I was wondering what is the difference in metal thickness between factory sheetmetal versus aftermarket sheetmetal? If i remember correctly, my 72 chevy pickup was 16 guage steel but what is the thickness of Goodmark sheetmetal? Is it the same as OEM or no? Will aftermarket have the durability of OEM when it comes to impact strength, a person leaning on your fender with their elbows or the garage broom falling over and hitting the quarter panel? My inquiring mind wants to know...thanks in advance.

Jason

p.s. i have a money bet going here at home that the aftermarket just wont hold up as well. Help me out guys!

You may not win this bet, but you may not lose either. There are supposedly reputable "experts" in the body world who will swear that aftermarket sheetmetal is essentially as good as OEM. There are many more "experts" who will swear that aftermarket is junk and doesn't come close to meeting OEM quality.

FWIW, every single body shop owner, manager and technician I've ever met detests aftermarket sheetmetal.

As a shop manager, I've purchased tens of thousands of dollars in aftermarket parts at the behest of insurance companies and the acquiesience of the vehicle owners. I have yet to see an aftermarket sheetmetal part that equals the quality of OEM, whether the OEM is American, Asian or European.

I'm with ya Vette.

This is my estimation of repro ANYTHING. To quote a friend of mine.....
"If they wanted to be honest, instead of saying Exactly as original in the catalog they would say Similar to original, can be used if nothing else is available "

The thickness is the least of your problems. Just plain on fit and finish is what you should be worried about.

NOS or good original parts are FAR better than 99.9% of repro parts PERIOD .

That being said, we should all be damn thankful there are repro parts available. It allows us to do things that would be impossible. It keeps the prices on the original parts down and it is just better for everyone involved.

If you can afford it, buy NOS or good used and have it repaired. If you can not, the repro parts can make a difference between you actually finishing your car or not finishing it. If it were not for repro parts there would be just a fraction of the classic cars on the road.

If you think we don't need repro, try building something like a 1922 Buick where NOTHING is available. It is a full time job finding ANYTHING for it.

Repro is a necessary evil, plain and simple.

Originally posted by MARTINSR:

If you think we don't need repro, try building something like a 1922 Buick where NOTHING is available. It is a full time job finding ANYTHING for it.

Repro is a necessary evil, plain and simple. I hear ya! I recently restored a 35 Buick 4dr.Try finding sheetmetal for that! I would have been thankful for some crappy fitting thin repro fenders that could be worked.Theres not even a question,its fix what you have, period. The fenders were battered beyond belief,running boards rotted.No fun.It's great to be able to open a catalog and pick out whatever you need.Yes some is junk but some is not so bad.At least we have a choice. graemlins/hurray.gif