89_IROC_98U

Hey guys,

I'm slowly but surely restoring my '89 IROC-Z - it's an original L98 car. There's nothing especially noteworthy about it, but I'm still restoring it to showroom condition and I have a dilemma.

The passenger fender looks to have been kicked or beaten several times (the damage looks too slight for it to have been collision damage), and it's not rusted through - there are rust spots forming, but all of the edges are still intact. It looks to have been previously repaired from what a body shop told me.

What looks to be the original VIN sticker is still on the inside of the fender, indicating to me that it's original sheet metal, but the body shop recommended that I replace it because nobody will know that I've replaced the fender....nobody but me, that is. Both quarters have a VIN sticker, both doors have one, the hood has one, and the decklid has one - I don't know yet about the driver's fender. Also, I have not (yet) taken a magnet to the car to check for additional body filler.

I would like your opinions on this fender - repair it or replace it, and why. Keep in mind that money is not an object when it comes to my IROC. Thanks, guys :hail:

- 89_IROC

DoBeR

iTrader: (1)

Im not a big fan of body filler even if the rust is minimal. Personally I would replace the panel with a new gm one and maybe try to salvage the vin sticker if thats possible??

89_IROC_98U

Thanks for the response! I thought of salvaging the VIN sticker, but I don't know how I'd do it without mangling it...maybe a razor blade? I don't know, but I could give that a shot and see what happens. It'd be nice if replacement stickers were available...of course, ALL 3rd gens would be "original" if that were the case

It turns out that the driver's fender has been repaired as well, so it would seem that the car was hit in the front at one point; the supporting braces are all straight from what I can SEE, but I'm no professional (hell, I'm not even an amateur yet). It's possible that none of the supporting braces were bent if it was in a collision, I suppose. It looks like the magnet test is in order before I get too much further into this project.

- 89_IROC

DoBeR

iTrader: (1)

Im in the same kind of position with my car but I have to limit my yearly spendings Theres definately no way I would pay someone to repair the fenders when you can just buy the new gm ones for about the same cost as a body shop would charge. Unless ofcourse you know someone.

89_IROC_98U

There's more than one opinion out there. C'mon, guys - work with me here

- 89_IROC

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

It's simple. If you can get another VIN sticker made or re-use the original, get a new fender. If you can't then why the hell would you get a new fender?

Seems like a no brainer to me...

89_IROC_98U

Well, that's what I was thinking; since money isn't an object, repairing the original is a no-brainer if I can't get (or reuse) the VIN sticker. Thanks for the comments.

- 89_IROC

89_IROC_98U

ttt

89_IROC_98U

Thanks for the overwhelming response, guys!

I'm spending so much time sifting through all this feedback that I'm not getting any work done. I'll take this as a subtle hint to not post useless threads. After all, this is the 'History / Restoration' board - not the 'History / Restoration / Useless Threads' board. I appreciate the heads-up

Thank you to the two members who were kind enough to take a few moments from their hectic schedules and give me an opinion.

- 89_IROC

kretos

go with a replacment man much better in the long run

white91formula

iTrader: (4)

are you restoring the car for origonality or just to restore it to have a nice thirdgen

if you are restoring it to keep it origonal then i would say have it repaired, other than that i would just got with the replacement

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

That doesn't make much sense, what if the next owner wants to do an original resto but can't because he replaced the fender. Sometimes you have to do what's better for the car not what's cheapest or easiest...

89_IROC_98U

92GTA has a valid point, but this car isn't leaving my possession - it is currently undergoing disassembly in preparation for a ground-up original restoration. I'm even trying to sell my crate motor so I can afford to rebuild the original L98.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

- 89_IROC

92GTA

iTrader: (11)

I'm glad you plan on hanging on to it however sooner or later it will become someone else either through your death or some other means and that is really the point I was trying to make.

The following is not directed @ you.

The problem I see going on with most people is that they say "oh I'd never sell it" and therefor they do whatever they want to it. Well say they get hit by a bus in 20 years and they have no children to leave it to, the car gets sold, and instead of being restored 30 years from now, it is parted out because too much of the car was no longer original. Think if it this way, you buy a '69 Z28 from a widow at an estate sale, it has a crate motor, custom paint, new fenders and door skin, aftermarket rim's etc. With this car it is now 99% guaranteed to never be restored to stock, it will now stay a bastard car all it's life and eventually be parted out just because the first owner did whatever he wanted with it.

Sorry to high-jack your post with my rant but I want other people reading this to understand that they need to be more aware of what they are doing and at a minimum keep ALL of the original parts from their car either broken or not for the next owner. No matter how you want to see it we all are simply caretakers of the cars we own and because of this we are obligated to take certain measures to ensure each car survives as long as possible.

89_IROC_98U

No apology necessary. I asked for opinions, comments, etc., and I'm getting them - it was a good rant :rockon:

Speaking of original parts, I'm headed outside right now to see what I can do with the damaged fender. It's not crumpled - it's just dented. There aren't any creases, so maybe I can push or lightly hammer some of it out. We'll see. Thanks again for the comments!

