I'm starting restoration on my GT350 that's been tucked away for 10+ years - and boy don't I wish I had been buying NOS parts over that timespan. Two initial (compound) questions: 1) Has anyone used the fiberglass nose from Rebel Mustang or Stangaholics -and how do these compare to Branda and Mustangs Unlimited for fit and quality? 2) Has anyone used one of the new "complete" door shells, and any opinions on how much value is added to a car by having most of the original sheet metal and fiberglass. I have some BEAT original sheetmetal that is rustfree but will take week$ to straighten. Its quite attractive to be able to just hang some dent-free repro doors and fenders and put the time/money in other areas of the project? Thanks, Dennis
Dennis, You should make every effort to save as many original parts as possible. Especially fiberglass! Don't cheat yourself. Spend your money on body and paint. . . and the short answer is they all fit like crap. You will have additional costs massaging the reproductions to make them fit.
Dennis, I went through the same dilema in restoring my 67 GT350. I eventually went with my original fiberglass and had it restored. Ultimately, it will cost you more money but by the time your done buying and fitting aftermarket fiberglass.... your pretty close to the money you will spend on just having your original pieces restored in the first place! So the savings to me was really insignificant when compared to the feeling of being able to say the car was restored using all the original fiberglass pieces. I agree with CoralSnake and would try to use as many original parts as you can. Either way it sounds like you have a very nice project you're working on! Good luck. David
I agree with dv67shelby. I too, had the same decision to make when I restored my '67 GT350. It was more costly to rejuvinate and refinish all of the fiberglass, but it was worth it. I could not bring myself buy the re-pop stuff that has to be massaged anyway. To have all of the original fiberglass pieces on the car was well worth the effort. To me, its a "no brainer" and would do so again. shlby66