TABCO RUST REPAIR PANELS...

Anyone here ever used their panels or heard good things about this company? Working on a 1973 Charger...AMD has very little sheet metal for these cars. I came across TABCO while doing internet research, they are
out of Cleveland Ohio. Their quarter panels are $380 per side which seems reasonable? Anyone?

www.tabcoparts.com

several guys have used it on dodgecharger.com board, but they are old threads and engine search there is not helpfull. I remember they were pretty much decent by testimonials. Some pics were posted too.

Thanks NatchoRT I will check that out...anyone else use this company
for any metal replacement parts with good results?

I used their replacement pieces years ago, but have not used them in the last 5 years or so. Years ago the quality was inconsistent, one time the parts fit great, the next time, the same parts didn't even come close. I believe the biggest issue was how old the stamping dies were, if they were relatively new, the parts were great, but if the stamping dies were old, the part quality was pretty bad. Though they are a US based company, not all the parts they offer are USA made parts, problem is, when you ordered, you had no way of knowing where the parts came from until they were at your door.

Maybe things are better now. Gene

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,30870.0/all.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,40767.0.html

Natcho thanks for posting those links, seems like tabco and mill supply
are the only one's who have new metal for '73 up Chargers! Still deciding if I should restore this car, or sell it, not sure yet.

If I can make it without Tabco quarter panels but panels made locally being overseas, I think you can do it;)

Nacho, how are you holding up? Can we do anything to help?

Pictures I've seen of South American streets seem to show a lot of Chrysler products. I know it's a long continent, but are you aware of any parts for the cars down there that may be useful up here? I infer from your reply that you had local artisans make your replacement quarter panels or patch panels.

In my time in Egypt it seems that every body part I wanted to buy for my Peugeot 504 wagon could be sourced from France or from Taiwan at half the price. What is your experience with similar?

Best Regards,
R.

here is an album I just hosted to show one of the quarter panels made locally.

Firts the skin was made on a shop specialized on fabricate body panels. Then requested to the guy making the body job on my car try to keep the most body lines as posible original from the original car panel, so he cut partially the panel made and used just the needed areas to patch it below the original upper body line.

Cut the necesary parts, presented on car to match, then removed the rest of the original car panel, welded outside, and assemblied as a full one piece panel.

Several jobs were made at the same time on this area ( wheel housings, inner rocker panel area down the quarter glass, trunk floor extensions ) but I'm just showing the quarter panel job itself

trunk floor extensions are AMD though

https://postimg.org/gallery/1b8mhzcx8/

Need to say I bought looooong time ago one NOS quarter panel in USA in just US$250( left side ), which it was a bit rusted on lower areas of quarter glass ( the drain areas ), but I wished it just to make duplicates of the panel. I needed the exact shape more than the panel itself.

of course shipping killed me, but was necesary, because the quarters on my car were badly patched when I began to restore my car on previous cheap body jobs. The original body line shape and curvature were missed on my car on bottom half of quarters.

we are hungry, political and economical situation is REALLY hard. I have lost around 45 lbs, and without a job... but thats a long story not to be discussed here.



SOMETIMES is posible to find some NOS pieces from the old Mopar dealers of the Cars asseblied down here. I got one NOS front valance, NOS driver side door, NOS rear valence with exhaust cutouts for my car but that was maybe 10 years ago. Parts are being bought by several friends or some resellers. I know a guy who got NOS 71 Charger Fenders and he wish to sell them, but trust me, the shipping will be killer.

Another friend have a NOS Dart Sport quarter panels ( both sides ) and roof skin what he want to sell because sold his 75 Sport long time ago

some other are available too, but not interesting cars, mostly 4 doors ( 72 Coronet Quarter, Lebaron/Aspen fenders )

some other Mopar dealers simply sent their parts to the trash because they got tired to have them taking room on their warehouses without being sold.

Natcho, again thanks for your help, showing what you had to do on your
Charger (BTW can ya show some pics of your car all completed?) I think it
will inspire me to decide what to do, regarding my '73! As of now, I'm
leaning towards getting it restored, but my funds are extremely tight, being retired on a fixed income. And I don't do paint/bodywork so that would have to be up to a pro to handle that.

Seems too like parts for these Chargers (used parts anyway) are scattered all over the place! Sorry to hear of your situation down there, I hope it will change for the better, for you! Thanks again for your help, much appreciated!

Pretty sure you are not tighter on funds than me. Just need to make it step by step with patiente

Is not finished yet. I can post a pic of the car before the body job being made at this moment It looked like it was perfect but really wasn't. It got bondo from previous jobs and rusted areas on very important parts...

I began this back in 1998 or so. Made every step when I had funds but never enough to make itblike it should be done... meanwhile I was enjoining my car riding here and there. It is/was my driver


This thread wasn't updated but show the history of the car

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html

This video was taken maybe a year and a half before the actual body job, just right after the engine stroke up and brand new rallye wheels

https://youtu.be/wrZo8-7uvDs

After the video, still got some more upgrades, like hood pins and machine gun tips, rev-n-nator ECU, some new repro ( pieces of s... ) interior panels,

Go for the Tabco pieces what even if still needs some massaging, will be easier than the job in my car LOL

Thanks for everyones reply's...Natcho, awesome job on your '74! You should
be very proud of how it turned out. I have some work ahead of me, if I decide to do my car the right way, that's for sure!

That last pic is just right before take it to the actual body job... but will be like that again in a couple of months I hope