Sheet metal companies, whos good??

[miller time]

i dont want to limit this topic, i think it might be valuable for others looking for other sheetmetal too, like fenders hoods, doors, ect.

i have no idea where i should buy my front valance (brand and/or stores?

there too many choices to guess and order junk, not looking to bash companies, just looking for their quality, and just first hand (or second) experience and knowledge
like classic industries offer "restorers choice" or "budget" whats the difference? besides $100?
ill spend the money for quality if theres really a difference
and im looking at summit racing and they offer Goodmark for $150 or AMD for $270 anyone ever compare the two?

i tried about 10 different searches and i here i am
and if this has already been talked about, i missed it by a country mile, so id bet im not the first

thanks

By the way, i dont want to spend $300 but ill do what i should, and my car didnt come with a valance panel to begin with

[twodko]

As others have said even the best aftermarket sheet metal parts, Goodmark...AMD....et al, will get you close but they all require fitment work. Personally I like AMD products. 

[69HemiBee]

Put it this way I used to be a Goodmark dealer/user and now an AMD dealer/user.

[miller time]

Put it this way I used to be a Goodmark dealer/user and now an AMD dealer/user.

that says something, but whats the real differences?
like are some not identical to stock? are some just stupid thin?

[Mike DC]

 
If you expect parts that don't need any work then you are in the wrong hobby.  Its impossible to make perfect replacement parts for imperfect cars.  Even 45yo N.O.S. factory parts for these cars fit like crap compared to modern stuff.


There's more to metal than thickness.  Alloy content is a big thing that makes cheap metal seem "thin" when it's actually fairly thick.  It will be thick but still feel lightweight & easy to bend. 

AMD stuff is the best, generally speaking. 

[miller time]

 
If you expect parts that don't need any work then you are in the wrong hobby.  Its impossible to make perfect replacement parts for imperfect cars.  Even 45yo N.O.S. factory parts for these cars fit like crap compared to modern stuff.


There's more to metal than thickness.  Alloy content is a big thing that makes cheap metal seem "thin" when it's actually fairly thick.  It will be thick but still feel lightweight & easy to bend. 

AMD stuff is the best, generally speaking. 

IJS im 6 years past being in "the wrong hobby" i just want to know if everything needs work, why waste another $100+ on the same JUNK i could get for less and save on weight, no metal is perfect but that doesnt mean i want to spend 10hours on something if i could only spend 1 hour on it

and cool 2 votes for AMD
i just dont want some ill fitting, dent and rust prome, no fender flap stoppin POS when i could have spent or saved and extra 100 bucks to fix the problem or know i have to rig up a fix anyways and buy a valance
i want the better or the best, not the junk, but if its all junk ill save some $ to make it nice junk

[Troy]

You'd get more responses if we hadn't covered this so many times...

I say AMD. Sure, not everything is perfect. I am NOT a body man and there was have only been 1 or 2 issues with the parts I've used that required help from a professional to fix. Back in the old days, the reproduction parts (primarily Goodmark and Sherman) weren't a whole lot better than parts hand made from a flat panel. You also have to remember that reproduction manufacturers are trying to cover as many models/years as possible so, sometimes, certain features of a part specific to a single year may disappear or be added to all. Many of these parts were copied from "NOS" - but a lot of NOS parts are actually rejects from the assembly line that have been moved/banged around for 40 years. Any part copied from an assembled car could very well have only fit that car. These cars could have been 1/4" or more off from one end to another from the factory. Lots of room for "adjustment"!

If you want a great example of levels of quality... the old Goodmark Charger quarter "skins" were about 1/2" too long so, when installed, they bowed out around the wheel well. They also needed a 7' long weld along the upper body line which was prone to warping and requiring lots of body filler. They were bare galvanized metal and I think you could get a pair for about $300. AMD came out with their "full" factory style quarters which were EDP coated and the correct size. Some people have fitment issues that require a little cutting/reshaping at some bends. Cost is typically about $600 each but most resourceful people can find a dealer who will discount them. Classic Body Designs came out with their own version shortly after. The fit was supposed to be near perfect and they were made in the USA. Biggest drawback was the cost at about $2,500 each (approximately the same as an NOS quarter - if you could find one). Over time the price dropped to about $1,300 or so but the company folded and ceased production. For most consumers, the amount of additional labor to make an AMD panel fit was easier to swallow than the initial investment in the CBD panels. AMD had a hard time keeping up with demand and CBD couldn't move enough to make a profit. If anything, I think AMD has done a great job of pricing their parts for the average buyer. AMD is also pretty good about listening to customer feedback and making design changes so that should buy them a little loyalty. Goodmark basically gave a big middle finger for many years to customers complaining about the quality of their parts - until AMD came along and took over the market.

