[68ragtop]

Does anyone know if there is any company that makes a wheelhouse system for the 68-69 Convertible GTO’s? I made the mistake of cutting out the drivers side inner & outer wheelhouse & destroyed them in the process. They where fairly rusted in the usual places. What I didn’t know at the time is that the convertibles have two flat spots in them to allow the top to drop back & down. I ordered a set of 68 coupe aftermarkets. The book said they can be modified to fit a convertible. Yea right! I tried, they look horrible.
I cut them in four places & the cuts can be seen from inside the trunk, so this is not going to work..plus they still didn't fit well.
Any ideas? Any input would be great. Maybe someone has a connection to a solid used wheelhouse?

Thanks, 68ragtop

[68ragtop]

Does anyone know if there is any company that makes a wheelhouse system for the 68-69 Convertible GTO’s? I made the mistake of cutting out the drivers side inner & outer wheelhouse & destroyed them in the process. They where fairly rusted in the usual places. What I didn’t know at the time is that the convertibles have two flat spots in them to allow the top to drop back & down. I ordered a set of 68 coupe aftermarkets. The book said they can be modified to fit a convertible. Yea right! I tried, they look horrible.
I cut them in four places & the cuts can be seen from inside the trunk, so this is not going to work..plus they still didn't fit well.
Any ideas? Any input would be great. Maybe someone has a connection to a solid used wheelhouse?

Thanks, 68ragtop

[buzzojoe]

I just had to repair mine using pieces of sheet metal. It's not the greatest, but it's better than the holes! I also looked for either correct new panels or good used ones. I looked HARD for over a year and didn't find any. I checked all of the "rust free" yards out west with no luck. Let me know what you end up doing! Good Luck!

[68ragtop]

Anyone else have any ideas? I am really at a standstill. If I buy the aftermarket coupe wells.
After spending $200 plus shipping, I still have to chop them up just to make them fit.

I CANT believe I tossed the original away for a small rusted area. I thought I could but these aftermarket. That’s one thing the Camaro guys have going for them, you can literally buy the whole car after market.

[A455GTO]

Yeah, but when they're done its still just another freakin' Camaro

[68ragtop]

Good point. Anybody know where I might find one.
Are they interchangable with any other cars?

['ol Pinion head]

The 68-69 LeMans-GTO outer wheelhouses are not interchangeable with any other '68-72 convertible & are near impossible to find used with solid outers, even in the dryest of climates. Unfortunately, not big enough demand to repop the convert ones on their own.

Will have to chop the top portions out of your old ones then cut & splice them into the repro's. Take your time piecing them together then pay someone very experienced with a TIG welder (or MIG) to slowly tack them together (butt weld). I would use the heat dam material, & go at this VERY slow. Tack 1st from the middle then work your ways outward. To do this correctly w/ minimum warpage will take a few hours, lot of cool down periods. Good luck.

[68ragtop]

Well , I have the tig welder, unfortunatly, I tossed the old wheelhouses a while ago. I didn't realize they where not available. Now I am really bummed.

['ol Pinion head]

Inner wheel houses between different lines of 68-72 converts should be the same. The outers have to follow the contour of the 1/4 panel so they're going to be different. Each will have a transition. It is possible that this transition to the flattop area could be cut out of another body line's 68-72 convert. The only outer wheelhouse I would def think is WAY different is the '68-69 Skylark. The Skylark-GS's outer wheelhouse for these years goes down lower (has attachment for fender skirts ) & is totally flat across the length of the top of the wheel well arch. Still it may have the transition & same flattop...will have to ck.

This leaves the following different convt outer wheel houses to compare:
68-69 Chevelle
70-72 Chevelle
68-69 Cutlass
70-72 Cutlass
70-72 Skylark
70-72 LeMans

I can take pics of a '69 Cutlass convt inner & outer wheelhouse on a cutoff 1/4 I have at warehouse. Can also compare to 69 Chevelle & '70 GTO convts with in the next couple weeks, if this will help.

[ June 15, 2002, 10:05 AM: Message edited by: ol' Pinion head ]

[68ragtop]

Well, it looks like I am going to order the coupe inner & outer wells. I will have to try & modify them. I can't wait any longer. It is all I have left to do on the body.

Wish me luck, I think I will need it. The hardest part about it, was the old one really wasn't that bad. I just wanted the car to be perfect. Now when I am done, it will be worse than the way it was, & I will have spent many hours & $$$ to get it that way.

Bummed, but it appears their are no options.

[buzzojoe]

Ain't that always the case !?!?!
I don't even want to count the number of things that I should have left alone during my restoration!
The ashtrays in the rear armrests on my 68 convertible had the slightest bit of pitting on them.
You almost had to have a magnifying glass to see it. But I HAD to put them in my parts polishing machine to try to get them perfect. 24 hours later about 1/3 ofthe chrome was flaked off of them. Oh well, $50.00 bucks for a set of new repro ones (that aren't exact). Gotta go now. I have to try and touch up that one tiny spot on the face of my factory tach where the paint isn't quite perfect if you look at it just right...
When will I learn??