Cuda Wing and Fender "Gills"

[MoparCuda340]

I'm about to have my 71 repainted and when I do I plan on having them weld in gill patches on the front fenders. Has anyone welded in patches before? Where did you buy the patches? What method did you use to locate them? Id hate to have her all pretty and painted then realize the gills are 2 inches too low. I've looked at Josh's muscle car parts and they sell a kit that comes with the patches, gills, brackets, and gaskets for $410. But summit has a set of Sherman brand gills and brackets for $180 and I've seen patches on the net for around $120. Has anyone had experience with Sherman brand parts? Would the quality and convenience of the kit from josh's be worth over a hundred bucks more?

I'm also looking for a good "Gull" wing spoiler. Anyone bought one recently and have any advice? They're on ebay for as cheap as 200 and on resto sites for as much as 500. I don't want to buy the cheapest just because its the cheapest but I don't want to pay hundreds more just because its from a restoration site. Its not a perfect car and nothing special from factory so I'm not too picky.

Thank you all for your time, Zack.

[culp71]

sorry, I can't help on the gill fender patch panels, but unless your fenders are other wise perfect I would suggest replacing entire fenders with new 71 fenders.
I did have a friend who worked at a body shop and had to weld in those patches on a 70 model, for a resto-mod, uncertain of the brand, he's very talented, but said they totally sucked to blend in properly. if you do go patch avenue I am sure someone with originals here on CC can snap a few pics and measurements to locate them correctly...

Now on the gull wing front, I spent a few years shopping around purchasing and returning a few gull wings before getting one from josh's muscle car parts, and it was pristine. hundred less then else where and perfect...however it does not have the ever so ridiculously pricy pentastar molded into the wing.
this really seems to be the deciding factor for price, so pay attention whether it has that or not. if you care.

also pay attention to if the wing is "ABS" or "composite" (vague term for fiberglass) as originals were ABS,
the legs/feet should be hollow aluminum, not solid. Again this all depends how much you care if its close to original.

If I remember correctly the cheapest I found with the pentastar was around 600, crazy. wanna say josh's was around 300.

[MoparCuda340]

Thanks for your advice. That's exactly the insight I was looking for on the wing. I'm not concerned with whether or not it has a penta star or if its exactly like factory but I don't want anything that is visibly cheap and obliviously wrong. Are there any brands you advise I avoid?

Yeah I wanted to go with whole new fenders but at around 400 a piece and the fact that these fenders are close to perfect I figured It was worth a try.

[culp71]

I can't recall the various brand of gull wings, I know a few where from Ebay...and a few where the same "brand" but sold through different places, I cant attend to any being decent, but the final one I got from Josh's.

I know the fender patches can be done and done nicely, but they do take a lot of tweaking.
I sure someone else here can further attest if they have gone that route.

[mopardave]

3 versions on the market that everyone sells, like a good , better best versions.



fender patches and gills we usually have in stock also. or have your fenders punched.

[1 Wild R/T]

or have your fenders punched.

Ding Ding Ding.... Makes allot more sense than welding in sections.... Does someone make the stamping die? or offer a service where they stamp the recesses?

[MoparCuda340]

Yeah I've heard of having them punched but have not found anyone that does it or sells a way to do it. If anyone knows of anyone that stamps them in the southeast that'd be great. Dave I looked around your site for a minute and only found the louvers, not any patch panels. Thanks culp71 I reckon I'll go straight to Josh's for a wing.

[mopardave]

Yeah I've heard of having them punched but have not found anyone that does it or sells a way to do it. If anyone knows of anyone that stamps them in the southeast that'd be great. Dave I looked around your site for a minute and only found the louvers, not any patch panels. Thanks culp71 I reckon I'll go straight to Josh's for a wing.

http://www.rosevillemoparts.com/product_info.php/p/71-cuda-gill-fender-patch-panel/products_id/595

http://www.rosevillemoparts.com/product_info.php/p/go-wing-spoiler-kit-71-4-cuda-gull-wing/products_id/5731

[MoparCuda340]

I stand corrected. Thanks Dave I'll give those a look.

[MoparCuda340]

Whats the difference in a '70 model Go-wing and a '71 model? SEarching all these sites they have different item numbers on some sites but share item numbers on others. Is there a difference? THe price for a 71 is way higher than a 70 in a few places

[larry4406]

Whats the difference in a '70 model Go-wing and a '71 model? SEarching all these sites they have different item numbers on some sites but share item numbers on others. Is there a difference? THe price for a 71 is way higher than a 70 in a few places

71 is a totally different look compared to 70

[MoparCuda340]

71 is a totally different look compared to 70

Really? Darn. I ordered on from Josh's muscle car parts that said it was for all 70's models. What are the differences? At checkout it asked the model. Maybe it'll come correct.


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[MoparCuda340]

The wing from Josh's came in. I'm not happy with it. It clearly said it was made of abs plastic "just like the originals ".  It came fiberglass and pretty poor quality.









I opted for the "super deluxe kit". Came with deck lid brackets, special nuts, and "front chin spoilers".





They are what I expected. Fiberglass but have a nice finish. You know how the old abs had a slight texture to it? They did a decent job recreating that on the chins considering they were $34 an fiberglass. The wing on the other hand is smooth and shiny and has some obvious waves and defects.

One of which is right at the mount and I could see it cracking when mounted and subjected to some road vibrations.
It might be hard to see in the picture but it's unfinished fiberglass with a crack that's been painted over.

The hardware and pedestals look to be quality. I also bought a hood pin kit from them that looks pretty nice.

Real salty about the wing though. They say they guarantee there wings and have a good return/exchange policy. I'll keep y'all posted.



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[MoparCuda340]

Whoops, I may have jumped the gun and made an ass of myself. I swear it looks like fiberglass in the holes but its flexible like ABS. Also I realize now go wings are meant to be smooth and not textured. The few I've seen looked textured.

[MoparCuda340]

What do y'all think? does it look like fiberglass in the holes? Has anyone bought one from Josh's? It was part number m-7009


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