Troy

[Dino]

Choice in this order:

1. Used
2. Used
3. ...probably used
4-9. AMD (there's only so many used front valance's left that are actually straight)
10. That other brand

[Ryan]

AMD but if you can find used metal go that route. I got a very nice used valance for $300 on eBay. Compared to the AMD piece that I previously purchased the OEM part was much nicer.  I'll buy AMD for quarters and other panels that are simply not available used, but for doors, decklids, and things of that nature that are not impossible to come buy on the open market I'll buy used OEM.

[Troy]

Unless you are holding the used piece next to a known good used piece AND it is stripped to bare metal it is still hard to determine if you are any better off with the used piece (for most of us). I have a garage full of unusable used parts that I tried to save money on. Some of it, of course, is what I purchased when I had no alternative. I recently spent almost $700 on used parts only to find out that I had one (and a half) usable pieces in the whole lot once I started stripping them down. The rest required almost as much work - just different work - as the parts I was trying to replace. I can't tell you how many pieces I've bought that were slightly better than what I had only to replace them with slightly better parts later on. On my last Charger I bet I had some parts that were on the 4th or 5th revision. I am nearly sure this is how many "hoarders" get started. Easier to just buy once - and the good used stuff might not be available when you're looking.

Troy

[miller time]

Hey now,
Those are some great answers! thanks alot for the feed back
AMD really sounds good now since florida isnt a very good state to find parts, and i dont like buying used ebay quality stuff, id much rather go for New

Now earlier today i called classic industries about their front valances either 160 or 250 for "restores choice" and they guy on the phone said the ONLY difference was that the cheaper one may not be OEM thickness, but he wasnt sure if it for was not OEM thinkness, just that the discription didnt say, but does it matter if the metal is slithly thinner or thicker? (also 2 different makers, dont know which ones though)

yearone offers a i think $240 valance with NO turn signal holes cut, or any other important details, that seems so worng

and Troy i didnt see anything about new valances when i searched it on here or on smoogle, because id rather read what others found out, then ask personally my  

[Mike DC]

 
If they were slick about their marketing then they would not be calling the two metals higher and lower quality.  They would be offering "restoration weight" and "race weight." 

 

[twodko]

My  is buy AMD and avoid buying anything from YO unless no one else has the part.
YO tends to be pricey and they rape you on shipping.

[Ryan]

Hey now,
Those are some great answers! thanks alot for the feed back
AMD really sounds good now since florida isnt a very good state to find parts, and i dont like buying used ebay quality stuff, id much rather go for New

Now earlier today i called classic industries about their front valances either 160 or 250 for "restores choice" and they guy on the phone said the ONLY difference was that the cheaper one may not be OEM thickness, but he wasnt sure if it for was not OEM thinkness, just that the discription didnt say, but does it matter if the metal is slithly thinner or thicker? (also 2 different makers, dont know which ones though)

yearone offers a i think $240 valance with NO turn signal holes cut, or any other important details, that seems so worng

and Troy i didnt see anything about new valances when i searched it on here or on smoogle, because id rather read what others found out, then ask personally my  

there are several members here and on moparts that are AMD dealers. Buy from one of them. They will give you better pricing then the big guys. 
More than likely the 2 parts you are comparing are AMD and goodmark and the reseller is trying to rebrand them as somthing else. The goodmark valance I had was a joke FYI. AMD was much better. 

[Mike DC]

. . . and avoid buying anything from YO unless no one else has the part.
YO tends to be pricey and they rape you on shipping.

Very true.  They like to underprice the part and make up for it with outrageous shipping charges.  Seriously, you don't know the full price of something from YO until the shipping figure has been included. 

[miller time]

i would like to buy my valance from a member on here, any one want to give a quote? be shipped near Stuart FL
i am about 90% sold on buying the valance from summit racing its $270 and ONLY $9.50 oversize charge and $0 for shipping and yes its AMD, best price i found and cant beat the freight charge (eastwood thinks its work $380 )

Also on yearone, i use them because their catalog is nice, website is easy to use, But Most Of All, if you sign up for their emails, you can get anywhere from 10% to 30% OFF, first day i signed up the next moring in had a 30% off code in my inbox, and had a order i made up the night before, if nothing else is cancles out the shipping charges, but i also shop quite a bit

example at 6am they sent me a 25% off discount code tax14, have fun with it guys good for 4 days

please send me some quotes or member names because i was considering buyin the vanlace today, since i also need hub bearings for my truck that im gettin from summit, and 1 order instead of 2 is always nice