Fender oh my :(
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Interesting....
So far it seems like the '96, '97, and some '98 cars have this black guard. My '98 was a March built car. Maybe the late '98s didn't get them?
So far it seems like the '96, '97, and some '98 cars have this black guard. My '98 was a March built car. Maybe the late '98s didn't get them?
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The person that owned my car last messed up the fender also, but put a hole in it.
Does anybody know where I can get a fender? I have been looking for a used one but they all seem to be in worse condition than mine. I don't really want to get a after market one. Any ideas?
Does anybody know where I can get a fender? I have been looking for a used one but they all seem to be in worse condition than mine. I don't really want to get a after market one. Any ideas?
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Now i seen a friends WS6 that has that metal peice bent but i think his fender is fine, my car is stored and im scared to look to see if something is wrong with mine! If its bent but the fender is fine should i just not worry?
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My '98 has an interesting device that protects aganist this issue.
Just inside of the mounting tab (meaning just behind it, towards the center of the car), there is a black plastic guard or "foot". It has a flat, wide bottom, and it runs the lenght of the mounting tab, hanging down exactly as far as the tab. You can't see it from the side, but it's clearly visible from underneath. It's large and sturdy enough that if some asshat were to try and set lift arms on those fender tabs, this guard would protect the tabs from bending and help support the car.
Odd thing is, I've never seen another 4th gen have these. They all have the mounting holes for them (it's held in place by two bolts), you'll notice two holes in the floor pan just above and behind the mounting tab on every 4th gen. Yet for some reason, most of the cars don't have these.
My '99, '00, and '02 did not come with the guard. I bought the '99 & '00 brand new, so it's not like someone before me could have removed them. First time I saw them was on my '98, so I figured it must be a '98 thing, but since then I've checked other '98s, and they are missing this guard.
Anyone else ever see or have this? Wonder why mine has this and other's don't? Seems like this is the perfect fix to protect aganist the very issue you see in this thread.
Just inside of the mounting tab (meaning just behind it, towards the center of the car), there is a black plastic guard or "foot". It has a flat, wide bottom, and it runs the lenght of the mounting tab, hanging down exactly as far as the tab. You can't see it from the side, but it's clearly visible from underneath. It's large and sturdy enough that if some asshat were to try and set lift arms on those fender tabs, this guard would protect the tabs from bending and help support the car.
Odd thing is, I've never seen another 4th gen have these. They all have the mounting holes for them (it's held in place by two bolts), you'll notice two holes in the floor pan just above and behind the mounting tab on every 4th gen. Yet for some reason, most of the cars don't have these.
My '99, '00, and '02 did not come with the guard. I bought the '99 & '00 brand new, so it's not like someone before me could have removed them. First time I saw them was on my '98, so I figured it must be a '98 thing, but since then I've checked other '98s, and they are missing this guard.
Anyone else ever see or have this? Wonder why mine has this and other's don't? Seems like this is the perfect fix to protect aganist the very issue you see in this thread.
I have a 98 and it has em too.
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GM stopped putting a lot of little things on these cars towards the end to save money. Since buying my '02 Z28, I've noticed a lot of little things that GM put on my '98 Z28 but left off the '02. Here are a few off the top of my head:
- Black fender guard mentioned in this thread.
- Black plastic "beauty" cover that snaps in place over the driver's side hood hinge so it blends with the black cowl panel when the hood is closed.
- A peice of black weather stripping along the inside bottom of each door, sealing the door to the rocker panel.
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It's just two bolts. I've looked all over the damn thing for a part number but I can't find one. Not sure if the dealer would still stock them since they apparently stopped issuing them at some point in 1998. But you could try, or you could probably make something on your own to serve the same purpose.
You'll notice that every 4th gen has the holes pre-tapped into the floor pan where these mount. Just go take a look at your floor pan right behind and above that fender tab, and you'll see the two holes just a couple inches apart.
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One of my fender tabs is half broke. I figured one day I will bend the metal back and theres got to be some way to bond the broke piece back to the fender. I def would not want to replace the panel.
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You can drill holes and tap screws into the underbody to mount the bottom of the fenders. Then remove the entire tab situation, or just bend the metal flush with the undercarrige. I've seen that done before, it actually looked pretty clean. That tab looks a little silly from the side anyway.
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Wait why did GM stop making the fenders available? I hear people saying that you have to go aftermarket to get fenders?
I thought it was a law to produce parts for a car after it is discontinued for a certain amount of years... and I'm pretty sure the amount of time since the 02s were made doesn't match whatever it is.
I thought it was a law to produce parts for a car after it is discontinued for a certain amount of years... and I'm pretty sure the amount of time since the 02s were made doesn't match whatever it is.
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Wait why did GM stop making the fenders available? I hear people saying that you have to go aftermarket to get fenders?
I thought it was a law to produce parts for a car after it is discontinued for a certain amount of years... and I'm pretty sure the amount of time since the 02s were made doesn't match whatever it is.
I thought it was a law to produce parts for a car after it is discontinued for a certain amount of years... and I'm pretty sure the amount of time since the 02s were made doesn't match whatever it is.
Usually GM stocks most parts for a given car for 10 years. Sometimes interior parts are only 7 years.
An '02 Camaro was only 5 years old up until last week. I'm shocked that GM would've stopped stocking body panels so soon. Can anyone actually confirm this? Next time I'm at the dealer, I'm going to run by the parts dept. and find out for sure.
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I would agree.
Usually GM stocks most parts for a given car for 10 years. Sometimes interior parts are only 7 years.
An '02 Camaro was only 5 years old up until last week. I'm shocked that GM would've stopped stocking body panels so soon. Can anyone actually confirm this? Next time I'm at the dealer, I'm going to run by the parts dept. and find out for sure.
Usually GM stocks most parts for a given car for 10 years. Sometimes interior parts are only 7 years.
An '02 Camaro was only 5 years old up until last week. I'm shocked that GM would've stopped stocking body panels so soon. Can anyone actually confirm this? Next time I'm at the dealer, I'm going to run by the parts dept. and find out for sure.