[NOT A TA]

The inner fender extensions on the 70-73 birds rusted out pretty easily and over the years I've seen a lot of cars missing them completely. It's a part some might just consider part of the crash protection crumple zone or be considered more of a splash guard. However it's also a part that affects aero. Without it the air coming under the front air dam collides with the air in the wheel well and seeks a place to go. I believe that the air will flow through the opening into the area behind the core support.

Twenty five years ago when I first built the car reproductions weren't available and I didn't really have a way to make replacements. I cut off the bottom of one of them because the rust had eaten it all up while the other had rust holes but wasn't as bad. Eventually I got a better (but not great) set off a parts car and planned on installing them.... Ya, never got around to that, and they disappeared along the way. Reproductions are available now, but I have the ability to make them so I did. If it was a customer car I'd have installed repros because of the fabrication labor time, but since it's my car I made them.