Original pans or repop?

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sparksfly121

sparksfly121

67 Dart GT Conv
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Original pans or repop?
I see people on forums asking for floor pans, fenders, etc. What’s the difference between getting old, good metal or remanufactured? Pros, cons? I need floor pans for my convertible, but always assumed I would buy new pans. Now I’m not so sure. ‘67 Dart GT.
 
It's pretty tough to find good original sheet metal. Not impossible but difficult.
 
sparksfly121 said:
Yeah.. all things being equal, if you can find good metal, other than cost, is there any difference in quality? Correctness?
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Most of the repop panels are similar if not the same gauge thickness. AMD did a pretty good job of being close to original and the fit was good. There's a couple old brands (like Sherman) that produced panels that didn't fit to well. As far as I can see, good used or AMD are the best depending on what car you are talking about. Take early A bodies (66 and older). Very few repop panels are available and the quality and fit are what you get. With those cars, used is the only thing available.
 
For floor and trunk pans I wouldnt bother with searching for good OEM parts. The only exception would be if its a big $$ rare car and your doing a 100 point resto.
Stick with AMD sheet metal. Its not worth saving a few bucks and finding out the cheap panel doesnt fit right. You will waste more time trying to make them fit than its worth.
It boils down to availability. Sometimes you have no choice but to find good original or use the cheap panels.
 
Honestly unless the car is on a lift- a quick peak under the car at ground level nobody will know the difference. What’s better floor pans that are at 90 correct or rust/rot?

once the rug is down.... nobody will care. Well except you and new rust!
 
Thanks guys. It’s a 67 Dart convertible, which brings me to another question. Is there a difference in the floor pans for a convertible? What other structural items might be different that I’ll need to look out for? I’m not going show quality, at least that’s not the plan, but I want to do it once and do it right so the car will last a long time to come.
 
Get the AMD pan, and be done with it. I am betting if you found an OEM mopar floor it would be $1200 or more. Install subframe connectors to help with dreaded cowl shake. Plenty will chime in on what's the best way to install them, and probably argue with one another about how to go about it. I am all out of microwave popping corn, so I will bow out on that one.
 
Last question.. does anyone know a reputable paint and body guy in the Nashville / Middle Tennessee area? I’ve had bad luck in the past and don’t know anyone I can trust to do it right. My parents bought this car new, and I’m looking to take it back to original. I wanna see what it looked like when it was delivered from the factory. (Special ordered.)
 
I dont think the floor pan is any different for the convertible. The rocker panels may be a heaver gauge and/or have extra supports in them. Yes frame connectors are a good idea, especially on a vert.
Floor pans are a good place to start learning metal repair. If you screw up it can be fixed and nobody will see it anyways.
 
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