The Dodge Challenger Message Board

i was wondering if anyone has used the glass front fenders. are they any good, will they be ok with a steel hood, im kinda getting tired of waiting on goodmarks re-pops, any thoughts or comments???
thanks, pat

You can make them look good but they will take a lot more work than steel. At least that is my experience with 'glass fenders. However I have never worked with a 'glass Challenger fender in particular. Quality will depend on manufacturer.

When I have seen them they never quite look as good as steel on close inspection. But that may be because of a lack of good bodywork skills?

i was just looking back at some of the past forums, did anything ever come of that company in canada producing steel fenders or was that just a farse. who would you guys recomend for a manufacturer for glass fenders??

Yes, Actually you can order them straight from Year one now. all years too! check it out. I'd love to hear how these fit as I might grab some and replace my glass.

good luck.

Also, to add to Daves remarks about appearance. I've always wondered why the fenders seem to look wicked in steel and not fibreglass. I think I have it figured out. First lets assume all body work is perfectly straight. Lines are arrow straight. Now, I've worked on both types for the challenger. I've noticed it's in the details, the main being the wheel lip. The steel fenders move inwards and then outwards before wrapping around - as do the fibreglass. But, the fibreglass ones don't have the depth and lack the sharpness and accuracy as the steel ones do. I really noticed this when playing with the steel ones. It's night and day. Also, the body line on the bottom front isn't as pronounced. The top side is also not as prenounced as the steel. These details are minor and I bet 3 out of four of my friends would say I'm smok'n crack, but I'm telling you – it's all in the details. And once on a car, you won't know why it appears to look better, – it just does.

I should note, the fibreglass ones I worked look amazing, and a none-E-body addict could never tell. Only the best would know. After saying this and playing with the steel, I support everything I wrote above.

Anyone else play with both and see these minor visual differences? Love to hear another opinion. I really gained an appreciation for the detail in the challenger. It's amazing that the design team actually designed the challenger on a constrained budget. Honestly, I see so many other muscle cars and the way they were slapped together (from a design standpoint). Many borrowed elements from others to meet budget, follow design aesthetics, all in comprimise to the complete package. The challenger is a prime example of real design challenges with results exceeding expectations. Every design element on the challenger is complementary to the next.

It's all about the sharpness, and the flip of the lips.

Then there are fibreglass reproductions that are just junk, with 1/2 inch gaps and innacurate body lines not lining up – CRAP.

I have to stop this insanity. I have to work.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there.

Straight steel pressed from a sharp die in a press (i.e. like the originals) with no filler and minimal layers of paint looks sharp as a razor.

'glass panels or steel with too much paint and filler on look "soft" and are not as well defined.

I really like the post above, Brant! Thanks!

Brant wrote:Also, to add to Daves remarks about appearance. I've always wondered why the fenders seem to look wicked in steel and not fibreglass. I think I have it figured out. First lets assume all body work is perfectly straight. Lines are arrow straight. Now, I've worked on both types for the challenger. I've noticed it's in the details, the main being the wheel lip. The steel fenders move inwards and then outwards before wrapping around - as do the fibreglass. But, the fibreglass ones don't have the depth and lack the sharpness and accuracy as the steel ones do. I really noticed this when playing with the steel ones. It's night and day. Also, the body line on the bottom front isn't as pronounced. The top side is also not as prenounced as the steel. These details are minor and I bet 3 out of four of my friends would say I'm smok'n crack, but I'm telling you – it's all in the details. And once on a car, you won't know why it appears to look better, – it just does.

I see your point. It reminds me of the dual R/T end pipes (the four rectangular pipes). It is so easy to spot the difference between a homemade repro and the original. As a general, the homemade pipes use to be made of too thin material. I am sure that the original is made of 1.5 mm thick material (or something like that) while the homemade ones are made of 1.0 mm or less. It is quite easy to spot the difference. Believe me. The other thing that the homemades lack, is a correct radius. The radius is in 9 cases out of 10 too sharp compared to the original. Am I right or am I also smoking crack?

Brant wrote:Anyone else play with both and see these minor visual differences? Love to hear another opinion. I really gained an appreciation for the detail in the challenger. It's amazing that the design team actually designed the challenger on a constrained budget. Honestly, I see so many other muscle cars and the way they were slapped together (from a design standpoint). Many borrowed elements from others to meet budget, follow design aesthetics, all in comprimise to the complete package. The challenger is a prime example of real design challenges with results exceeding expectations. Every design element on the challenger is complementary to the next.

The only true competitor when it comes to body design is the Dodge Charger 68-70 if you ask me. The other muscle cars from that era are not as stylish and appealing if you ask me. Was it the same design team that designed both of these cars? I have no idea but I won´t count that out.

Brant wrote:I have to stop this insanity. I have to work.

NO! Keep on with your insanity. It is very amusing to read about.

Regarding the loss of detail on the fiberglass front fenders.... they probably lay up or chop-gun the fiberglass in a mold made from a real fender and it comes out of the mold looking very close to the original. The problem starts when they do the gel-coating. This adds the equivalant of 20 or more coats of paint to the raw fiberlass, filling all the inside corners, rounding over all the outside corners and generally softening all the sharp details that make the steel originals look so great.