Patch Panels....who has the best?

[KYBlueOval]

I'm going to need patch panels for the lower cowl area of both front fenders,along with the inner brace, plus a few other areas on my '57 Ranchero. Based on your experience, who out there has the best quality / fit patch panels for my immediate need of the front fender lower cowl area, including the inner brace.
I've looked at a firm in Calif. by the name of  C&G Ford Parts, and they have the patch panel and the reinforcement that goes behind it , but y'all that have been down this road before me will know what works best...........so I ask for your input. I'm more interested in quality stamping, good fit etc., and not driven by price. Not saying price doesn't matter, but it is the last consideration.I want to do this repair only once and do it right the first time.
So please share your knowledge with me.
Thanks
John

[RICH MUISE]

Mornin', John! OEM Ford when you can find them, but that's nearly imposible, and usually very very expensive. Next would be EMS. It's not only the quality of the stamping, but the quality of the metal itself. I'm not saying they're perfect, just pretty much the best we have available. I think they just retooled, or are retooling, the specific panel you mentioned, so ordering direct might get you a better chance of obtaining that new revised panel. You might at least check with them to see if there is any way of telling a new part from the old stock a distributor might have on that specific piece.
Many, but not all, of the distributors carry EMS, sometimes they tell you, sometimes they don't. You can buy direct from EMS though. I just posted a link to a video they just produced on '57 parts. The link is in our list of supplier links.
All panels are going to take a little massaging and care to fit them correctly, but anyone with the ability to do patch panels correctly should not find this a problem.
The ems customer service guy frequents the Hamb social club I'm in, so I'll do a post over there seeing if that revised part is available yet.
I know this isn't your first rodeo, but a tip.....Don't cut off both the inner and outer old pieces. I'd leave the inner brace intact if there's enough to use as reference points, and do the outer first. You can then go back and cut off the inner using the new outer as your guide. Also, I seem to remember there was nothing on the new outer panel in the area on the lip where the inner femder bolts to it, so you have to be careful not to cut off metal that isn't being replaced with new. Maybe that's changed with the new revised panel.When you are positioning the outer panel for welding, be especially aware of the profile as it aligns with the door edge.When I did mine, I made a cardboard template of the fender profile that follows the door before I cut anything off.
Rich

[Ecode70D]

Hope that I don't get in trouble for posting this, but look at this.....
James ...If this is considered as advertisement, then kindly delete it but don't give me any demerits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI0-twlwQDI

[jvo]

I'd just like to add to the excellent advice above to watch out for any vendor that won't tell you what the gauge thickness of their panels are.  Some vendors on ebay will only say they are "thick", which doesn't mean much unless you are used to working with furnace ducting. 
EMS will state over and over that their panels are 18 gauge.  I personally would not buy anything made from 20 gauge, it is just too easy to warp when welding them in, and leaves you with a lot of planishing to be done to correct it.  The thicker the panel, the easier it is to fit and weld into place.  19 gauge is the norm for automotive, but its hard to find, and 18 is just fine to weld to the stock 19 gauge that most cars are made from, just be sure to weld them in so they are flush on the outside.  You will be able to see and feel the difference in thickness.  Makes for a nicer finish when done.
I have these same EMS front fender panels but have not gotten around to welding them in yet.  Might be awhile, but it will be posted in my build thread when I do it, and I will report on the fit and finish of them.  Just don't hold your breath waiting for me, as there just aren't enough hours in a day.

[hotroddonnie]

All my sheet metal came from EMS. No problems.

[RICH MUISE]

Donnie, I think you could have given your metal man fenders for a Mack truck and they would have ended up perfect. Not putting down EMS by any means, just stating you have a great bodyman.

[hotroddonnie]

Thanks Rich!!

[RICH MUISE]

John....got a reply from the EMS guy. They have not redone the tooling yet as they haven't located a good set of fenders to buy or borrow to use as a model.

[suede57ford]

I have some very nice examples of nearly perfect original fenders for them to use as patterns and I've talked to them about using some of mine.  The problem is that I don't want to sell any of my parts, as they are saved for my projects. EMS is located in Ohio and I'm in West Texas.  The cost and effort to ship them not only there, but back is not practical.    I considered cutting up some rust-free fenders that are damaged in other areas to make them easier to ship, but it still takes a bunch of effort with the distance involved.

They do make the best parts, hands down.  I appreciate the fact that they take the time and expense to make stuff for our cars despite how many of us there are building '57/'58 Fords.    We sure needed the quality parts they have made for our cars.