[kilkm68]

My '68 GTO Convertible Clone started life as a LeMans. The front endura bumper (plastic repo) does not match the fenders and hood very well at all and I really want to get it fixed. Detracts from an otherwise beautiful car. Did the LeMans and GTO use the same front :confusedfenders in '68? I'm finding conflicting information. One site shows that both cars have a wheelbase of 112 inches and track of 60 inches and both are 74.8 inches wide, but it shows the overall lenght of the LeMans at 211 inches and the GTO at 200.7 inches. Is this wrong, or are the fenders and quarters on the GTO different? Could this be the reason the front bumper does not fit right? I'm told they didn't fit all that well even when they were new, and they even used a grinder on the assembly line to make them fit properly. I would like to know about the fenders if anyone knows.

 

[ALKYGTO]

The QC on these cars was sh*t.

I did a frame off on my car and the front fenders came from two different 69's (both GTO's). Bodyworked the fenders and mounted them on the car when it came time to mock everything up. When I bolted on my Endura nose I was shocked to see one side had the radius 3/8 of an inch off from matching. I put a contour gause to the nose and it was within a 1/16 from side to side but the fenders themselves were that far off. A closer inspection of the fenders showed that the inner structure was spotwelded way off on the passenger fender.

I talked to a gentleman at a car show once who had commented on the nice fit of all my sheetmetal. He told me he had worked at the Fremont plant in Cali and his job had been to take a body grinder to the endura front ends as they came down the line and match them up to the fenders.

 

[68GTO4004Spd]

As far as I know the fenders are the same on the LeMans and the GTO in 68, all the catalogs don't differentiate between the two. My factory service manual says they are both 206.6 in long, 74.4 wide, front tread 58", rear tread 59" with a 115" wheel base.
My body man was pulling his hair out trying to get the fenders, hood and endura bumper to fit up and it still isn't 100%. Those 40+ year old endura bumpers suck it.