Unfortunately I had the misfortune of crashing my 1998 camaro. From what i can see from plain view both front fenders, the hood, and the bumper will need to be replaced.

I do not intend to learn how to paint because I dont think i have the ability to do such a thing, however my father is very car savy (was a mechanic for quite some time). If I obtained all of the necessary panels and got the painted professionally...how hard would it be to install all of them with the help of my father? Both of us are new to body work....Everything before this has just been all engine. Also...Where would be the best place to obtain all of these panels?

As you can probably tell i am a reasonably young kid with not a lot of money to work with. This is the only reason i am trying not to take it to a shop....to save myself some money. Any help you guys could offer would be greatly appreciated. I can put up some pictures of the car tomorrow if that would help you guys out.

 

I know that it probably isn't the cheapest but i had to replace all the same parts as you, and i went to the dealer cuz i wanted oem, and it was around 3000, the hood alone from gm was 2200 (i have an SS) but i know you can get aftermarket ones for a lot cheaper, SLP sells the SS hood for 1200, but look into aftermarket if you're looking for cheap parts. Good Luck!

 

It can be done rather cheap, if you are willing to take time and look for good used OEM parts. Check parts section for needed parts and post in the wanted section for what you are looking for.
There are a lot who are parting out cars for the much needed body parts. It should be a fairly straight repair, of just swapping out parts, provided you have no structural damage below, major that is.

The F-Body front clip is a very straight forward repair when it comes to body panels, direct bolt in pieces. Now when it come to the radiator support and inner fenders, that is a different story, and will take a bit of skill and know how.

What ever you decide to do just make sure to stick with OEM parts, which will save you a lot of time and problems, when it comes to reinstalling them.

As for paint, you can either have the parts painted prior to the install. Or after you check fit and alignment. Pull them off and take them to a body shop for painting. This is provided the paint will not need to be blended in to the other panels-doors.

I would say least give it a shot, so you can enjoy the benefit of your work.

 

Would a junk yard be a good place to find some of these parts? Or should I try to stay away from such places.

 

i don't see why not, as long as you know what you're looking for and can notice if any prior work has been done before to the panels.

 

if the fenders, hood, and front cover need to be replaced, how do you know if theres nothing wrong structurally. if youre saying the all of that if trashed, 90% of the time there will be hidden damage. can you post pics?

 

take the stuff off the car and look at the rest of the frame stuff. if you can't see ovious damage you may be ok. the newer cars don't have alot of room for pannel alinement. this can be better for a novice. the panels just bolt on and fit. The hood will be the worst to aline. if you have a fair amount of common sence, this will be a breese. maby this is not the time to paint your car but painting is a snap too. it just takes some practice. this will save you big bucks!! Try to find the pnls used this will save cash too. good luck!!