Repairing rust has long been a problem for most of us. Let's face it, musclecars have not been built for close to thirty years, and those years can take a toll on things like sheetmetal. Maybe you can find the replacement parts you need at a swap meet, but how much will it cost to purchase that 30-year-old piece of metal that may have some small rusted areas, but is still better than what you have? Let's not even venture a guess what a rust-free piece of used sheetmetal can cost.
In the case of a Challenger, there have not been any new fenders around for close to 20 years. Finding a good used fender at swap meet is possible, but you better be ready to give up at least one arm for it. Sure someone may have one or two N.O.S. fenders still stashed away just waiting for the price to really get outrageous, but they've waited too long.
We found out that Goodmark Industries just finished tooling on brand-new Challenger fenders, and we thought we would put them to the test to see if they were actually any good. Sure, the idea and execution may look good on paper, and they may even have all the right body lines, but will they fit, and do they look right? We were fortunate enough to know a guy, Marty, who just happened to have a '72 Challenger that he recently purchased. The car had not seen the light of day since approximately 1991, but was in decent enough shape to justify restoring.
The car had spent all of its life in central Pennsylvania, so we knew rust repair would be required. The fenders had some serious bubbles on the top of the passenger side fender, near the front, and also at the bottom rear. The driver side fender had rust at the front and the rear on top. Marty had planned on finding a pair of used ones in better shape, or maybe even fixing the ones he had, but when we found out about the Goodmark fenders, we wanted to know if they were worth using, and the Challenger was the happy recipient.
When they arrived, we couldn't wait to get them on the car and see what problems we would find. All we can say is, we didn't-almost. The only thing we did find-or in this case, didn't find-is one hole in each fender that was not drilled for the headlight bezel attaching stud to mount to. This is not even an issue, as drilling a small 3/8-inch hole in the proper location is a no-brainer. But what about the body lines, and the parts you don't see when the fender is installed, and the hood is closed. Let's just say we found the fender to have all the attributes that a quality replacement part needs to possess-it looks right; it fits; and it even resembles an original piece.
But don't take our word for it. look at the following photos, and we'll show you what we found; then you can decide for yourself if you need a set.
And Now You Know....
So you think making a new reproduction part is easy? We found out just how painstaking it really is. Luckily for enthusiasts, when the process is done, a much needed part is then available for the market.
