Is there anyone making plastic inner fender wells for the 70-72 GS's ? They aren't in my Original Parts Group GS/Skylark catelog, but they do have Chevelle's for those years, anyone know if those would work in a GS? Even though the cut of the edge might be a bit different along the fender mount bolt locations, I would bet they could be trimmed or modified to fit into a GS. All the A-body's from those years are very close, I'm just wondering if anyone has tried or come up with something to replace rusted wells. My battery location is about shot and falling out, ou: and I'm moving the battery to the trunk anyway, but they're also ugly, and I'd just like to replace them with some new lighter plastic inner wells.
poston inner fender i bought the poston passenger side inner fender and i can say i was extrememly happy.the guy that does postons fiberglass work is excellent i also bought an repro fan shroud from them and again an excellent piece.stay away from year one their fiberglass guy does crap work!!:Smarty:
I cant understand why it would be so expensive to make another fender weather it be for my Electra or GS. I dont know what the tooling costs would be, but if the fenders are stamped then its a point of make a mould and then going from there. Not sure about the whole process but maybe someone could chime in on this one.
I'm not a tool or die maker but with some of the manufacturing knowledge I have is the difficulty with our front fenders is how the front lip is made near the headlight. It is not a standard where one stamping machine can make the part. the rear quarter however is easier to make because it is one stamping. note how the lip wraps around the front. There also maybe an issue near the windshield. Also there is a lot of oppertunity for scrap the way the front headlight is.
Hi I am like the rest of you looking for lower door skins and lower quarters. I can't say I have all the figures and all the facts but here goes. I work in the sheet metal plant that these doors were made originally, so I hear from one of the people that (older than me) worked here at the time. I am supposing that those dies are long gone, I know the process and we do not keep them around forever if there is not a lot of service panels needed. Now I don’t know what these dies looked like but do know some of the other doors skins we make. A set of complete dies can cost way north of $1,000,000.00. Normally a panel is formed by multiple dies from 1 to 5 in a line up depending on the features of a panel. These dies can be very complex, the first die is a draw panel where the majority of the form is made, there are hemming, restrikes and piercing tools. I don’t know what the aftermarket guys process is but panel quality is a very touchy. Something as small as a human hair on the die when drawing a panel will make it unusable. Each of these dies are very large castings. I am not making excuse for these guys but I can understand there hesitance to start a project like this w/o a clear indication of if they are going to recoup their costs. I think the way you are going about it by sending inquires is the best way to show them that it is a worth while project for them.
The size of the press for large parts like fenders is also quite large. Think about it: you would need to get a set of the original drawings and sepcifications, or re-create them first. Then, the drawings would be used to get quotes on the tooling required. The tooling would have to be manufactured. First piece production and inspection needs to be done. The tool may need to be reworked if problems are found. There is a significant amount of engineering $$$, as well as tooling expense. The lead time could be as long as 40-50 weeks for the tool. If you developed an ROI (return on Investment) model, my bet is that the break even point in units sold (where the revenue = the investment) would be high. Example: Lets say that the profit on a front fender is $500. The tooling and engineering cost is $500,000. The company would have to sell 1,000 fenders to break even and pay for the investment. That is the reality of the situation.
A few comments. First, what about ceramic die technology that most manufacturers currently utilize ... it dramatically reduces production costs of tooling on modern vehicles. I don't know what the upper limits are for thickness of metal as older vehicles had much thicker sheet metal. Second, is there any chance GM has old tooling laying around? I thought Goodmark (or some other co.) struck a deal with w/ GM to have licensed use of old Chevelle sheet metal stamping equipment and a cut of the profit. Since I thought Buick stopped making the fenders due to lack of demand, aren't they still in Buick's possession. And, if so, why can't GM restoration consider re-producing these items if they can be convinced of demand. I had heard that some people had issues w/ the quality of the NOS fenders, but I should think the original dies could be repaired. Comments?
I Think The Patch Panels Are Our Best Bet,we Already Know Where The Fenders Go Bad,we Should Approach Them With This Idea.cost Would Be Cheaper Also.year One Used To Have Fender Patch Panel But The Quality Wasnt There.they Arent Ganna Make Them Unless They Have A Solid Commitment And That Would Mean Alot Of Deposits And Youll Probably Get Them In A Year Or Two.lets Approach This From A Different Angle!!!......my 2 Cents:tu:
cars are still in yards - New Mexico,Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and California. Also try West Texas. Had a 71-72 RF fender on ebay recently - $75, repairable, good dog leg, and it basically sat there. Greyhound Bus shipping available. Was original GM part, not offshore. Hemmings Motor News also has lists of suppliers and yards-southwest USA and elsewhere.
Patch panels and back bracing patches available(I hope) I think George had those done....I know he was working on them.............Maybe this waqs already mentioned, no time to read through all the threads. Save every rusted fender you see!!!!!
ok guys Im new here just got a 72 skylark few weeks ago and I need fenders. well I found fiberglass ones on this site. look them over and email me if there for real. I redid a G body Monte SS so Im fairly good with parts and such but the Buick stuff is new to me. thanks guys go to usbody parts. com they have a section for the skylarks and the GS Mike C
Here's the email I just sent. I'll be their worst nightmare...lol Hi everyone, You guys realllyyyy need to rethink your postion on A body 70-72 Skylark metal. You may want to think about the pieces that NO ONE makes that almost ALL of them need. FENDERS GS HOODS DOOR SKINS OR DOOR ASSY'S 1972 GS AND SKYLARK 350 GRILLE LOWER REAR WINDOW PANELS AND CHANNELS AND..... THE... BIGGEST NEED..... CORE SUPPORTS!!!!! If you make these you would not only have buick owner sales, but also other vendors if need be later on in your sales cycle. The REASON you dont get calls all the time id we all know no one makes the stuff, weve given up. BUT, With Chevelles getting so pricey, alot of people are turning to skylarks (bit late since they were always better and got no respect till recently). It like Field of Dreams Build it, they will come!!!!!!! There are plenty of larks on the road that would get even more popular with support from you. Do a TV episode shoin off the new stuff you make and let V8 Buick.com know. You WILL sell enough, and will turn a profit as word gets out ! I like the stuff you guys do and am glad your supporting what you do. You will find you can do better and more. Regards,
I read this thread and I have to say its a noble effort.However I think that Goodmark is handing everyone of us a bunch of BS. Parts are repoed for so many different makes that I don't buy their BS. They make 1/4 s outter wheel houses ,emblems,wings and spoilers,for buicks. Not every Buick has a wing or wants one. So were is the demand for that. There is enough demand for quarters and rear wheel houses,but not fenders and doors?! I'm not buying it.Someone stated that the mopars are bringing big money,so what. You won't get 1000.00 for a repop cuda fender,just because the car sells for 300,000.00 at auction.And not every cuda is a hemi or 440 ta. So what are they worth?Also ,someone stated production #s.and buick made far more A bodies than cudas or chellengers.I'm not a hater of mopar,I'm just using them as an example.How many old ford p/u are being restored?But they make parts for them.I can't come up with a reason why they don't reproduce our stuff,but what they are telling us, just don't add up to me.They say it cost a million dollars to start the process,its alot of money for us common folks,but in big business thats nothing.They most likey spend half that on bonuses and trips each year.With no return at all.Just my .02
