This is your answer.
All the same. You will have to tweek every suppliers product. That’s just the state of the restoration business today. In the end it will look just fine.ðŸ›
There will normally be some tweaking and even rework to do. Sometimes it fits OK. There are all kinds of factors. A truck could have gone thru many collisions, many donor panels or patch panels. Done well or done badly. Bondo, leaded, weld warped, etc. I would try to use a donor part if that part is original metal. Otherwise buy the cheapest deal and make it work. An original GM part could be screwed up by PO and you don't know it. A new Chinese part can be twisted from handling or worn tooling...or either could be close to good. The panel adjacent to the "new" panel can be out of whack giving the impression the "new" one is the culprit. The GM part could be thicker metal and for sure better metal. That makes them hold their shape better. Especially on large pieces. When checking a donor, run your hand all over, tap on it all over and use a WEAK magnet.
Lot's of stories about bad fit, but until you know the exact problem they had and if the rest of truck was OK, you can't pay attention to all that. You will have your own specific fit to resolve. Patience and study and ask when you get there. The factory gaps had large acceptable tolerances like +/- 1/8. The parts themselves had large tolerances. Every manufactured part on earth has tolerances. When two max's meet it's tight, when two min's met it's loose. Other times max meets min and more trouble. If you want a show quality fit all around, be prepared for a lot of work by an expert.
