New AMD fenders bring down the value of an orginal?

[SFRT]

I will bet 600 b ucks that if I took my new amd fenders, beat the crap out of them and then painted them and my original beat to crap fenders at the same time NO ONE without a friggin mass spectrometer would be able to tell the difference.

I for one am STOKED that I do not have to do a bunch of bodywork or track down 'pristine originals[..just bolt up the new ones...and if they get wrecked, happily have my insirance company pay for another set of readily available amds.

[SFRT]

Show me a reproduction part from any major brand that is made of steel that's as thick/stiff as the original stuff. 

Even when a company claims that the sheet-thickness of the metal is the same, the alloy content of the steel is still usually weak enough to easily feel the difference by hand.

 

first thing I did was measure the amds with the gauge. its exactly the same as the original. alloy? I will bet the new ones alloy is BETTER than the crappy OG metal.

[Mike DC]

 
SFRT,

I haven't come into any contact with the new AMD stuff so I'm not saying you're wrong.  I don't know.



I'm just saying that I've heard a lot of bull about original-grade replacement metal for many years in this hobby.  But I've never seen any of it that didn't feel weaker somehow. 

Heck, Goodmark's black EDP-coated metal for their biggest panels is very thick too.  Always has been.  And yet I can still flex their best sheetmetal with my bare hands and tell the difference between the old factory Mopar stuff very easily.

   

[jerry]

since you have those expensive originals fix them and use them. thats a no brainer. that will solve your  problem of worrying about selling your good usa built fenders. the price of junk being what it is crush em.

[Hudson Hornet !]

For my own car I would rather repair the original panels if I had the choice. I have been in the auto refinishing industry for many years and I can tell you that repo parts have their place, but if you can save what you have do it. I for one would pay a premium for a car with all repaired original panels if they were repaired right. As for the chinese stuff, you can keep it, we have enough of there crap already. I can tell you many horror stories about replacement chinese panels rusting out in a year or two. Before you guys flame me, please realize that this is my opinion, and if it is different than yours- deal with it. 

[69*F5*SE]

Yeah, I'll probably still get my OEM fenders dipped and e-coated. They're still in pretty good shape and there's a facility near by that will do them for about $125.00 each.

[Hudson Hornet !]

I would think that would be your best bet!

[six-tee-nine]

I don't really follow the point here. Which story do you like best? :

1) the car is fully restored with original parts yeah, even the original fenders are on it. (But they are patched and bondo'ed, witch the guy probably won't tell you).

2) This car is fully restored, but I'm sorry it does have aftermarket fenders cuz the original where too rotten to restore...


Come on, isn't our hobby about bringing back these old cars from the dead?  What is worth most? Sloppy originals or nice and crisp aftermarket parts.....If original is worth the most the an unrestored car would have to bring the most money...

[JimShine]

Every item reproduced has affected values of the less than ideal original parts.

Front valances were fetching huge money, then the reproductions came out and now only a very clean original will bring any money. How about console bodies? People spent hundreds of dollars for less than perfect console bodies to replace their busted or missing originals. The repop comes out and now those old bodies are almost worthless.

Clean, original, straight front fenders will command decent money. I doubt it will ever be what they brought in years past. But your average grade fudged up fender laden with filler will be a hard sell at any money. Just because there is original metal under the bondo isn't going to be enough of an incentive to get most car guys to choose original over reproduction.

How many Chargers have been sold over the years totally restored with new and unmentioned quarter panels? If any mention is made it is usually in the rare case that the car still has its originals intact. Why would fenders be any different in the future?

I can understand why some prefer original parts. I know I have a thing for original interior parts and detest vinyl dye. We all have different ideas of how things should be.

[69charger2002]

the best thing to do if you have crap to sell... is know when the quality repro parts are coming out. and UNLOAD right before.. i did it with tail panels, Vinyl top check pieces, fenders, gas caps,  inside taillight trunk covers, grills, front valances, consoles, 4 speed top plates.. you name it. i wasn't really in it for the money either.. but let's not be silly here... if you know a tail panel is worth 700-800 one month, but in 2-3 months when ebay is flooded with new ones for $399, do you really think it's smart to hang on to an original tail panel KNOWING you may not get $200 for it 2 months later.. yeah that's why my building has half the parts it used to, but i was able to sell off all my extra crap i'd never use all of. and get good money for it. now i can buy tail panels with the extra profit and use them for displays in the garage
trav

[Hudson Hornet !]

six-tee-nine,
                      I have been in the industry for a very long time, and I KNOW when a car has been fixed the right way or not. I did not say I would rather have original fenders that are full of mud over new chinese fenders, I stated that I would prefer CORRECTLY restored original panels on a car. You know, some people know how to metal finish!! LOL!

[Mike DC]

 
That's what I'm getting at.


We're still not really debating "old-vs new," but rather "old-vs-inferior-new."

[Hudson Hornet !]

Mike DC I agree whole- :2thumbs:heartedly!

[moparstuart]

Mike DC I agree whole- :2thumbs:heartedly!

   I sold aftermarket body parts for 11 years exclusively ,still sell then now off and on for the last 10 years .  They have there place and if you cant get anything else use them.
That being said I would find good used ones or fix what i had before useing them on my own car.  There is no substitute for originality or OEM quality .

[Mike DC]

 
I might really not mind getting all new panels if the quality was 100% there, but so far the repro industry hasn't delivered on those promises. 


I'm eager to see & feel the new AMD panels for myself.   

[nakita7]

So, either way, these parts will work for someone, whether a purist or not. Some will use, some won't. Repro parts will always have to be produced, because of the simple fact that supply runs out. I personally like my cars 100% Chrysler, but hey, let's face it, that's pretty hard to do. If I saw a car I liked For Sale, and it had an AMD fender on it, I would still buy it. I would prefer an original, but, oh well! Kudos to all the manufacturers making these repro parts, it is needed...but, getting back to the original question, I still think they bring the value down, even if slightly, at best it evens out...

[six-tee-nine]

six-tee-nine,
                      I have been in the industry for a very long time, and I KNOW when a car has been fixed the right way or not. I did not say I would rather have original fenders that are full of mud over new chinese fenders, I stated that I would prefer CORRECTLY restored original panels on a car. You know, some people know how to metal finish!! LOL!

Of course, I did'nt say everybody that fixes his originals fills them up with bondo.....But especially about sheet metal i feel OK about using aftermarket pieces. On the otherhand I'm also pretty sure that the more aftermarket pieces become available, the less valueable our cars get simply because it becomes easyier to restore them.
What I'm not a fan of, is buying everything new what you can get and then restore the rest. I still believe the other way around is the best one....Restore everything you can then buy the parts you are missing or are unfixable. And among the last ones there are enough parts that come around original.
I don't buy every piece that is broken new, cuz sometimes original ones that work fine but need a fresh up cost a fraction of a new part......

[moparstuart]

I feel some origial parts with minor flaws ad character to your car , they make it experienced and yours .