inside you have a problem. I'm not being nasty, just telling you that you must be isolated from the real-time way your products are used by anyone other than professional bodymen. Goodmark stuff is far from perfect, but at least it's out there. Thanks for being a vendor.