I have been reading that the Camaro fender skirts can be trimmed to fit the Firebird. Are the Camaro fender skirts being used because the NOS Firebird skirts are too hard to find? Is 3927425 and 3927424 the GM part number for the NOS Camaro fender skirts? Thanks

NOS Camaro inner fenders are also probably hard to find and pricey.

The cheap repro Camaro fender inner fenders are pretty good for $100. Just lay the old Firebird skirt over the Camaro skirt, scribe a line where the Firebird inner fenders were originally trimmed after stamping, and cut the Camaro inner fender. I used a Dremel with a cut off wheel and then filed the edge down.

I bought repops from NPD and was very happy with the fit and look.

I am going to be replacing mine as well. My question is how in the heck do you put the staples through the inner fender that hold on the rubber seals.

This is my most hated task of any restoration.

Use a metric ruler to measure the distance between the holes for the staples before drilling them in the innner fender. A digital caliper would be even better. That distance has got to be really accurate or your staples will just not fit.

Having a helper available is a good idea. They can hold the inner fender over blocks of wood while you drill the holes. The needed holes around the curved back side are a supreme PITA.

I found that using 2 sets of needle nosed pliers are best for closing the staples. Having the helper hold the BACK side of the staple in position while you close the ends would probably be a good idea. The problem is that the staple wants to slide one way or the other while you are trying to close it.

I guess I must have cheated. I held the rubber pieces in place with vise grips (or ?) and just drilled through the fender and rubber together, enlarging the hole slightly on each one. OK, here's where I really did cheat, I used some aluminum mechanics wire that I had and cut short pieces of it and pushed it through each hole, bent the ends over with a pliers and finished them off with a couple taps with a hammer to flatten them nicely.

Also the most hated part of my resto...

I too did not use the staples that came with the kits. The wire was far too stiff. I bough a roll of heavy wire from the local hardware and made my own. It was far easier to bent the tabs that way. Take your time and be prepared to loose a little skin.

My inner fenders were also powder coated gloss black, so trying to preserve the finish did not help matters.

Thanks guys. It looks like it is going to be a pain the rear. As far as loosing some skin, my hands are pretty tore up from the work up to this point so whats a few more scars.

Grab a short piece of flat stock, measure the distance between the staple holes on your inner fender wells and transfer those marks to the flat stock.

Grind two 6-32 screws to a very sharp point - use screws about one inch long. Drill two holes in the flat stock where you earlier transferred the measurement. Then insert the screws through those holes. The holes should be pretty tight. Secure the screws with a nut on each side of the flat stock. Make sure the screws stick through the same amount.

You're going to whack the screws/flat stock with a hammer (softly) to dimple the inner fender wells. That will give you a place to drill and will keep the bit from wandering. Test the unit on a piece of scrap steel first to make sure you have the spacing correct. If its a smidge off just slightly enlarge one or both holes and push the bolts to the proper place and re-tighten the nuts.

Works great. I get a cut if anyone patents this thing.

- Jake

Dang, great idea (if I ever restore another one!)

Mine are trimmed camaro parts.

The cuts were made with a plasma cutter. As for the staple holes, I had a 1" strip of the opening with the staple holes cut from my old inner fenders and then I overlayed those onto the new ones drilling through each original hole. Each staple went exactly where it came from originally.

Those are both great ideas. I will be doing this very soon. Thanks for the input.