[Targa]

Being im about to possibly jump into the 69 GTO which i posted about earlier, I wasjust tossing around the idea about using some aftermarket fenders since they are so cheap.

how much will this really lower the possible resale value of the vehicle?

rear qtr's i have no choice but to replace, or its also that i dont care to go through so much trouble to refab these larger pieces when repops are so cheap and widely available.

Has anyone used Dynacorn panels? if so, whats the fit/finish/quality like?


anyone have a suggestion as what NOT to use as a repop cause it alone would really hurt resale value?

ive read a few posts on the dashes, i would only buy a new one there, no covers of any sort will be used.

other than that item, anything else which is a real NO-NO?

are badges a bad thing to use as a repop or totally accepted?

TIA!

[Targa]

Being im about to possibly jump into the 69 GTO which i posted about earlier, I wasjust tossing around the idea about using some aftermarket fenders since they are so cheap.

how much will this really lower the possible resale value of the vehicle?

rear qtr's i have no choice but to replace, or its also that i dont care to go through so much trouble to refab these larger pieces when repops are so cheap and widely available.

Has anyone used Dynacorn panels? if so, whats the fit/finish/quality like?


anyone have a suggestion as what NOT to use as a repop cause it alone would really hurt resale value?

ive read a few posts on the dashes, i would only buy a new one there, no covers of any sort will be used.

other than that item, anything else which is a real NO-NO?

are badges a bad thing to use as a repop or totally accepted?

TIA!

[cuz68]

From what i have read repop fenders do NOT fit very well.

[Targa]

any specific brand NOT to look for?

[crkoester]

It is also my understanding that there is NOT an acceptable repop fender on the market for 69's - they are ill-fitting junk. Most guys I've talked to that have tried them end up giving up and paying for a used fender.

Fenders and dashes seem to be the weakest links in the 69 repop parts department.


Chris

[Targa]

ok then, that settles that i guess....lol.

anything else NOT to get, or is that pretty much the only items to totally avoid?

Badges??

wheel well trim?? any repops for this and the lower rocker panel?

acceptable? junk?

[Ron Landis]

The hoods are decent. Most interior and trim is fine. The tail light bezels show surprisingly well. Stay away from the grills. Fenders are the only sheet metal I've heard complaints on.

[Targa]

ok, then, no fenders....lol.
thats to bad... id like a quick-fix but i guess some welding wont hurt...... there will plenty of that anyway.

where is a good place to shop for interior parts/pieces? (i noticed most stuff i may need for a 1969 from here at PY is out of stock??!!)

also, talking seats or replacement seat covers, not to cover the actual existing seat cover, i mean to remove old covering and install new replacemnt covering.... just want to clarify.

and door panel covering, armrest, the works??

this thing is sure to need a complete overhaul.

[BLKBRD]

Although I have not used any of the repro fenders personally (but have a friend who has), my understanding is that the tooling that is currently used to produce the '68/'69 fenders was recently redone and they are supposed to fit better than the previous stampings. Most of the parts houses were claiming this last year. You may want to call one of them to see if the new ones are available.

[1-GTO]

I was told if you replace the interior seat covers it is better to buy a complete set so the color matches better.(as in front seat covers,rear seat covers and door panels etc...)

They make lower fender replacement patches with or without the fender braces and are said to be very good.If you can go that route your better off.Most reproduction emblems are very good quality and look as good as the originals.

[PonchoV8]

I've heard complaints on the 1/4 skins too. The wheel well trim won't line up correctly. It's just second hand and one theory is the molds deteriorate from so many stampings.

[Targa]

1-GTO,
where is a good source for the seat covers/door panels, complete... ?

and, do they have the Parchment color as the facrory had?
TIA.

[Verdoro 68]

Welcome to the site, Targa. I'll throw in my .02 about the GTO restoration parts market.

In a nutshell, it's my belief that you are going to get the best quality parts out there from Ames and Performance Years. Like you are finding out, not everything is A+ top flight quality, but Ames and PY do a good job of finding the best stuff that available. You can download catalogs from both the Ames website and Performance Years. I keep copies on all my computers because I refer to them so often.

