Paragon exhaust: The Final Chapter

[G B.]

I posted earlier about my installation problems with a Paragon aluminized exhaust system for a '66 427. Paragon told me to complain directly to their supplier, The Stainless Works. I called them, and they politely agreed to send better pipes to replace three out of their original four.

After 2.5 weeks of waiting and another phone call, I received the three replacement pipes. These pipes were bent closer to the configuration of assembly line pipes, and they were very close to the original length. However, I still can't use the two front pipes.

The left front pipe now passes beneath the oil filter slightly. You can't remove the canister without loosening the pipe. All the correct bends are in this pipe, but they are located about 4 inches too far to the rear. The right front pipe has a very good overall shape to it, but the sealing lip at the manifold end is cocked about 30 degrees. It won't seal properly.

Life, and this restoration, will go on. I am going to have a local muffler shop bend some front pipes to fit properly. I'm also going to send photos to Paragon showing all the pipes alongside some original examples. I do expect Richard Fortier to upgrade the quality of the exhaust pipes he sells. His company has supplied me with many, many good reproductions over the years. It would be very unlike them to continue to sell any part that generates complaints.

[Lou Lapham]

Re: Paragon exhaust: The Final Chapter

Jerry-I don't have a sidepipe car so i can't lend any advice other than, I run a machine shop and if i told my customers in the event of a problem with a part i made that they should contact the supplier of the failed material i could expect to be off they buying list directly!Perhaps they will put you on the payroll as a troubleshooter!If you already have'nt sent a letter directly to the owner of Paragon you should and mention your post here on the Discussion Board.This is seen by a lot of people and it not good PR for them to operate it this fashion.If there are other sources i would use them.Regards,Lou

[G B.]

Feedback to suppliers - sore subject.

Lou -

You make a good point. It would stand to reason that reproduction parts suppliers would appreciate honest feedback. After all, it would ultimately help them stay in business. But I have not found any supplier to be receptive yet, no matter how nicely I word the criticism. The most common response I get goes something like this: "There must be something wrong with your car; we've sold a bazillion of these and you're the first person to have a problem".

Maybe 5 to 10% of the reproduction parts I buy need some grinding, drilling, tapping, filing, bending, cutting, etc., in order to install on a car. Of these, a small percentage turn out to be simply unuseable. I'm not talking about cosmetic defects; I'm talking about getting the part to physically fit the vehicle. Over the last 25 years I have bought from most the big names in the business. I've gotten some ill fitting parts from almost every one. I usually call about and return the bad stuff that I can't fix if it's expensive. The cheap stuff I've learned to just get over without complaint. I'm not going to spend the time necessary to return a few dollars worth of parts.

There isn't an easy solution to this problem. I don't think the parts suppliers are evil people out to do me dirt, but they don't bother to ensure that 100% of the parts they sell really fit. And, I am sure that some not deeply concerned about attacking the core problem. As Corvette Central told me when I complained that their rear suspension bolt kit contained a dozen unuseable fasteners: "Yeah, we know. Do you want to exchange it for another one of our bolt kits?".

[Patrick H.]

Re: Feedback to suppliers - sore subject.

Jerry,

If you have only 5-10% unuseable, you must have a Friend in higher places.

Our motto around here is that no reproduction part will fit without some needed adjustment or correcting. A good friend just finished his '60, and well over half the parts had to be modified at least in some manner in order to be correct for his restoration, and often that was for fit as much as for "NCRS correctness."

I have never been able to understand how suppliers can put all those hours into developing a reproduction part and yet get them so wrong. The ONLY parts that ever go on without hassle are either original, restored or NOS items. After all, isn't that why they cost so much more than repro's?

Patrick

[Jerry Clark]

Re: Feedback to suppliers - sore subject.

I too have been restoring Corvettes for about 32 years and have to agree that the people who produce these restoration parts would not survive in any other O.E.M. industry, the lack of quality control would quickly put them out of business. I recently purchased a 69 instrument cluster pad from Corvette America, (having exhausted every other option) I found the part to be costly, I don't have a problem paying the price for the quality, I do have a problem paying the price and finding the part of such inferior quality that it is all but disposable. When I , as tactfully as I am capable of, pointed out the parts shortcommings, I was told that "we gurantee that all of our reproduction interior parts will match all of OUR other interior parts." which says nothing of the G.M. parts your car may contain, one would think that it wouldn't be too difficult to match something that you produced, correct of otherwise, the trick seems to be matching those parts someone else produced, and too few companies appear to be capable.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Feedback to suppliers - sore subject.

Jerry,

I recently spoke with someone who is one of Corvette America's own dealers who said that this dash part was so poor that he couldn't use it. According to him, having already done numerous C4 interior re-do's, their first design C4 door panels were also so poor as to be unusable, and have only recently been upgraded to tolerable.

If this is "accuracy," I would hate to see what they would call an inaccurate part.

Patrick

[Jerry Clark]

Re: Feedback to suppliers - sore subject.

Patrick: I am a engineer (retired) I took the time to write them a lengthy letter explaining the thermal reactive problems involved with the type of A.B.S. they are using as a backing material, I went so far as to include suggestions that would at least allow them to better this design without major retooling, while , if followed, these changes would allow for easier and more secure mountiog of the instruments in the cluster they would NOT fix the part, it remains one of the worst "reproduction" parts I have ever encountered. THey chose to ignore my letter and made no alterations and in fact did not have the good business sense to reply, therefore I now purchase NOTHING from Corvette America.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Feedback to suppliers - sore subject.

Jerry,

I will have to admit it; I have one of their interior packages on the way for my 71, despite the fact that I do not like their parts.

Why?

Their offer to install the impossible-to-do seat covers for free was too good to resist. I have seen their seat covers before, and they are fine. "Their" carpet is from ACC, also fine. Their door panels are bad, but I consider them as "free" given the low cost I paid for the package thru one of their dealers and the $200 value of cover installation. I'll probably end up installing Al Knoch door panels some day for a more correct interior.

But, you are right. Generally, I would not recommend their product quality.

Patrick