I mean really...ordered armrest pads for my 72, they are too small and when bolted up have huge gaps on the base...look like crap. The doorjamb windlace snaps on nice but due to the retaining strips inside it, the part which should be flush on the metal sits off the metal and leaves a gap...they're all going back. I don't get it, I mean if you put the effort in to actually get the thing done, why not put in the extra 10% and make it actually fit. I'm tired of buying these things only to be disappointed and the only people who win are the shipping companies... later Tim
Because they do.. I deal with it daily. That is why I encourage folks who want to do a resto, to go out and buy a decent complete skylark, the same year and body style as the one they want to restore. Many, many small parts can be gleaned from a good parts car, and even if you pay $5K for the parts car, you will be money ahead. You have a source for body panels, clips, screws, bolts, interior pieces ect.. Everything I can restore/paint/dye ect from an original car I do. That includes windlaces, armrest bases and pads, and now you know why. If those interior parts need to be color changed or "freshened up", contact a local guy who does the dye/paint process, and have them done professionally. I just had my guy out in the shop last week. Cost me $200 to do the headrests, armrest bases and pads, the piece that goes around the armrest on a split bench seat, and some other small parts, but it is well worth the cost. A good interior guy matches the color dead nuts on, and has the product and processes to make a nearly perfect product for your resto. I did a pearl white back seat in a 70 GS with the dye process 5 years ago, along with a host of other parts, and they still look as good today as the day we did them. JW
yeah but it just seems to be a shame, I maen why do anything half assed?? Maybe its my job spilling over into my hobby, am I being too fussy?? Do other people accept these products??? I mean if you're gonna build a mold to make these armrest pads, why not make it the right size?? Anyway, I just have to find some vinyl the same off white as my interior and I can redo the armrest pads myself (this came to me after I tried the new ones), I have used windlace so can dye that.... It just seems like everything these days get done half assed and I'm really, really tired of it.... Thanks for letting me vent. later Tim
Tim....you're making too much sense!! I agree. If you're gonna repo something, do it right! If you get the chance, take a look in a Ames Performance Engineering catalog. Yes, they're a Pontiac vendor, but many parts will fit our GS's. Nice thing about their catalog, is they rate the quality of the repo items. If the $26 sun visor support is better than the $35 GM repo....they'll tell you that. It's nice having a vendor that cares about quality.
I wonder if the tooling to make some of these parts the same as GM did would get too expensive for a low volume supplier? If GM made something in the millions, they could afford an expensive mold. I remember hearing about a hood ornament being reproduced for a 30's Dodge that was close to the original, but the edges weren't as crisp and it would never fool an expert. From what I heard, the vendor just used a cheap casting process that would never produce parts as good as the originals. But I wonder how affordable they would have been if he duplicated the factory process and had to spread out the cost over just a few parts.
I'm with you, Tim. I can't think of a single repro part I've bought that couldn't have been better for little, or no, more cost. (Mike's hose hook excluded :TU: )
It's all about the money baby... always has been, always will be. Costs big dough to produce stuff like GM did. Those armrest pads don't even have a metal backing like the OE's do.. first time I saw that I just laughed, and tossed them back in the box. Dyeing parts is best left to the pros, since they have product that is not available to the general public. Even I can't buy it, without going thru some back-channels. I looked into the costs to buy the dye, in various colors, to be able to mix it to match the various different colors of a GS interior, and determined it was just more cost effective to have it done. And there is quite a process that goes into making the paint/dye stick to plastic. The Vinyl stuff is easier. JW
Thats a very good point, but at the same time, if you are making a mold how hard is it to make square edges vs the round edges. I agree some items just can'tbe done properly as GM spent millions like you said, but other things such as this armrest pads would be easy to make. If they had simply made the mold 1/8" larger all around, they would look ok....plus, these pads fit ALL the a-bodies so the market is there. Jim, I agree, its all about the money. There are actually metal inserts in the pads where the screws go, but yeah pretty cheap. I'll just recover mine with some extra vinyl as per factory and the rest we'll see how it goes... Later Tim
Tim - I had the very same experience a few years back after ordering a woodgrain dash kit. What I got was a real POS and looked worse than the faded, crapped out pieces I was replacing! So, I put a little thought into it and decided that I could do a better job, since I had the contacts and the know-how to produce my own versions. Here I am, 8 years later with the best dash kits out there. I gave a s*&^ and wanted something better so I did it myself. Seems to have worked so far! My advice to everyone is take a good hard look at what is currently available, decide if it could be done better and lets get going! This board has members from every walk of life and industry. I would bet that in a number of cases, what it takes to make something is currently being done by someone in their regular job. All it takes is a little know-how, the right contacts and an ample demand for the part to make it somewhat cost effective to reproduce. We have already seen a number of members "do their own thing" with excellent results. I would be "in" for something simlar to what I'm doing on the dash/console kits. And, would be willing to roll the dice on someone else to support another venture if there was enough demand. Ideas, anyone?
Tim is dead on here. It seems like most stuff I buy is bad. I have gotten a few things that are good which look and work correctly, mostly from parts I hear about or are sold here. However, for the most part, new repo stuff is a dissappointment. Example, I bought 4 of the little chrome locks that the headrests slide in. Well, the looked great and I was all happy, till I put them on. The didn't make the cup deep enought and they sit up off the seat tops about a 1/16th of an inch and show the rusty metal from the seat frame. All they had to do is make it deep enough and even include some shims if there is a difference between cars and/or years.
Well I can vouch for that because I had a set of those crappy ones too...so glad you decided to do yours, they are so much better!!! The problem is, I think as time goes on the parts are harder and harder to do as the smaller items have been covered. I think one thing we could really used is new stainless wheel moldings, they fit all the cars and are always messed up somehow it seems...but they are also complicated pieces... Some of us don't have access to the various industries needed. But I am always keeping my ear out as I talk to some of the big wigs that show up around our company...never know!! later Tim
Jeff, Just a tip, when I redo bucket seats, I always sandblast and paint the headrest metal retainer plates the color of the seats. Here in FL, with our typical 80-100% humidity during summer, not unusual for those pieces to leave rust stains on the vinyl material. Those plates were unfinished metal and always rust. I think once you paint them to match your seat color, will be less noticeable.
