Original vs NOS left side fender difference(s)

[BillyDean7173]

70-77 fenders and 78-81 fenders are different. The difference in side marker area or lack of is the most obvious difference.

 

[badazz81z28]

70-77 fenders and 78-81 fenders are different. The difference in side marker area or lack of is the most obvious difference.

Oh yes! Very different from the from the wheel well forward. The urethane nose forced a big change since it eliminated the lower valance.

 

[unrestored72Z]

A car can be hit on day one...a car that was bought in the 80s...heck even the late 70s could have had body damage repair....a fender replacement wouldn't too far fetched. Never hold your breathe no matter how long you have owned the car, unless you are the original owner.

I honestly don't think there are many differences from factory to NOS on the driver side besides the cut off sheet-metal. Legit 70 fenders do have a round hole cut for the bolt where it attached under the door, but you can't see it. Other than that...No other differences I recall. The passenger side has the oval indent on later and NOS fenders. There is mention of how the metal is trimmed around a hood bumper, but again other than the round hole...that's it. When it comes to looking at these fenders on restored cars, the oval indent and the cut-off sheet metal are the red obvious flags.

Thanks Badazzzz.
I wasnt trying to say my fender(s) is / are original to my car, I'm inclined to say they aren't considering the cut off metal on DS, and lack of date stamps, and thats with me owning the car since 81.

 

[badazz81z28]

Thanks Badazzzz.
I wasnt trying to say my fender(s) is / are original to my car, I'm inclined to say they aren't considering the cut off metal on DS, and lack of date stamps, and thats with me owning the car since 81.

Oh no, I was just implying that its never surprising what a cars history is. My parents wrecked a new car driving it home from the dealer.

 

[jbloake]

First off...that Ebay fender is ridiculously priced...its been listed over and over for at least a year+ now. ALL 70-77 driver fenders from the production line are not cut in that area (people assumed it was only on 70-73 models). If its 70-77 fender and cut, its either a repop or a NOS over the counter. ALL 70-77 NOS fenders are cut. I have never heard of or seen a NOS fender that wasn't...not to say very early...I mean early fenders were not cut, just havent seen it. In 78+ that area is cut in factory fenders.

I purchased a pair from a guy that scraped a 70 car . I believe these were sold over the counter between 1974-1977 They have the same layer paint inside and out. The DS has the washer bottle area inner structure but is missing a tag ! The PS has the indent on inner structure. Part of the GM tag is still attached,but looks like somebody tried to pick it off. I believe they were successful at removing the DS tag . Note the square corner to the GM tag . The later tags got rounded corners.

 

[TommyRS70]

View attachment 111064 View attachment 111065 From what I have found the LH/DS with the washer bottle area attached was still been used in 1977. Then the 1978 front fascia was changed ,the fender was shortened and the washer bottle area was cut back. I am guessing for ease of installation of the new front fascia . That been said I believe the over the counter fenders for 70-77 got the cut back at this time. Previous to 77 the over the counter fenders been sold got the uncut inner structure.

On 8/19 1976,

purchased a pair of gm over- the-counter fenders for $55.50 each ("Sears Discount," Ha!). The right side had the indent, the left side had UNCUT washer bottle mount. Love to have a time machine!!!

 

[badazz81z28]

What was $55 back in the day? Was that expensive?

It would be nice to see a uncut fender with the tag. I don’t doubt some had to exist, but haven’t seen one. Even some early restored cars have cut fenders. They had to be short lived.

 

[TommyRS70]

What is $55 in 1976 worth in today's money?

Adjusted for inflation, $55.00 in 1976 is equal to $254.66 in 2020. Annual inflation over this period was 3.54%.

 

[BDCamaro]

Has anyone seen the amd fender and does the hardware look like original? I think they were called capture nuts? Small 5/16-18 rectangular shaped.

 

[badazz81z28]

What is $55 in 1976 worth in today's money?

Adjusted for inflation, $55.00 in 1976 is equal to $254.66 in 2020. Annual inflation over this period was 3.54%.

I think the inflation calculators online are kind of BS and objective....What was $55 in 1976? I can say $20 in 1999 doesn't seem that much different to me here in 2021. In terms of car parts it does...but not buying a gallon of milk.