Front-fender spot welds and headlight notches as the originality test

The single most repeated inspection point across listings is whether the front fenders retain their factory spot welds and the alignment 'notches' near the headlight bezels; their absence signals replaced or repaired sheet metal and prior collision work. Sellers routinely post close-up engine-bay photos of the inner fender seams, and buyers refuse to bid without them, though a minority argue the obsession only matters to concours judges.