Are they *really* being cranked out of old, original ford tools?
Yes, original Ford tooling means just that.. We'd get in quite a bit of trouble with Ford is we made that claim untruthfully... They are produced by Ford O.E. supplier Gerstenslager (now called Arti-flex) in Wooster, OH.
Do they look and fit just like the originals? Any information would be helpful. Thanks!
"Look like"?? 100% yes, it's the original tooling. "Fit like"?? More-or-less yes... But you must understand that ANY out-of-the-box metal panel may require some measure of work and adjustments for best-fit. It's as good a fit as you're going to find, you should be more than satisfied with it (especially for the price), but no service panels just fall onto a car with Bentley-like seams and gaps. Furthermore, the fit of a valance is very much dependent upon the proper allignment of the rest of the front end metal, and whether or not the front end metal is original or repro, and whether or not the car's ever been tweaked/hit in the past.
Rick
NPD