I just received some panels for my 57 Meteor and there are problems with 2 of them. The trunk floor brace is 3 inches wide as opposed to the original which is 1 7/8 inches and the ends are not finished. Probably not that important as it will be hidden but the second is worse. I got a rear quarter to replace a previous repair I was not satisfied with. When you hold the panel over the existing one with it snugged up from the wheelwell to the back the front is over an inch too low. Thinking the previous repair could be the problem I took it to a friend who has 2 untouched cars and the same problem existed. I called EMS and was told that the problem was I was putting them on Meteors and that Meteors were the same as Mercurys. Basically he told me to go pound sand as the panels were made for Fords and there was no problem with them.
They are too wide for the fords as well. I used the panel but had to narrow it and finish the ends. I have also reported the problem to them.
I hope this does not discourage you from buying their panels because they produce many excellent panels. The only issues I know of so far are:
1. The rear trunk floor brace is too wide
2. The front quarter panel has no "pinch" weld flange at the bottom and you have to make your own
3. The fender corner patch panels are almost unusable and it is easier just to make them than try to use that one
I just started to fit my EMS rear inner and outer quarters on the drivers side and neither fits well but the floor pans are great looking. The metal is nice and thick but the lines aren't correct on the outer around the wheel well, but the inner was made for a car and I have a wagon so I had to modify them so that's not their fault. I also bought the inner and outer rocker panels and am looking forward to see how they fit... I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Check out the post I did in the general tech section on new ems panels available now, and others later this year.
try checking out this article by streetrodder on our 1/4 panels lots of pictures. no fit problems!!
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/1409_patch_panels_for_1957_58_fords/parts_list.html
the ems guy
I'm about to order patch panels for both fenders, and was planning to use EMS. The quote below from an earlier post is giving me second thoughts. Has anyone used them lately? Are they any good?
Quote3. The fender corner patch panels are almost unusable and it is easier just to make them than try to use that one/quote]
The last I heard they were still looking for a good set of nos front fenders to use as patterns for remaking that piece. That said, they are not the best product EMS makes for sure, but IMHO was much easier to make them work than to make new ones from scratch. The biggest issue I had with them is they do not include the bottom and side flanges for the bolt/mounting, so you need to be real careful what you cut off the fender. It seems like I also had to shape the metal to conform to the "scooped" concave area as it blends out at the bottom of the fender.
I don't remember if EMS packages the inner brace repair piece with the outer sheetmetal patch, but either way, you're probably gonna need that brace repair piece as well.
Right now the damage looks fairly small, like I might not need that entire panel, but once I get the paint stripped off I'm sure things will look totally different. I'll hold off on ordering until I can do a better assessment of the damage.
According to their ordering page, the inner brace piece is included.
A look from the backside will tell more. Those braces trapped the dirt and moisture.
Yes, the bottom of the fender repare patch includes the inner brace. The "skin" however does required a fair amount of work to fit like the original. Now having said that, I believe EMS is still the best source for panels for our cars!
the meteor is a ford with a different grill and trim.it is not based on the mercury body