Ames in particular is pretty good about noting the quality of the reproduction parts in their catalog. If you do a little homework sometimes you can find out who the suppliers of the parts are and order direct, but in my experience the price difference is usually negligible.

IMO, the others (Paddock, OPG, etc) are a crap shoot. Some parts are good, some aren't - a lot aren't 100% correct. I prefer to stick with the people who specialize in Pontiacs/GTOs rather than lump us in with other GM A-bodies.

As far as interiors, the general consensus seems to be PUI makes the best stuff right now. Both Ames and PY sell PUI. I believe Year One does as well. I heard Legendary Auto Interiors is working on seat covers for GTOs, but I don't know if they are out yet. There are parchment covers available but you might want to request a sample before ordering. FWIW, I ordered my seat covers from OPG and am not really satisfied. The quality is good, but the reproductions aren't 100% accurate (the grooves are too shallow). I forget the company that manufactured them, but it wasn't PUI.

I've been reading the thread on (potentially) your '69 convert. Good luck on the project!

[Targa]

great info Ken, thanks.

question, new to the 'lingo' who is OPG and PUI?

also, what do you know about the Dynacorn company? any good fenders from them or partial panels of any sort, trunk , floor, body?

i think they are MFRing the whole bodys for the Camaro, so i thought they maybe a good co. for body panels.

ill be looking for a replacing 100% of the interior pieces (seat coverings, door panels ect..) so quality there is a must.

thanks for any info.
Joe

[Verdoro 68]

Oops, sorry. Been hanging around this crowd too long.

OPG = Original Parts Group
PUI = Parts Unlimited, Inc.

Other than a trunk pan, I haven't purchased any aftermarket sheetmetal for my car yet so I can't comment on Dynacorn. I bought the trunk floor from PY and was happy with the quality. You can see pics of the installation here: Trunk Floor replacement How-to

Like I said, rather than purchasing direct form a supplier I tend to let Ames and PY do the hard work determining which parts have the best quality. Us Pontiac guys are pretty picky so Ames and PY have to be on top of things. The prices are usually the same as going direct.

For what it's worth, here's a bunch of old threads about sheetmetal and reproduction part quality. Some are a few years old so some of the info contained about quality may not apply anymore.<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Repro Sheet Metal Quality (lack of)<LI>dynacorn international parts<LI>Goodmark Quality?<LI>Who sells the best OEM and Repro parts?<LI>Are the repro 68-69 fenders any good?<LI>Aftermarket body panels - good or bad?[/list]

[Irvs 68]

Last week the front fenders on my 68 GTO had lower patch panels put in. The ones between the wheel and the doors; bought one from Ames and one from PY. Neither one had both in stock. The body man that did them for me said they didn't line up exactly with the body lines around the wheel opening but after a small amount of working with them they look good. He was able to get them lined up. I have rear 1/4 flair and lower patch panels as well as a 1/4 skin ordered and they will go in next week (I hope). I'll let you know how they fit.

[plexitim]

If you go to the Year One website, they provide ratings for each repro part they sell, called 'YOCLASS'. Highest YOCLASS number being as good as GM NOS, Worst being "trying to get this to fit will give an experienced body shop nightmares". The current crop of front fenders for 68/69 do not have a strong YOCLASS number, and when I called AMES, Year One and Parts Place, all confirmed (in a nice way, of course) there are problems getting them to fit.

Personally, I elected to get good used GM fenders and repair the lower dogleg section, rather than paying bodyshop labor on a Taiwanese part which will not produce as good a restoration.

For the lower front fender patch panels, there are two manufacturers, and supposedly AMES and PY sell the high quality ones, some other vendors sell the ones that do not fit well. I got mine from AMES, the jury is still out on whether they will fit properly or not.

