Copy parts - survey?

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nbracken

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2014
Messages
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Location
Cologne, Germany
My Car
1972 Mach 1 Cobra Jet
Thanks to this site I recently managed to find the 'hard to find' under hood light that was installed originally as part of the convenience pack on my car.

It occurred to me that there could be value in collaborating with some of the big Mustang parts suppliers (NPD, Ohio etc) to put together a survey among our members (and possibly other Mustang clubs also) to identify the parts that we need but just struggle to find either in breakers, on eBay or from the established sellers.

The under hood lamp is one example. The inner A pillar trim piece is another. I am sure longer experienced members than I could easily add to the list.

I guess this may have been looked at before but I thought I'd sound you guys out.

Unfortunately (!) it is (too) easy for me to drive right by NPD on my way home so I could easily call in and sound them out.

Thoughts?

 
Thanks to this site I recently managed to find the 'hard to find' under hood light that was installed originally as part of the convenience pack on my car.

It occurred to me that there could be value in collaborating with some of the big Mustang parts suppliers (NPD, Ohio etc) to put together a survey among our members (and possibly other Mustang clubs also) to identify the parts that we need but just struggle to find either in breakers, on eBay or from the established sellers.

The under hood lamp is one example. The inner A pillar trim piece is another. I am sure longer experienced members than I could easily add to the list.

I guess this may have been looked at before but I thought I'd sound you guys out.

Unfortunately (!) it is (too) easy for me to drive right by NPD on my way home so I could easily call in and sound them out.

Thoughts?
Hi Nigel,

Sounds like a move in the right direction, but in general terms, the parts boys won't rally 'round with more variety until our 123's eventually become much more popular and sort after than they are now. It's all about demand and numbers to justify making new stuff for the market place.

Greg.:)

 
The under hood light bracket is a simple sheet metal bracket easy to make, but the mercury switch in the bulb holder can be tricky to make or come up with.

 
I'd refer this stuff to Don at Ohio Mustang Supply. He already has the connections with the manufacturers and all the other vendors. PLUS IMHO Don is more knowledgeable about OUR 71-3 cars.

It usually comes down to how much money those involve can make on the parts... Sadly.

Profit margins.

Ray

 
It's all well and good having repop parts coming out and even wanting to request new ones to be made, but the problem is that if they don't fit properly and need to be modified to fit, or the textures are incorrect, or the finish of the product. The thing that gets me with the repop industry is that there is fantastic you beaut modern technology, computer designing and the materials are supposed to be superior to anything made previously. How many times has someone bought a repop part, only for it not to fit properly or need modifying to fit, or it doesn't even come close to fitting. Same as the textures of a lot of repop parts not even being close or is totally different all together. Today's so called superior materials being well below something made 40+ years ago, like I had recently with a grille (Mach 1) for my 73 that was made on the factory tooling. Overall for fit it wasn't too bad, I only had to open up one hole were the piece goes to screw in the headlight surround and everything lined up quite well, but the finish on the other hand is atrocious. The grille is full of ugly marks throughout, bubbling on the honeycombes of the grille and even rough sanding marks on the top of it. I originally though I was sold a dud, so I called the guy I purchased it from and told him, so he pulls out the other one he had there to check it and he basically told me of where the marks were on this other one, not fully convinced of this, I asked a vendor about these problems with these grilles and was told basically the same things wrong with these grilles (except he'd never come across the bubbling in the honeycombes) but what I was told next really took me buy surprise, he said that he'd spoken with the manufacturer about these issues and was told that was how that they came out looking this way, but what was said next was what really got me. He said he was told by the manufacturer that these grilles should be sanded back and painted anyway as to protect the material from the sun? WTF, seriously protect the plastic from the sun, when 40+ years ago these were made and just put on the cars. My grille being 42 years old didn't even look half this bad in the finish of it and if not for the crack in it and broken mounting points, it would've been put back in and the so called quality repop part straight back to the place I got it from.

This is my biggest gripe with the repop manufacturers is most of what they make cant even come close to what was being made all those years ago, that would fit properly and didn't need to be modified and they didn't have problems in they way they looked either. So while everyone still buys this crap, they'll keep making it and not going to change the way they do it, but then again a lot of the times we don't have much choice either. I must say though the repop stuff doesn't seem as bad for our cars as some of the stuff over here for our Falcons, this is why I'm trying to buy as much NOS or really good used parts I can for mine that I'm restoring. The only downside to this though is you have bid against the rich cheque book restorers who don't care about the price, this is why I try to find good parts cars to get what I need. This is a problem though for us over here with our year Mustangs as there's not a lot of them over, especially being parted out. Seriously with all of this brilliant technology, computer designs and the superior quality of materials today, why is it they still can't get it right, or is it just a case of close enough, good enough, as whatelse are they going to buy to get or keep their cars going. Hopefully thing will only improve over time, but I'm not counting on it.

 
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Hey Jason,

Well said, and i pretty much agree with you on this subject. It's true, the repro game is very hit and miss for fit, quality and finish. I've had my fair share of troubles in this regard as well.

Sadly, i don't think there is much we can do about it at this stage. Regards quality, the buck stops with the companies producing this stuff, but i feel the major prob is subbing out the labor to Asian counties in search of cheap labor costs. Grin and bare it i guess.:shootself:

Greg.:)

 
Hey Jason,

Well said, and i pretty much agree with you on this subject. It's true, the repro game is very hit and miss for fit, quality and finish. I've had my fair share of troubles in this regard as well.

Sadly, i don't think there is much we can do about it at this stage. Regards quality, the buck stops with the companies producing this stuff, but i feel the major prob is subbing out the labor to Asian counties in search of cheap labor costs. Grin and bare it i guess.:shootself:

Greg.:)
Yeah Greg it's so disappointing buying stuff that doesn't do what it's supposed to do, as in fit, finish or whatever it was designed to do and doesn't even come close. There's a page on a forum I go to here and there that's about this exact subject and one thing that they're all trying to push is when a part doesn't do what it's intended on doing, then everyone should send them back and get your money refunded, that way when they have all this stock that's been returned and nobody's buying it, then they might change the way parts are made. But the problem with this is, you'll be the first person that's had this problem (BS) and they've sold thousands of these parts and nobody's ever had a problem with the part. That's where the problem lays, the only reason they've never had a problem is that people who do have problems with them usually just throw them in the bin or on a shelf (I'm guilty of this) because you can't be bothered returning the offending part as you'll get the usual "you're the first one to ever have a problem with it" and then get told you don't know how to fit it properly or some other BS so they don't have to refund your money. Seriously though Greg, hopefully we'll catch up (as we've said, time permitting) before I paint my grille over the Christmas break, so you can see first hand how ugly looking this grille really is, as for the money I spent purchasing it over here, I just wish now that I should've just my original one repaired.

As for the 3D printing idea, well if the parts manufacturers can't get it right with all of this great and fantastic technology and with how great modern materials are compared with what went on 40+ years ago, then I don't hold much hope for 3D printing either. I remember 20 odd years ago restoring cars and the quality of repop stuff then and being told how much better it'll be in the future as technology changes. Well over 20 years have passed and nothing much has really changed, except more crap repop parts have come on the market that still can't compare to the 40+ year old stuff, but I'd be over the moon if they proved me wrong.

 
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