70 challenger RT wrong fender

[R/T's 4 R/P]

It seems this thread has 2 aspects...fenders with notches and 15" fender designations.
Both parts seems to get muddy when "over the counter" parts are figured in.
No 1970 fenders had notches...they show up in mid 71. (A further identification of replacement fender revision dating is the location of the hood bumper...it was towards the back early and toward the front later).

The 15" fender (rolled), as noted in the OP image and other threads, seems to not have been a factory line piece but showed up on "over the counter" fenders early on but went away as they realized it wasn't necessary...is this accurate?
So, What if you have 15" fenders? Modify them back to normal? Do they have any special value?
My TA was in a small fender-bender in 1971 and both front fenders are 15".

[gto105]

Thank you, i have to take a deeper dive and check this in more detail...

[JH27N0B]

The history of why there were "15 inch" fenders as I understand it was a result of an incident that happened early in the 1970 production year where a '70 hemi cuda was being tested at the Chelsea test track, and during heavy braking they had a front tire fail because the wheel well lip cut into the tires sidewall when the front end dove during braking.  The remedy was to modify the front fenders by rolling the top portion of the lip so this contact couldn't happen.  That is where the "hemi fender" fender tag came from on hemi E bodies.  And why early hemi E bodies don't have that tag.  I don't recall when the change took place but I think it was sometime in fall.
I don't believe that these fenders were used on any other E body with 60 series tires.  Perhaps the hemi engine's weight made it the only configuration that risked having this issue?
Many changes were made on T/A Challengers design during the scramble to get it ready and start producing it to make the features legal for Trans Am racing.  The project was scaled back quite a bit from the original concept, which would have resulted in a car so different than regular Challengers it would have made Superbirds and Daytonas look tame in comparison. Among some of the features the T/A was originally supposed to have were H60 tires on 15x8 wheels.  Maybe this is where some of the confusion came from about T/As supposed to have 15" fenders?  Though the original concept T/A was supposed to have a fiberglas tilt front end therefore wouldn't have had regular Challenger fenders at all!

[R/T's 4 R/P]

Thanks for that background.
I had heard about wide tire possibility but not the fiberglass front end potential.
So, in that window of time, let's say Mid-70 model year to end of 71 model year, it seems Chrysler created the rolled lip 15" fender part number. I recall that this fender was what showed as the replacement fender for e-bodies with 15" wheels for some period of time.

[gto105]

Yes thank you.  I was thinking he same.   car is totally stripped and have to decide to clean up original fenders or use a NOS set 624 and 625..  naturally the NOS fenders have the notch..

[6bblgt]

if you use the NOS fenders, they need to be modified to be identical to your originals

[gto105]

Yes probably a lot of work.  Going to take a look at the old ones tomorrow and probably go with them...

Thank you

[gto105]

Took a look and think i am going with the original fenders.  One side need a inner reinforcement bracket but worth it.

Any thoughts what 2 NOS never used fenders are worth  3579624 and 625...

[340challconvert]

The NOS fenders with the notch will always fit better then the new reproductions and will have value. I also bought a pair of the 624-25 NOS fenders in 1980. I sold off my original left fender at the time never noticing the minor differences. So I have 1 notched Nos fender on the left side, the original right side fender and the notched right side Nos fender. The original rt side needs a small bottom patch at the bottom which I have.
I am in the same position; use both Nos new fenders and not worry about the notches or repair the original right side fender and weld in a patch over the left fender notch.
Less work for me just use the New fenders as is!