1978 cadillac rear fender extensions.

[R Schroeder]

I took my fender extensions off to have them repainted. They were in nice shape, but as I was cleaning them up they started to have splits in them .
Where is the best place to buy new ones ?
I know some guys were talking about these but I cant find the post now.
Roy

[Derek Sherwood]

Here's one place:

http://www.cadillaccraftcenter.com/fillers.htm

Pretty much all of these filler sets need some form of mild fitting to make them look and work right.  They tell me ABS is the best as they are harder than the original and don't crack as easily.

[R Schroeder]

I have been looking on the web.
Has anyone bought from  this place.

http://sandkindustries.com/  It is called E and K.

I only found a few places so far that sell them. All say ABS.
Derek, that place you mentioned was the cheapest. E and K was the next higher up, at 133.00 for the extensions.

Would like to know where people bought from.

[Otto Skorzeny]

Here are 20 threads discussing this topic.

Some have step by step replacement instructions with photos and have vendors listed.

Also, click the link in my signature to find several sellers of repro fender fillers.

[76eldo]

Here's some useful info:

http://www.sheffieldgarage.com/fillers.htm

Brian

[Otto Skorzeny]

One of those threads as I recall lists a place in Florida and the guy was happy with the ones for his 76.

[76eldo]

I buy sets from E and K.  I created the web page that I sent you the link to.

Like all of the repro fillers, you will have to fit them to the car and I always enlarge the holes so that you can move things around after getting the bolts started.

good luck,

Brian

[R Schroeder]

Thanks Brian,
I forgot you mentioned E & K in your post.
I hope they come this next week. He told me 7 to 9 days.
I have the tail light that goes over the piece, so I have to remove mine for the install. No big deal. I will be checking the fit on them and sizing them up before they go in for paint.
I do take pictures if anyone is interested .
Roy

[R Schroeder]

Got the extensions from E&K today. Right at this time , I cant say if I'm happy with them or not. I will see how they fit tomorrow before jumping the gun. They need some fitting alright. Metal mounting brackets that mount inside had to be cut down quite a bit.
Roy

[76eldo]

Roy,

It was explained to me that in the manufacturing process, the ABS material is glued together and reinforced on the insides with extra material to keep them from cracking if stressed.  The original material was thinner and had a rubber-like consistency.  The idea was to be able to absorb the 5mph bumper hit and rebound without damage.

The inner metal brackets can be ground down quite easily with a bench grinder, and I detailed the process in the web article.

Unfortunately, no one makes a dead-on fit, but at least we have something to work with.  it would be quite a bad situation if no one made even semi-fitting parts.  If you work on them, you can get an excellent fit, and actually, the fronts are better out of the box than the rears.

There is a lot of adjustment in the tail lights too which is really important on the 76's where the tail lights are in cut out areas of the rear horizontal fillers.  I think that they all come from one factory, no mater who you buy from, but the guys at E & K were very helpful, and offer the best pricing.  If you become a repeat customer there is a bit of a discount available.

Take your time, and you can obtain an excellent result.

Brian

[R Schroeder]

Well, I tried to mount them today. They were 1/2 short on the length, and they were 3/4 inch short where the small chrome piece mounts, just next to the trunk.  Just a total misfit on the whole thing.
I had to pull the inside piece over to the trunk, and when I did the holes inside were off 1 1/4 inches.
I called them up right away.
They said they had two vendors and he would send a different set , once I sent these back.
This is at my cost of course.
  At this point I am not happy at all.
I'm a very handy guy ,and there is no way these were going to work on the car. Believe me.

[RobW]

http://www.replica-plastics.com/EditParts.aspx?Make=Cadillac I bought a front set for my 73 deville from this vendor. They were made of fiberglass and a bit oversized. There was plenty of material so being able to sand them into the correct shape would be asy enough. Although I chose not to use them, I didn't return them because I feel they'd be OK if nothing else is available in the future. They have them for your year also and I would think they would be made of fiberglass also. You could contact them to find out. Take measurements of the ones you have now for comparison.

http://www.autobodyfillersusa.com/servlet/Categories?category=Cadillac%3ADeville+%2F+Fleetwood These are ABS. I bought and used a set of these on the front of my 73 deville. They appear to copies of originals in that they have the same dimensions, edge thickness, and "wave" that the originals have developed over the years. Anyone who sees them at shows and cruie nights swears they are the originals!
They aslo have a complete set for the rear of your car. Again ask for measurements to be sure they are not what you bought elsewhere. My thinking is that the "set" may fit better than each piece. But again call them explain your situation and see what you can do.

[R Schroeder]

I have dealt with Auto body fillers. They were nice to deal with.
Problem is I only need the fender extensions. I see they have a complete set.
I will give E&K one more chance to send me some good ones, and then I will try Auto Body. Maybe they will sell parts separate.
Roy

[R Schroeder]

Thought about getting this second set from the guy at E&K. I called today to cancel . I told him that I felt the second one would be no better than the first. He told me only two companies make them. I asked why I got the bad company. No answer.
That that point he dropped his " Customer Satisfaction " He told me that he would charge me for restocking them. I told him he wouldnt as I would put it in dispute with the card company. I wasnt paying for junk that was shipped to me.
I asked him what if the second set is bad ? Who is going to pay for the shipping back. After a minute ,he said he would. He told me I was to fussy. I think a one inch gap by the trunk area is not being to fussy. These were made very poorly.
I dont have much faith in the second set being good either, but we will see.
Just thought I would update , incase you had to order from them, which I wouldnt do.
Will update when I get parts.

Brian, as a side note, if my parts would have fit like yours they would be painted right now.

[R Schroeder]

Update.
Bad parts returned, and different set is on the way. I hope there is no problem with these.
Should be in by the end of the week, as they send everything snail mail, UPS.

[Otto Skorzeny]

You mean USPS for snail mail. UPS is usually 2 days - 3 max.

[Kerry Lange]

I've used Replica Plastics for both the front and rear of my '81 Olds and was very happy with the fit.

[R Schroeder]

Otto, UPS has a snail mail too. Takes 7 to 8 days to get here. Cost to much to do it faster , I guess.

Kerry, I bet a lot of them fit good. 78 Caddy seems to be a pain. These were just to far off. Short near the trunk, short on over all length, and moulded wrong. One had a bad twist in it. When bolted up, it had a 3/4 to 1 inch gap near bottom of the trunk.
I hope this set is better.
I dont mind moving things around to take up an 1/8 of an inch , but there isnt much you can do with 3/4 of an inch.
The people arent the best to deal with so far.

[Kerry Lange]

Sorry, I thought that your problems were with E&G. My experience with Replica Plastics in Dotham, AL was very good regarding replacement bumper fillers for my Olds.  I don't know if they would be that much worse for  a '78 Caddy, but might be worth a try.

Kerry

[R Schroeder]

Nope..........E&K