Repair or replace this fender (AMD)

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Douglas Acebal

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To all the body repairmen out there. In a few weeks I'll be turning my car over to the body shop. I have this fender issue.

Will it be cheaper for me to hand the car to him with a new AMD fender ($898 after shipping & before tax) or let them straighten it out (labor)?

My gut is it is at least a full day's labor so it may be close to equivalent?

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I'm no bodyman but I see some foldover wrinkles in an awkward place.
 
Ask the guy doing the work, that fender is not a hard fix, I would not replace it.
 
You can find AMD fenders still, maybe not from AMD.

Let your body man decide, but be sure it is not a Bondo special.
 
It depends. Is your body guy going to charge you to hammer out the wrinkles, while he smears it full of Bondo behind your back?
I'd replace. I don't like Chinese metal, but it's probably the 'better' alternative.
 
Very fixable.
Drill out the spot welds and separate the headlight area. It will be wide open to fix. Then reweld the headlight area back in.
 
Ain't no way I'd replace that fender... Save as much original sheet metal as you can... It's great that there is repo metal out there if it's all you got but if you have a minor amount of damage like that your miles ahead to repair it....
 
It will probably take as much time to get the new fender straight as it would to repair the original. I just spend about 15 hours making my AMD cuda firewall correct. AMD is not as perfect as everyone thinks. Yeah they are better than most repop metal but they make some junk too.
 
That fender is an easy fix.

A good bodyman welds a few tabs on the front and puts a pull forward on it while working the dent out from the inside at the same time. Tap, tap, on hammer dolly, off hammer dolly, working a few pry picks at the same time, working the contour back into shape being careful not to stretch the metal in the process.

Fit to the new headlight door, then done deal. Now you still have a factory mopar fender on your car. The door gap factory ridges all line up and are spaced as should be, unlike an AMD fender that is always a little bit off in all respects . . aftermarket stuff.
 
I had similar questions when my original fender was damaged on my '70 Swinger 340 when a young woman had a seizure and hit my garage at 40 MPH with a pedestrian on the hood in May of 2019. I was on the other side of the wall when she hit, and changed my life forever. However, I'm not quitting or crying. I found there are 2 different grades of replacement fenders, the "economy" and the Mopar approved OEM. I ordered the Mopar approved fender, and was surprisingly satisfied. It's the same gauge as the factory original, and all the stampings are correct. The holes and mounting provisions are all spot on. In the PNW, it was $748 delivered to my door. It's the fender in my avatar. I undercoated the inside, and gave it a quick spray of EB5 blue from Wesco, inside and out. I undercoated and painted the inside because you can't get to it once the inner splash shields are installed. I'm waiting for shims, and some more paint to cover the hood spring area in front of the door. I bought mine from Classic Industries. I'm not plugging or promoting them. I'm not afilliated with them in any fashion. That said, it's a great part. It's in my avatar, and I'll look for more photos, if anyone is interested. Paul.
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I respectfully disagree. Battle scars don't include parking lot idiots. IMO, she deserves to be returned to her old, faded yellow glory. After 50+ years, give Grandma a little make up. She can't be replaced with a quick trip to the local Mopar dealer, unless she wants a Redeye. She's a classy lady that deserves a new or repaired fender, IMO. No disrespect meant to any member (California Disclaimer), but do what your heart tells you. Very nice car. I'd make an offer if she comes up for sale. Paul.
 
Easy repair with a spot weld dent puller. And be fixed with barely any filler without removing it from the car. Or remove it dis assemble the fender , Straighten it, weld it back together

Here is a fender that needed to be disassembled because someone use a dent puller with punching holes. Don't let anyone punch holes to pull a dent. That is crude with today's tools that are out there.

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Easy repair with a spot weld dent puller. And be fixed with barely any filler without removing it from the car. Or remove it dis assemble the fender , Straighten it, weld it back together

Here is a fender that needed to be disassembled because someone use a dent puller with punching holes. Don't let anyone punch holes to pull a dent. That is crude with today's tools that are out there.

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What is the tool in the first two pics?
I've got a similar repair to do on my 73 Cuda fender. I'm going to try and pull it with the weld on pins and if that doesn't work I'll disassemble it. I have another fender that is good in that area that I can splice in as well.
 
Anyone who decided to or had to replace a fender...knows that they are not all equal.

The panel gaps will be different.
I had the same issue...same spot...got a hold of a '68 fender....about twice the gap at the door/fender than the original.
Fix it, on the car. You'll be WAY happier keeping it original.
 
True that. Take pictures of everything. They have no reason to remove the fender tag, but to remove any chance of monkey business, I'd remove it before it went to any shop. The correct rosette fasteners are available to reinstall it when repairs are done. JMO.
"Rosette fasteners" are the rivets used to attach the vin tag to the dash on 66 and newer cars. Screws attached the fender tag.
 
Well, as usual, y'all beat me to it. I will agree it can be fixed. Easily might depend on one's skill level, but it does not need to be replaced. I have fixed much worse, as has @Oldmanmopar.
 
What is the tool in the first two pics?
I've got a similar repair to do on my 73 Cuda fender. I'm going to try and pull it with the weld on pins and if that doesn't work I'll disassemble it. I have another fender that is good in that area that I can splice in as well.
it is a center punch , Spring loaded , No hammer needed . Pull back and let it go. easy to center punch with no damage from force of hammer hit it bad areas. Be careful though the spring will catch skin when you let it go.
 
That fender is an easy fix.

A good bodyman welds a few tabs on the front and puts a pull forward on it while working the dent out from the inside at the same time. Tap, tap, on hammer dolly, off hammer dolly, working a few pry picks at the same time, working the contour back into shape being careful not to stretch the metal in the process.

Fit to the new headlight door, then done deal. Now you still have a factory mopar fender on your car. The door gap factory ridges all line up and are spaced as should be, unlike an AMD fender that is always a little bit off in all respects . . aftermarket stuff.


Yes, but the headlight bucket is in the way of the backside for the tap tap tap.

To all the body repairmen out there. In a few weeks I'll be turning my car over to the body shop. I have this fender issue.

Will it be cheaper for me to hand the car to him with a new AMD fender ($898 after shipping & before tax) or let them straighten it out (labor)?

My gut is it is at least a full day's labor so it may be close to equivalent?

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i added photos to the initial post with the bezel off.
 
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