Just bought a 65 chevy fleetside,pretty good shape but it has some rust issues mainly in the lower front fenders and the back are rusted but not all the way threw.One body shop said better to use patch panels the other said buy new replacement fenders.If i replace there are so many different companies who sell the fenders,not sure who is good or bad,I want good quality!Thanks !
Things may have changed, but I bought new "genuine GM" replacement front fenders about 10 years ago when they first came on the market, and they were junk. I'd already scrapped the rusty originals so I had to use the new ones. The seam around the front edge was so malformed I had to eliminate the seam, and the upper rear of both fenders were bent and dented requiring quite a bit of work to straighten out. The best fenders available are NOS originals, but they are hard to find and expensive. If you want new fenders it would be a good idea to physically look at them before spending any money. The main thing with either decision, is to seal up all the openings along the rear reinforcement channel, and cap off the opening at the top rear of the fenders. In the stock arrangement, a ton of crud can enter and collect in the channel which causes the rust. If you seal everything off, nothing can get in. I did this to my fenders back when and they remain rust free.
