grande_guerre
grande mondiale
What is the difficulty level and the amount of tools i'll need for replacing my front quarter panel and driver door? I got t-boned by a motorcycle and am getting tired of entering through the passenger side. thx!
body panel difficulty
- Thread starter grande_guerre
- Start date
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Seabronc
New member
They are only held on with bolts. As long as you can still get to them there should be no problem. Just one word of caution, the door is pretty heavy and should be supported when taking it off. It might be a good idea to get a friend to help so you aren't unbolting and trying to hold the door at the same time.
Good luck,
>-
Good luck,
>-grande_guerre
grande mondiale
thanks seabronc, i'll do it when i find a door and a front panel
Speaking of which...Has anyone tried out the aftermarket panels from JBG? Obviously there is a huge difference in price between them and the OEM, but I'm wondering how the fit is, as compared to the origional. I've got the same issues with my driver side front fender, and door, and I'm considering the aftermarket stuff, just b/c of the price difference.
Koopa132
New member
I have not tried the aftermarket panels from JBG but have done a lot with other aftermarket panels in the past. It all depends on how picky you are.
Aftermarket panels are manufactured in Asia to much lower tolerances than OEM panels. Sometimes they fit nice, sometimes they don't. I once put two aftermarket fenders on a 65 Mustang. The drivers side fit perfect. The passenger side was about 1/2 inch too long vertically between the ridge on the body and the top of the fender and never looked right. You can often make things look better by making adjustments to the adjoining body panels, but if you want to guarantee a nice fit go with OEM.
Another issue is steel quality. The Asian panels are still not of the same quality steel as US OEM panels. This means they tend to rust sooner, especially around any points where you had to weld them in, and small stone chips will have a much greater effect over time. You can compensate for this somewhat by using a good undercoat and cleaning and drying your truck between playtimes.
So, I'm not trying to discourage you from using them, just want you to make an informed decision. I've used them on my vehicles in the past and been happy most times.
Aftermarket panels are manufactured in Asia to much lower tolerances than OEM panels. Sometimes they fit nice, sometimes they don't. I once put two aftermarket fenders on a 65 Mustang. The drivers side fit perfect. The passenger side was about 1/2 inch too long vertically between the ridge on the body and the top of the fender and never looked right. You can often make things look better by making adjustments to the adjoining body panels, but if you want to guarantee a nice fit go with OEM.
Another issue is steel quality. The Asian panels are still not of the same quality steel as US OEM panels. This means they tend to rust sooner, especially around any points where you had to weld them in, and small stone chips will have a much greater effect over time. You can compensate for this somewhat by using a good undercoat and cleaning and drying your truck between playtimes.
So, I'm not trying to discourage you from using them, just want you to make an informed decision. I've used them on my vehicles in the past and been happy most times.
Seabronc
New member
If you can afford it, go with the OEM panels. A body man I know says that the aftermarket panels are almost always of a lighter gague metal.
Good luck,
>-
Good luck,
>-
