Few things - ;)

PoweredByDodge

hate to break your heart, but all the aftermarket metal is taiwanese ... er japanese ... er something other than made here.

after a vehicle is past its build cycle, the dyes are normally sent out to an offshore stamper like Gershenslager (real company, prolly wrong spelling) to make replacement parts for the service cycle. Once the service cycle is up, (unless its a high volume part that the service stamper wants to keep) the dyes are sold to a no-name hokey-pokey ****-throwing monkey buster type of place that uses whatever material they have to pump out the shittiest panels they can at the lowest cost.

Keep this in mind. There are only so many dyes out there.

A company selling 70 to 150 dollar fenders is not going to invest the time or MONEY to design their own dyes. Hell they won't even put in the time and money to build the dyes if they were already designed for free. One dye can cost anywhere from 300,000 to 2M, depending on complexity and all that jazz.

So believe me when I tell you that over 95% of the dyes out there being used for these 'no name' replacement panels are the same dyes that were used by the OEM (ford, gm, dodge) when they built the trucks... they've just been sold down the line.

Problem is, after 15 years of having the **** life kicked out of them, the dyes don't hold up. In an OEM plant or even a service plant, you'll have quality skilled tool and dye personnel that will fill or shave the dyes as needed. In these **** holes that make 80 dollar panels, they don't do any work to the things... if the steel comes out looking anything remotely like a fender, it's deemed "A OK Capa Certified!" -- if its a fender, but looks like a trunk lid, then its deemed "Standard Grade Aftermarket".

Moral of the story -- if you're lucky enough to be able to get an 'old stock' part from a dealership that still has 1991 fenders laying around, then AWESOME. it'll cost you a lotta money though, but if the truck is worth it (to you, in yoru heart, to hell with book value, its the worth it has to u that matters), then its a good choice... if not... then an 80 dollar fender made by chinese labor camp kids is your next best bet.

as an example -- the front bezel of my 88 is this big stainless steel trim ring that goes around the whole grille, headlights, and above the bumper / under the hood. its the 'first thing you see' if you look at the front of the truck. now i could have gotten a 99 dollar aftermarket piece fairly easily, but i've seen what they look like, they're horrendous, they're not even shaped properly. as it was, i was lucky enough to find a dealership in the middle of nowhere that had an OEM piece covered in more dust than my ex girlfriend's private parts. cost me 500 plus freight plus tax, but it was worth it... its gorgeous... and hanging from the ceiling in my attic so no one steps on it before i build the truck. on the other hand, the headlight bezels and grille, which are both simply plastic, were not worth trying to find OEM. the aftermarket ones for 50 a pop were just as good as what i'd get from the dealership, well, close. close enough that no one is ever going to be able to tell the difference, and they will last just as long as the OEM's... which wil likely be longer than i live.

the rare exception is the classic restoration part for highly sought after vehicles. there are some parts for old GTO's, Camaro's, Chargers, etc... that are the result of completely reconditioned or new dyes, which are decent enough to put out a viable part, but are not where near the quality of an OEM dye. pricing ranges between 100k and 200k per dye. these panels go for between 1 and 3 thousand each, and are only done for high demand parts.

ben62670

You didn't brake my heart. I realize that most after market sheet metal is from somewhere else. I also have used many parts(new) from Jeff's bronco Graveyard, and they have fit very well thank you. They also use heavier Gage than a lot of crap that is out there. I recommended them because I have used them. Not because I wanted to feel important.

Cheers

dohcmark8

JC Whitney also has repair panels for the 87-91 F-series. I dont think they have front fenders though.

madmax

Doesn't look like enough damage to get fixed. I'd just forget about it. Better yet, take it 4 wheeling and make the other fender match.
madmax

VR3

The truck is way to nice to just kind of forget about - atleast to me. If it wasnt in the condition it is, then maybe...

But I take excellent care of my ol truck --- lol

Going to put it on some ramps, sand down the frame and fender wells and put a thick truck bed liner coating through out - already did it on some of the frame... looks excellent -- also coated around the fenderwells where rust usually sets in...

Also just purchased a toolbox for it! awesome stuff...

madmax

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »

The truck is way to nice to just kind of forget about - atleast to me. If it wasnt in the condition it is, then maybe...

I meant forget about the dent, not the truck.

You know what would probably work, pull the fender off and push the dent back out. Then maybe you could forget about it.
madmax

PoweredByDodge

Max makes a valid point...

You could significantly cut down on the cost of repair if you pound that dent out yourself.

Pull the fender off (lots of TIME = MONEY, but you're not charging yourself for time, so its 'free money') -- pound the dent out from the INSIDE with a rubber mallet, then remove all of the 'Ford F150' badges and trim.

Now take the fender to the shop, have them glass and paint it... when they're done, take it home,put your badges back on, and then re-mount it back to the truck.

I'm guessing $200 if you do it that way. )

Then they don't have to pound it out, they don't have to mask off the truck, they don't gotta do any of that... saves you cash.

dohcmark8

Have you considered PDR?

Paintless dent removal may be a viable and cheap alternative for you. I'd look into it.