70-71 AMD Fender fitment woes

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j_anderson

j_anderson

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Days have been spent trying to figure out why a brand new passenger fender from AMD was not matching the door...DAYS. I thought maybe something was done wrong in the door blocking but no one could explain it. The lateral body lines match but the profile of the fender (the outward bow along the door edge) was much flatter than the door. With the door adjusted all the way in and standing at the front of the car looking toward the back, you could still see at least 1/2" gap between the door edge and the fender which is too much to fix with filler. I had access to an OE 72 fender to test fit and see if the door was wrong or if the AMD fender was wrong. The OE one fit perfect. I wish I could have that one but I cant.

Looking at the AMD fender again...Its almost like it was sitting at the the bottom of the pile at the stamping plant and was flattened which took some of the profile out of it. There is a support brace along that door edge running from top to bottom. I tried adding some bend there but its too rigid and wouldn't move. I bought this fender pair in 2020 direct from AMD and I have emailed them about it but I dont suspect they will offer anything with it being so long ago. They do show they have them in stock but I wonder if I would just receive the same issue on a different one? In contrast, the driver side fit as it should and matched the door profile perfectly.

Does anyone have any ideas on how the AMD piece could be made to work? Any body gurus on here with some advice?
 
j_anderson said:
Days have been spent trying to figure out why a brand new passenger fender from AMD was not matching the door...DAYS. I thought maybe something was done wrong in the door blocking but no one could explain it. The lateral body lines match but the profile of the fender (the outward bow along the door edge) was much flatter than the door. With the door adjusted all the way in and standing at the front of the car looking toward the back, you could still see at least 1/2" gap between the door edge and the fender which is too much to fix with filler. I had access to an OE 72 fender to test fit and see if the door was wrong or if the AMD fender was wrong. The OE one fit perfect. I wish I could have that one but I cant.

Looking at the AMD fender again...Its almost like it was sitting at the the bottom of the pile at the stamping plant and was flattened which took some of the profile out of it. There is a support brace along that door edge running from top to bottom. I tried adding some bend there but its too rigid and wouldn't move. I bought this fender pair in 2020 direct from AMD and I have emailed them about it but I dont suspect they will offer anything with it being so long ago. They do show they have them in stock but I wonder if I would just receive the same issue on a different one? In contrast, the driver side fit as it should and matched the door profile perfectly.

Does anyone have any ideas on how the AMD piece could be made to work? Any body gurus on here with some advice?
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Can you post some pictures so we have a better idea of the issue. I'm sure it can be fixed if you want to go that route. But we're shooting kinda blind here without pictures.
 
Scamp Rhonda said:
Can you post some pictures so we have a better idea of the issue. I'm sure it can be fixed if you want to go that route. But we're shooting kinda blind here without pictures.
Click to expand...
I understand and I hesitated about posting because I am an hour away from the car and dont have a photo and knew that would be one of the first asks. Let me see if I can find a photo that has the issue or a way for me to illustrate
 
best pic I could find for an explanation is this:
IMG_1565 copy.jpeg


The red line above is exaggerated to show what I mean by outward bow. The fender isn't bowed out enough to match the shape of the door.
 
j_anderson said:
best pic I could find for an explanation is this:
View attachment 1716069888

The red line above is exaggerated to show what I mean by outward bow. The fender isn't bowed out enough to match the shape of the door.
Click to expand...
Looks like you have quite a gap at the cowl. I would start with readjusting that first. Maybe the fender could be set on floor and pushed down on to gain back the bow that is missing. I think you're right about it being flattened out or squished. Does it sit high next to the cowl? That would tell me that it has definitely been flattened.
 
Scamp Rhonda said:
Looks like you have quite a gap at the cowl. I would start with readjusting that first. Maybe the fender could be set on floor and pushed down on to gain back the bow that is missing. I think you're right about it being flattened out or squished. Does it sit high next to the cowl? That would tell me that it has definitely been flattened.
Click to expand...
We have taken the door all the way in at the top, at the cowl to try to gain as much as we can but the gap is still too much at the fender/door joint.

The fender does sit flush with the cowl (height wise)

I’ve tried bending or adding more bow already but that support on the back of the fender makes it too rigid. Maybe I need to try again
 
I have 2 thoughts. First would be to cut a wood form, a little more curved than what you want since it will spring back and use a press to form it to the wooden form with a hydraulic press with wooden blocks.

The other method might would be to weld a TIG welding rod to the back edge of the fender, blend it to match the contour of the door, then use filler to blend the shape forward in the fender... I'm assuming it isn't off too much, otherwise I would not do this method.
 
Get a large contour gauge and push it on the door for a pattern. You can use a piece of cardboard hold it to the front of the door and run a marker down the edge. Cut it out and you have the door contour. Fasten the fender at the back top and bottom to a ridgid fixture. Use a porta power wedge with wood spacer and spread the fender from the fixture until it matches the contour of the door.

I am having issues with door gaps at the top of Demon quarters from AMD. But they are the best we have to work with for these 50 year old cars. So I have to add metal to the door.

If that fender was side swiped years ago and flattened slightly we would have pushed it an fixed it. Its called collision body work.
 
Oldmanmopar said:
Get a large contour gauge and push it on the door for a pattern. You can use a piece of cardboard hold it to the front of the door and run a marker down the edge. Cut it out and you have the door contour. Fasten the fender at the back top and bottom to a ridgid fixture. Use a porta power wedge with wood spacer and spread the fender from the fixture until it matches the contour of the door.

I am having issues with door gaps at the top of Demon quarters from AMD. But they are the best we have to work with for these 50 year old cars. So I have to add metal to the door.

If that fender was side swiped years ago and flattened slightly we would have pushed it an fixed it. Its called collision body work.
Click to expand...
After reading this, I would agree with the porta power trick over what I had suggested earlier. Funny thing is that I would have probably thought of that if I was actually working on it. One of those thin spreader type heads would most likely do the trick of getting it close.
I also agree that body work is required on these parts. It's pretty common not only on metal reproduction parts but also on fiberglass parts. I built a Factory Five 65 Cobra (they have revised the body a couple times since) and I swear they pulled the mold off of an actual Cobra which had poorly repaired collision repairs done to it. I must have spent 2 weeks or more fixing the fender and driver door as well as a couple other areas and it all looked like the result of a collision.
 
I spoke with AMD today. There isn't much they are going to do for me on this since its been so long since they were purchased. I didnt expect they would do anything. They did offer a discount on my next order or waiving freight fees. I'm at the end of my restoration though. I told them the only thing I'd maybe buy is another fender but how would I know I'm not getting the same problem. He told me he'd put a hold on my order and verify the fender is in spec before it would be sent. Obviously I'm not going that route just yet.

The other thing they offered was a chat with their body and restoration shop to discuss how I might rework the one I have to make it fit.

More to come. Thanks to all who've chimed in so far. I appreciate your ideas and input
 
Have your buddy purchase one and send yours back for a refund.
 
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