donfitzgerald

Hello All, I am new to this board and have a question that I hope someone can help me with. The passenger fender on my 71 SX looks to be about 1/4 inch longer than the driver side (the width of the front fender molding). The driver's side matches up to the hood, the passenger side does not. I know the passenger fender was replaced in the past. My question is, "are there any differences in dimensions between the 70, 71, and 72 front finders"? Thanks for any help you can give.


Don

joe_padavano

No. The only difference is the addition of the "bumps" on the flange under the edges of the hood for crumple zone on the 71-72 fenders. Externally they are identical. More likely is that someone welded a patch panel onto one of yours without properly fitting it.

Nop

'70 with a straight flange without bumps:

donfitzgerald

Joe thanks for the info. I looked at the fender off of the car and there does not look like any repair has been made to the fender. It looks like a 70 because no bumps along the inside. The driver side is a 71 or 72 because it has the bumps. Would not having the same style fenders cause this problem? I can't push the passenger fender any further back and can't pull the driver fender further as the passenger fender would be too close to the door and the driver fender will be too far from the door. Every thing else seams to line up very well

joe_padavano

Again, no. They are externally and dimensionally identical. The only difference is the presence of the bumps. Can you post photos, because I'm having trouble understanding the exact problem. Keep in mind that any misalignment of the frame due to an accident or the core support or the doors will throw off the alignment of the fenders.

Allan R

Joe, the 71/72 fender could be a cheapo aftermarket unit. I looked at one last year at an Olds show. The owner pointed out to me that the repop fender was grossly different than an OEM. One of the issues was the front fitment as described by the OP. In this case it may also be compounded by potential rad support alignment or shimming. Being out by 1/4" could be just as you suggested - poorly aligned or uncorrected accident damage. I might stick with just having a cheap fender though.

donfitzgerald

Thank all of you for your comments and suggestions. I will send pictures after we reassemble the fender to the car. There does not appear to be any damage to either side of the frame and the core support lines up correctly. Wishing you all a great 4th.


Don

joe_padavano

Fair enough, Allan. I have no personal experience with the aftermarket fenders. To the OP - all you can do is compare key dimensions between your two fenders and see if there is a difference.