HOWEVER! I understand the 69/69 GTO Quarter panels are finished tooling and incoming to USA in the next month or two. SUPPOSEDLY these use the original GM dies, which is a similar story as the '69 Camaro, '69 Chevelle and '70 Chevelle full quarters which have been GM Authorized to be as good as NOS. I have no reason to doubt this may be true because, at least in bowtie land, people used to get away with charging $2,000 for a GM NOS quarter for a '69 Camaro convertible and now you can get a GM Authorized panel for $399.

Life is good.

[BLKBRD]

PlexiTim,

Where did you hear about the '68/'69 panels being stamped from original GM dies? I've recently heard this myself, but have been unable to confirm it. I've contacted several of the big parts houses and they either won't respond to this, or say that they haven't heard that the original dies are being used.

[plexitim]

I was discussing this with a major Pontiac parts vendor at Englishtown NJ swaps in fall 2004, that was told the GM tooling was purchased by a joint venture of companies who were revamping it because with age, the stampings were no longer crisp. What he told me was that full quarters would be produced out of Taiwan due to cheap labor in 2005, but would ultimately be GM Authorized Resto parts because they fit properly unlike the repro skins that need a lot of work, and a lot of filler, to make fit.

When you see GTO's and Chevelles restored and starting to actually sell in the $65,000 - $125,000 range, you know that will attract the repro houses looking to make a buck. Now it becomes profitable and starts looking like they can turn a profit - and keep it profitable - by getting into, and staying in, the big parts repro market.

And so more and more such projects being joined in by multiple companies. For example, Original Parts group is now in final stages of negotiation with GM to sell complete 1969 Camaro convertible bodies from firewall back, using repro parts for every bit of it. Completely assembled, add drivetrain, start hanging doors and nose (all of which is also available and much of which is GM Authorized). Install interior, suspension, wiring and driveline and presto. Instant 1969 Camaro. The legal issue is this: GM wants a piece of the pie for every one sold, ($9,999 each plus shipping) in exchange for certifying it is GM Authorized. 1967 Mustangs are next.

As far as quarter panels, I own Chevrolets in addition to my beloved GTO, and I know the latest quarters coming out from Taiwan use GM dies because they are GM Authorized parts. The GM Authorized quarter panel list now includes 1969 Chevelle hardtop full quarters with sails; 1969 Chevelle convertible quarters; 1970 Chevelle full quarter with sail; 1970 Chevelle full convertible quarter; 1969 Camaro full quarter with sail; 1969 Camaro convertible.

Although the projects are funded by a combination of big money backers including CanAm Restoration Supply, OPG, Year One, they are distributed here in the states through one of Dynacorn or Goodmark. Here is a link to the dii.com site (Dynacorn) with their response to the '69 GTO quarter question, on January 10, 2005:

http://www.dynacorn.com/site/05joepa...iew&refnum=683

Q:
Joe,
Any good news on full quarters for 69 GTO?
Thanks

A:
Good news is they will be come available this year. Bad news is I don't know when.

If you look at the Parts Place site, you will see they already have placeholders for the full '69 GTO quarters. Again, this is not a skin. This is a full-size panel INCLUDING the sail. Here is their commentary and the forthcoming part numbers:

Category: Body Panels
Sub-Category: QUARTER PANELS - REPRODUCTION FULL
ALL PANELS ARE MADE FULL INCLUDING THE DOOR JAMB, SAIL PANEL AND TRUNK JAMB. THESE ARE MADE THE SAME WAY GM MADE THEM. FIRST TIME EVER A PANEL OF THIS SIZE!

BP1197G
FULL QUARTER PANEL HARDTOP - LH Price: Call
Qty:


BP1198G
FULL QUARTER PANEL HARDTOP - RH

[BLKBRD]

PlexiTim,

Thanks for the info. I've seen the place holders for the '69 quarters at The Parts Place for some time. Dynacorn has been listing the LH Quarter for a while now. I contacted Dynacorn last week and they would not discuss any details with me because I was not a dealer. The Parts Place would not confirm or deny the use of GM dies when I contacted them last week. They also had no availability date on the quarters. I contacted Goodmark several months ago, and they said that they have no current plans to reproduce '69 Quarters.