- 89_IROC

87 B4Z TPI 5Spd

Install new GM replacement fenders. You want a car with undistorted metal, especially with a bolt on item like that. Save the originals. Do not attempt to move the VIN stickers. The original fenders with repair may devalue the car more than new old stock and saving the originals, IMO.

In this case, evidence of vehicle history is of equal value as an original part. Documentation is important. The saved original fenders serve as evidence of extent of original damage (ie not severe). Good enough. Go for the straight new old stock (NOS) parts.

89_IROC_98U

That's a very interesting opinion - I hadn't even considered that perspective, although I did plan to keep the original metal if I chose new metal. I'm going to need both fenders if I take this route.

NOS is going to be expensive, but there's no point in half-assing a restoration job. At least I can install most everything myself, so I'm only out money for the parts and paint. Thanks for the comment!

- 89_IROC

87 B4Z TPI 5Spd

When writing NOS I was focused on a pristine #1 restoration. Frankly, clean used fenders are equally fine for most restorations. And a NOS stock fender doesn't necessarily translate into being easier, either. They still require prep work for painting.

aaron7

iTrader: (7)

What about a heat gun to melt the glue on the sticker? Works great for me... but I don't know what kind of sticker a VIN sticker is... my car is all replacement stuff lol

cdartz

Yep, I agree completely.

89_IROC_98U

I've finally scraped and scrounged enough to replace nearly the entire body (except for the quarters and door skins, which don't need replacing.) The problem now is that I can't get a new GM passenger fender - the *******s have discontinued it (oddly, I can still get a driver side fender, which has been ordered.)

Based on the posts above from 87 B4Z TPI 5Spd and cdartz, would it suffice to take pictures of the fender as-is, complete with VIN sticker, and then have the fender repaired? The pictures would show the extent of damage and would show the VIN sticker. I don't want to have a NOS GM fender and an aftermarket fender if I can help it. I'm hoping that a body shop can repair the fender to the extent that the repair work is invisible to the eye.

Incidentally, did anyone know that a replacement stock hood lists for nearly $850!? I had to order one because mine was repaired by a previous owner.

Anyway, thoughts and opinions on the repair will be appreciated - keep in mind that the car is going to be Concours quality.

- 89_IROC

edit: Back from the dead, I know - I didn't see a point in starting a new thread when one already exists.

cdartz

I guess if you can't get a replacement fender, taking pictures and then fixing it is your best option. You may want to check out some junkyards for a clean used fender. As long as you can find one without any body filler or rust I'd probably do that. If it's clean it can be strippped to bare metal and be just as good as new.

MurcoRS

Good, 'cause you'll need LOTS of it! I'm into my car over $10K and haven't even touched the engine yet!
Anyway, I'd go the NOS route. If at some point these cars become super-valuable (like 67-69s today) I can guarantee someone will start making those stickers available with the VIN and your concourse-resto will be 100-point-perfect. These are anti-theft stickers and yes, they are all over my car too. I am the original owner of my car and have replaced both front fenders and the nose of my car (not for accident damage) and plan to replace my doors at some point. If it's OEM GM stuff, don't worry.

89_IROC_98U

And there's the rub - I can't get an OEM fender new anymore because they've been discontinued, so I was going to take pictures of my damaged one (including the VIN sticker) and then have it repaired. cdartz has a good idea with boneyard fenders, but the two issues I have with boneyards is 1) how do you KNOW if it's OEM, and 2) I'm not a body man, so I'd have a hard time telling if that fender was previously repaired.

What do you think of taking pictures of my damaged original and then having it repaired? Thanks for the replies so far, guys.

- 89_IROC

MurcoRS

Sure you can! There's probably a million NOS fenders out there, just find a better Chevrolet parts department or go to Classic Industries, Next Generation, The Paddock, etc....

ershealy

As for the bone yard if it still has the vin sticker, then it is original. And you are looking at sheet metal, if it has been repaired you would be able to tell once it has been removed by looking at the back side. Not trying to be a jerk but a big bulge on the inside or ugly seams would be a dead giveaway.

89_IROC_98U

Yeah, I completely agree...but is this visible once installed on the car? I forget, although I faintly recall being able to see the VIN sticker on the backside of the fender once it's been mounted.

The above is just for the sake of curiosity; I'm not about to put a grossly-damaged-and-then-repaired piece on a show car

Maybe I'll be cool and do it right by waiting till I have the funds for an OEM fender. That's the proper way to do it; some things can be cheaped and/or bought used, but body panels aren't one of them unless they're OEM and undamaged IMHO.

- 89_IROC

edit: As an aside, I asked my parts dudes to try locating a driver side lower ground effect. They found one in the entire nation, so they called...and the parts house that had it claimed that they couldn't find it