Factory vs. Aftermarket Body Panels

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Factory vs. Aftermarket Body Panels

Postby the.beard » Thu Dec 26, 2013 12:02 pm

My fenders look like they were dropped from a tall building. The truck came with aftermarket repops from Rock Auto (I believe) that came in boxes labeled "Jui Li Enterprises", which I assume is a Chinese company. directinjktn1stgen's 91.5 W250 has an aftermarket passenger-side fender and the body lines aren't great. The sheet metal seems thin to me, also.

So, the questions are: Has anybody else had better luck with aftermarket panels? Should I even bother with them or should I go to the junk yard and get proper fenders from another truck? I can get the factory fenders for free, but if there's a chance I can save my time and have new fenders without leaving the driveway, I'll use the ones I have on hand.
1991.5 W250 Standard Cab, Long Bed. BONE STOCK (except for the dents; installed those myself)
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Re: Factory vs. Aftermarket Body Panels

Postby CumminsPower59 » Thu Dec 26, 2013 12:47 pm

I'd use some used OE ones before I'd use new reproductions...but that's just me.
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91 W350 SRW, 3.07's, NV4500, 370's, THD LPPP, Super HX40, 2nd gen IC swap, BHAF, Isspro's, 2" lift, 285's on 3rd gen 17"'s.
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Re: Factory vs. Aftermarket Body Panels

Postby the.beard » Thu Dec 26, 2013 4:00 pm

I already know that I want to find an entire bed instead of pulling dents and cutting the rusted fenders out and welding in the patches. May as well grap up some fenders while I getting the bed and tailgate. Thanks for the nudge, dude.

Does anybody need rear wheel well weld-ins? ---> http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carco ... pe,1000031
1991.5 W250 Standard Cab, Long Bed. BONE STOCK (except for the dents; installed those myself)
"America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed." ~Eleanor Roosevelt
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Re: Factory vs. Aftermarket Body Panels

Postby BobS » Sun Dec 29, 2013 6:28 am

In my part of the world most of the used body parts today are not much more than rusty "crusher fodder" It was difficult to find much of anything 10 years ago. They wanted more money for a rusty fender than what you can buy a slightly off fitting replacement fender. I bought new OEM factory fenders 10 years ago and paid around $50-75 more than what the scrappers wanted for their "slightly rusted ones" they were offering at that time.

The best used sheet metal comes from the desert southwestern states. W Texas over to S California. The worst areas is in the salt/rust belt which borders the great lakes states up through New England and the Atlantic coastal areas where the salt air gets trapped in the body cavities along with beach sand. This gets constantly remoistened through humidity. The most rusted cab roof that I have ever encountered spent its entire life in Florida.
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