Corvette Parts Suppliers

[Stephen B.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

David
Welcome to the greatest fraternity of gear heads you'll ever meet.My first piece of advice would be to proceed with great caution.There are some great vendors out there and there are some not so great vendors that should be selling used washing machine parts not Corvette parts.Be cautious of the vendor that is always pushing poorly made products from China,especially when there are more correct and accurate alternatives.Chances are he is the guy that contracted to have them made in China.There's a difference between a reproduction and a reasonable fact simile,as you will soon learn.
I have had excellent experiences with Paragon.They extend a discount and I don't pay sales tax. There's a major vendor within 15 miles of me and I get higher quality less expensive parts delivered to my front porch from Paragon.
Stephen Barrett 59,66,71,73

[Bruce B.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Steve;
Paragon, like many other suppliers gets some thier parts from China whether they come through Ohio or not.

[Donald O.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Steve;
Paragon, like many other suppliers gets some thier parts from China whether they come through Ohio or not.

I know that Paragon gets their tail lamp assemblies for mid years from Trim Parts, it says so on the box.
Nothing wrong with that, as I have been lead to believe that Trim Parts offer the best in that category.

DonO

[Bruce B.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Trim Parts manufactures excellent quality reproductions using many original GM tools, molds, etc.
Great parts and manufactured right down the road from me.

[Stephen B.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Bruce
My point exactly. Do your research ask whom ever you deal with who made their products ,were they came from,and is there an alternative.Some catalog vendors simply do retail,and drop ship other vendors products.Vendors like Paragon actually restore Corvettes in their shop and own many original GM tools.There are vendors out there that simply sell stuff thus my reference to used washing machine parts.
Stephen Barrett 59,66,71,73

[Dick W.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

I know that Paragon gets their tail lamp assemblies for mid years from Trim Parts, it says so on the box.
Nothing wrong with that, as I have been lead to believe that Trim Parts offer the best in that category.

DonO

I like Trim Parts also Don, but have had the opportunity this week to compare the tail lamps from the "other source". Both are good quality and I believe would judge equally. The outter housing for both are now made in the same country

[Donald O.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

I like Trim Parts also Don, but have had the opportunity this week to compare the tail lamps from the "other source". Both are good quality and I believe would judge equally. The outter housing for both are now made in the same country

some place far on the western mainland shore of the Pacific?

[Stephen B.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

BUY AMERICA (please our future depends on it)
Stephen Barrett 59,66,71,73

[Dick W.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

BUY AMERICA (please our future depends on it)
Stephen Barrett 59,66,71,73

Agree with you but sometimes there are no alternatives. Die casting is hard to source in the US anymore. EPA, OSHA, all the alphabet soup of agencies have made it very cost prohibitive to operate such things. Plus when the US company decides that they are not going to do it anymore, you have no choices.

[Troy P.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Oh, watch for the 'unnecessary' descriptive text... Thinks like, "This is a correct original made from stainless steel that..."

If the part is 'correct' and 'original' there's no need to mention it's made from stainless steel! The reason why they've included that tidbit in the catalog's descriptive text is to tell you UP FRONT that this part is NOT a 'correct/original' because it's made from stainless steel...

One of my favorites is when they say its "exact". Case in point, the 6 volt positive battery cable for 53-55 that Grossmuellers and now Corvette Central sell. Worst $65 investment I ever made. Now I make my own cable because you can't get a correct one from a catalog supplier.

[Richard G.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Exact is certainly overused in the industry. A friend of mine just spent 3 days, of off time, attempting to get a reproduction piece of window stainless to fit a 66. Finally sent it back to the vendor and purchased a used GM part. Snapped in in seconds. Visually they certainly look very close to the same thing. If GM built parts with this quality the Corvette would have cost 50K in 67. It infuriates me when they sell a product that the obviously has not ever been checked for fit the real Car. Send the junk back.
Rick

[William M.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

I've usually found Dr Rebuild to carry more authentic parts than the glossy catalogs

[Dick W.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Another good supplier that I totally forgot to mention is Joe Ray, a sometimes poster here. He usually answers the phone and has forgot more than the pimply faced dummies, that answer the phone at the big catalog houses, will ever learn.

[Donald O.]

Re: Corvette Parts Suppliers

Another good supplier that I totally forgot to mention is Joe Ray, a sometimes poster here. He usually answers the phone and has forgot more than the pimply faced dummies, that answer the phone at the big catalog houses, will ever learn.

I agree Dick, one of THE best.