The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop New Front Fenders for my 56 Chevy Pickup

So I'm looking to bite the dust and order myself an early Christmas present and get both new replacement front fenders for my 56 Chevy Pickup. I've done some quick research and came up with the following suppliers and prices (see below). I'm curious are these fenders all manufactured at the same place and of the same quality? It's hard to tell from the descriptions. So thought i would pose the question to all of you who have been there and done that. What do you guys suggest as the best supplier for the price. Thanks for the help.
Ecklers $406
Classic Parts 450
Classic Indust 460 (on sale, usually $506)
LMC Trk 540

there aren't a half dozen factories stamping out repo 56 fenders. pretty sure they are all made at the same overseas plant. go with the lowest price you can find from any of the reputable vendors. dont forget shipping - that varies all over the place. sometimes if you spend $1K you can get free shipping. when i did my 56 i found very good, rust free, OEM 57 fenders for less money than the repops. I just welded up and reworked the unique grille mount they have. 55.2 and 56 are the same (except for the emblem mounting hole location)

I haven’t ordered fenders reproduction, but many of the patch panel/parts I have ordered reproduction are “close” but not GM quality. More than once I’ve been angered by the garbage I’ve gotten. But sometimes things do fit.

My list: rubber seals: decent but not super snug. Steele windshield rubber was very good though. Hood bumperettes fall out consistently. Had to glue down.
Rear tail lights. Cheap chrome, mounting bolts did not line up with originals. Had to modify.
Bumpers fit, but look like $180 bucks. Unfinished edges, burrs, etc.
Door handles- had to modify to make them actually engage the lock mechanism.
I don’t think I’d splurge on something that I’d be unhappy with. Originals might need a little work, but will look better, fit better.
C10 fender patches lacked the bead roll of original. Had to cut apart and splice in the bead roll from original.


If I were you, as Tom suggested, I’d keep looking for originals on such a big ticket, visible item. My 2 cents, but I’d also like to hear other’s reports on aftermarket fender quality. I believe I read somewhere the AD truck reproduction fenders have a seam running across the fender. Do more research, I say. Christmas is still 2 months away. 😃

Even if you have to do some repair to donor fenders, with available patch panels, it's a better way to go usually. Look in your area CL for awhile.

I got my rear fenders from brothers truck, satisfied.

Thanks for all the help, yeah i may have to take a closer look at makng the existing ones work. The shipping cost really hurts and about amounts to one fender cost itself, when ordering two fenders. Yikes

You have nothing/little to loose in trying to fix the one's you have. Fix the dents first and smooth all the rest to see if you are happy with fender. Then purchase patch panels after that. They are a no risk reward if the rest is satisfactory.

I went through 3 sets of front fenders on my 39. I ended up using one original and one of the others. I resold the spares a few years later and recouped my investment. All of them needed a bit of work since there were splits in all of them.