has anyone used goodmark fenders? what is the quality compared to gm? are they worth buying? i have heard people talk highly of their hoods .

In my opinion, Goodmark sells the best repro fenders on the market. I have installed maybe 30 of them and had very few problems. The placement of the sub-assemblies are consistant so each one fits like the last one did.

Toby, have you used many '69 rear body panels? The reason I ask is I ordered the Goodmark rear body panel and the fit is great, but its got to be the waviest panel I've ever gotton. I have other parts from Goodmark that are exceptional, so I don't know if I should exchange or get a new vender for that part.
Austin

Austin, I buy most of the parts I install from NPD and they don't happen to carry the tail panels from Goodmark. At least that's what they tell me.
I just bought a tail panel for a 68 from NPD and it was really decent. I can't complain about it too much.
I only demand Goodmark parts for front end sheet metal only. Bolt on stuff. The weld in parts generally have to be adjusted to fit anyway. At least that's been my experience.

Why is Goodmark better? They had told me ( a year or so ago ) that their parts were made in Taiwan same as the other distributor's products.More recently, I looked at a fender and was pleased with the crispness of the stamping. Soemone also recently posted about the 69 conv quarter quality as being very good.

Rick,
I'm not really sure why Goodmark seems to consistantly have better front sheet metal. I can only speculate that they insist on better quality control.
My experience has been that the inner parts of the fender assembly are fitted to the outer part better, the stampings themselves have fewer die marks and the sheet metal has no slag from the foundry. I have found slag in other sheetmetal as large as 1" in area, stamped right into the metal and that can cause some problems with inconsistant finish and even raise hell with you in painting in some cases.
Another point you might want to consider; Goodmark sells their parts at a higher price than their distributors do because they don't want to compete with them. That tells me something about their integrity.

I put Goodmark 80% quarters and tail panel of my 68. I had minimal problems with the quarters. However, on mine, the area that goes by the quarter window is not as wide as the original (the piece where the "fuzzy" mounts to on the outside). I had to combine the 2 in order for it to work. Only a couple of things on the tail panel. The hols for the tail light mount studs were off a little. The box for the rear panel had been dropped on the end at some point causing some fit problems. I have several pics posted of the before/during/pre-paint of the panels. http://www.creeksideclassics.com/body.htm

------------------
There is nothing like doing it yourself. www.creeksideclassics.com (http://www.creeksideclassics.com)

I know some of the Goodmark panels are stamped using the actual GM dies, hence their better fit.

Just bought fender and hood for 69 camaro. Picked up at GoodMark warehouse. They were in the process of installing a complete front end on a 70-71 chevelle. I asked what was up, and the guy told me that they trial fit all prototype panels before ordering to be sure of fit and finish. He said if they didn't fit, they worked through problems with factory.

By the way, Hood and fender fit perfectly...

Are there now different repro manufacturers? I had been told there was one Taiwan mfg. This was a year+ ago. It seemed like single source with everyone putting their label on the product. Even Goodmark had told me they were made in Taiwan.

I am almost positive that all Goodmark Products are made in the US. There are other repro panels you can buy that are made overseas. I went and visited a dealer here in the Denver area that carried both Goodmark and the foreign panels. No contest, Goodmark was the winner. They are thicker gauge, heavier and better finished. The foreign piece you could almost fold in half. You really get what you pay for in this area. I recommend visiting a shop that stocks these panels in person. Every panel is going to come through shipping, handling, stocking, storing in better or worse shape. If you can visit, ask them to bring out three or four examples and pick the cleanest. We used Goodmark on my car and the body man was very pleased with the fit and we now have paint on and they look great. Do a search for Goodmark Industries on the web and check out their site.

Goodmark has MANY parts stamped in Taiwan. I have a goodmark cowl hood (VERY nice piece BTW), but its clearly marked on the box & part "Made In Tiwan". I also have the rear body panel I mentioned above, also marked "Made in Tiwan". When I was talking to a rep from Goodmark I asked him the quality of his full 1/4's compared to the clasic industries ones I bought, he told me "thay are the same 1/4 as what he sells".
I quickly got the impression they are more of a Distributor than a manufacurer. The pictures in the catalog are pictures of a big warehouses, no pictures of any metal being stamped.
Don't get me wrong. I believe Goodmark cares about the quality of parts they sell, and try to get the best avaliable.
Austin