Midyear GM vs Repoduction Parts

[Don]

We're looking at a GM manufactured taillight still in its original box that was purchased in 1980.The reproductions are selling for around $60-$70.What price percentage,if any,are the original GM parts bringing over the reproductions? Don #31753

[Joe L.]

Re: Midyear GM vs Repoduction Parts

Don-----

I can't give you a specific answer on this one and, bear in mind, that my opinion is "colored" by the fact that I generally favor "Genuine GM Parts", that's why I keep about 6,000 of them in my "personal collection".

However, the reproduction pieces manufactured by Trim Parts are outstanding, in my opinion. Generally, any trim part made by this company is a PERFECT or, at a minimum, a NEAR PERFECT reproduction. The quality is absolutely OUTSTANDING, in my opinion, and all are US made.

So, the short of it is, I might pay a 20% premium to get an original NOS piece, but, in a case where there is a Trim Parts-sourced reproduction available, I don't think that I'd pay more than that. Even at that premium, I'd probably be making a mistake. But, I like those blue and white boxes. The problem is, after you put the part on the car(like MOST folks do), the box doesn't do you too much good.

[Bill Clupper]

Re: Midyear GM vs Repoduction Parts

[Patrick T.]

The Color of Money

Hi Joe, I bet when you quit your daytime job, you will sell your 6000 GM parts stash to fund your new retirement ocean front home in Malibu!!! Patrick

[Duke W.]

Retirement homes

Patrick - I think Joe is more of a "Carmel type guy".

Duke

[Dave #24235]

Valuation of Midyear Appearance Parts

On my 1966, the premium goes to the best appearing part. I have gottem NOS GM chrome parts (like door handles) that don't look as good as original 30 year old parts, or nearly as good as reproductions. I believe the fault lies in the shop that makes the chrome repair parts under contract. Either way - I want to see the part - I never buy appearance parts without seeing them. That means shows and swap meets only, or my faithful Chevy dealer - who accepts my opinion about the appearance of the parts, and sends them back if I don't like them. He sent back 9 grilles until I got a good one. It took two years. In the case of the door handles, the reproductions cost more - but they were worth it. The tail and backup lamps on my car came from Bloominton swap meet vendors, etcetera, - Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: Valuation of Midyear Appearance Parts

Dave-----

The phenomenon which causes later GM SERVICE parts of a particular part mumber to deteriorate with respect to earlier-produced parts of the same part number, is, I believe, the result of wear of the tooling. Most of these parts are and always were produced on GM tooling by outside vendors. I don't think that GM has any inclination to invest in refurbishment/replacement of tooling for parts which have long-since ceased to be used for PRODUCTION purposes. They just continue to have the parts run off the original tooling until the quality becomes so bad that they are no longer acceptable or the tooling breaks. Then, the part is discontinued immediately. You will often see, for example, that a particular part which is side-specific will have one side discontinued well before the other. ONE of the reasons for this is breakage of the tooling for that side part. In fact, and quite frankly, I believe that we are lucky that GM continues to produce parts as long as they do, albeit sometimes of lesser quality. At least, the part is still available. Many manufacturers of other products have long since ceased production of ALL parts for their products after 10 years, let alone the 30 years that some GM parts are available.

Often times when aftermarket vendors take over production of GM parts using the original tooling, they will have the tooling refurbished at considerable cost. When Paragon started reproducing the 68-72 bumpers off of original tooling, I understand that they had to have the GM tooling(which, at the end of GM production was producing parts of notoriously inferior quality) refurbished at GREAT cost. That's the principal reason that the repro bumpers are so expensive. Don't forget, when the tooling to produce parts is originally created, it is created in a PRODUCTION environment in which the certain production of, at a minimum, TENS OF THOUSANDS of PRODUCTION parts amortize the cost of the tooling. So, the cost of SERVICE parts run off that same tooling can be relatively low.

However, when new tooling has to be created to produce a SERVICE or reproduction part or when original PRODUCTION tooling has to be considerably refurbished or repaired to continue to produce parts from it, the cost of the parts can escalate dramatically. You see, in the SERVICE-ONLY environment the cost of the tooling has to be amortized over a MUCH, MUCH SMALLER manufacturing run. This is also why many reproduction parts which have to be produced from re-created tooling are of inferior quality. In the SERVICE-ONLY environment, the amortization cost of PRODUCTION-TYPE tooling would make the reproduction part prohibitively expensive and, consequently, essentially unmarketable.

[Terry M.]

Re: Valuation of Midyear Appearance Parts

Joe,

Your analysis of the costs of tooling relative to production and service parts is spot on - you don't have a MBA among your credentials do you?

One point regarding production parts and their quality - in the early '70s when attempting to buy bumpers to put in my parts stash the parts guy I use told me that the "seconds" or "rejects" from the assembly line were put into parts stock. I was trying to buy these before there were rubber bumpers and had to send back a number of bumpers before I got acceptable ones.

I know this is not the most sterling of sources, but it makes sense to me.

Terry

[Jeff]

Re: Valuation of Midyear Appearance Parts

Terry,

I was told, basically, the same thing in the same timeframe. When I bought OTC bumpers for my 67 the ends were actually missing on 2 of the 4. The parts guy told me that was fairly commonplace and that once a cosmetic part couldn't end up on a showroom car (like 67 bumpers in 75) the quality control was pretty lax. Besides the missing areas, grind marks were visible everywhere and the chrome plating was very poor, so I ended up just rechroming the originals.

JP

[Wayne W.]

Re: Midyear GM vs Repoduction Parts

Some GM parts specifically the tailamps are better in the reproduction than the later over the counter GM part. The bezels on the later GM`s were thinner and many had bad chrome and flashings. In this case I would opt for the reproduction.