Steel body parts.

[AlabamaChris]

I know I'm looking for trouble asking this question as it's one opinion over another, but let's see what happens anyway. Who makes the best quality aftermarket steel body parts?

 

[Madgyver]

i believe that they all are foreign made with foreign metals.

 

[DirtDonk]

Everybody and nobody.
How's that for your definitive answer?

Nobody makes body panels that fit 100% of the time. But almost all of them make panels that are well formed and (sometimes) fit very well. For the most part.
Sometimes a mis-fit is the fault of the panel stamping manufacturer (mostly in China of course) but sometimes it's the near 50 year old truck you're trying to bolt/weld/glue the panel to.
Broncos were not made to the same exacting standards as some other vehicles back in the day, and certainly not to the same level as today's vehicles. And along with that you include hard use off-road or on the ranch (same thing) and just general abuse, flexing, rusting out of supports, and new stuff just don't always fit.

Dennis Carpenter makes some of their metal replacement panels right here in the USA. Not sure if anyone else can say that, but even they don't claim to make all the panels here. In fact I'd say that most of them are made "off shore" so to speak, and even the biggest of the companies (Dynacorn comes to mind) can even make blatant mistakes when stamping panels.
Things like the core support and inner fender skirts/aprons having the same reinforcing brackets pre-welded to them. Which dictates that the end user actually remove one or the other to make them even remotely compatible with each other.
Floor pans that line up extremely well on the perimeter, but don't line up perfectly every time when it comes to the reinforcing "ribs" stamped into them. Making a truly ugly mis-matching of parts if you're leaving the floor exposed.
Luckily a thick floor covering is the best practice for a Bronco that gets driven much.

Which Bronco vendor has the best? I work for one (Wild Horses) and I don't even know. We have some simple replacement floor panels and wheel wells made special for us, but most of our stuff is sourced from different suppliers and manufacturers. Same for any of the other Bronco vendors that sell body parts.
We sell Dennis Carpenter, Dynacorn, our own and likely at lest several others. I don't know all of our suppliers and not sure I want to!
I can't say which are the best quality since they all look pretty good sitting in their boxes and wrappings in their nice smooth gray/black e-coat finery.
But don't be too quick to judge overseas stuff. With Broncos, it's been proven time and again that even NOS stuff still in Ford boxes with Ford decals and part numbers attached don't always fit.
They might have while the trucks were still just a few years old. Or not...
But they sure don't always fit now!

Bottom line is that you may, or may not, need to massage, beat on, hammer mercilessly, finagle, cut, slice, make Julienne fries, form over mandrel, or just generally cuss a part into place.
Even when it's just a simple bolt-on bit like a front fender.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Oh, and really difficult forms, such as the hood and tailgate, usually require extra body work before final paint.
Not to fit them on the body. There they are generally very well made. But the finer details around corners, edges and compound curves usually (but not always) need just as much love and attention as when an original part is being prepped for paint.

Paul

 

[1970 Palmer]

I worked at a Ford Dealership when our Classic Bronco's were still being sold as new vehicles. We had a large body shop, did lots of insurance work. Every body man hated the brand new Ford Body Parts. They never fit without some sort of work/adjustment, and they always had dings and dents from shipping that they had to fix as they installed the new parts.

The good ole days were never that great. Fortunately, we only remember the good times.

John

 

[AlabamaChris]

Everybody and nobody.
How's that for your definitive answer?

Nobody makes body panels that fit 100% of the time. But almost all of them make panels that are well formed and (sometimes) fit very well. For the most part.
Sometimes a mis-fit is the fault of the panel stamping manufacturer (mostly in China of course) but sometimes it's the near 50 year old truck you're trying to bolt/weld/glue the panel to.
Broncos were not made to the same exacting standards as some other vehicles back in the day, and certainly not to the same level as today's vehicles. And along with that you include hard use off-road or on the ranch (same thing) and just general abuse, flexing, rusting out of supports, and new stuff just don't always fit.

Dennis Carpenter makes some of their metal replacement panels right here in the USA. Not sure if anyone else can say that, but even they don't claim to make all the panels here. In fact I'd say that most of them are made "off shore" so to speak, and even the biggest of the companies (Dynacorn comes to mind) can even make blatant mistakes when stamping panels.
Things like the core support and inner fender skirts/aprons having the same reinforcing brackets pre-welded to them. Which dictates that the end user actually remove one or the other to make them even remotely compatible with each other.
Floor pans that line up extremely well on the perimeter, but don't line up perfectly every time when it comes to the reinforcing "ribs" stamped into them. Making a truly ugly mis-matching of parts if you're leaving the floor exposed.
Luckily a thick floor covering is the best practice for a Bronco that gets driven much.

Which Bronco vendor has the best? I work for one (Wild Horses) and I don't even know. We have some simple replacement floor panels and wheel wells made special for us, but most of our stuff is sourced from different suppliers and manufacturers. Same for any of the other Bronco vendors that sell body parts.
We sell Dennis Carpenter, Dynacorn, our own and likely at lest several others. I don't know all of our suppliers and not sure I want to!
I can't say which are the best quality since they all look pretty good sitting in their boxes and wrappings in their nice smooth gray/black e-coat finery.
But don't be too quick to judge overseas stuff. With Broncos, it's been proven time and again that even NOS stuff still in Ford boxes with Ford decals and part numbers attached don't always fit.
They might have while the trucks were still just a few years old. Or not...
But they sure don't always fit now!

Bottom line is that you may, or may not, need to massage, beat on, hammer mercilessly, finagle, cut, slice, make Julienne fries, form over mandrel, or just generally cuss a part into place.
Even when it's just a simple bolt-on bit like a front fender.

Good luck.

Paul

I appreciate the tutoring, and can recall when the Bronco was coming out new a minute or two ago. Yes it's far more popular now than it ever was then. Just a little utility truck that's now a cult classic. We do like to remember The good Ole days in our own light. I've got a few friends that wanted another VW bug. After they got them the reality of no A/C, and the heat sux was sobering. Mine is the story I'm sure many of us have, the "I wish I had never sold that one, and could get it back". These days you're lucky to find a half decent body for four times what you'd a paid for the whole riggin back in the day. I kinda figured I'd be giving the CCP my cash either way. On a side note I don't think it's gonna be too long before we trading lead with them.

 

[Oldtimer]

On a side note I don't think it's gonna be too long before we trading lead with them.

And unfortunately we have NO lead smelters in our country, and will need to buy raw lead from them when we have recycled all we currently have.

 

[Lawndart]

Slight sidebar -
What would an original set of FoMoCo replacement front fenders be worth?

 

[Madgyver]

Slight sidebar -
What would an original set of FoMoCo replacement front fenders be worth?

Whatever you pay for it. someone may want it more than you do and pay more for it.

 

[Madgyver]

On a side note I don't think it's gonna be too long before we trading lead with them.

War?

 

[sprdv1]

Whatever you pay for it. someone may want it more than you do and pay more for it.

yeah that's for damn sure

 

[sprdv1]

Bottom line is that you may, or may not, need to massage, beat on, hammer mercilessly, finagle, cut, slice, make Julienne fries, form over mandrel, or just generally cuss a part into place.
Even when it's just a simple bolt-on bit like a front fender.

LOL, always