ordering parts.......

[Richard Knight]

I feel sorry for the folks trying to make a living restoring model As due to the lack of NOS, NOSR, and new manufactured repro parts. I often wonder how in the heck restorers use many of these parts that are " just like original", made to original prints, etc . So many (tons) of good original useable or repairable parts have been replaced by inferior shinola parts.

 

[oldspert]

The holes probably had plating material in them.

Or the part was manufactured after trying to convert from a metric measurement to inch and missed the dimension completely.
Ed

 

[nkaminar]

More likely inch to metric.

 

[ronn]

I had to go up 2 sizes on drill bits and they were still tough to put on.

 

[katy]

Number drill bits will give you more choice of sizes over "inch sized" drill bits.

 

[langus480]

Yes maybe, but let me add this.

Where I tend to lose money is more about educating the customer because that is not billable. This involves showing the differences and truthfully explaining the options.

FWIW, most of my Customers have chosen us to restore their car because they want quality the first time. That is our goal, which is to give them a restored Model-A that Stops, Starts, and Steers correctly, -and everything Functions as it was designed without squeaks & rattles. For those hobbyists that expect that, they just need to understand how the hobby has trended over the years from Restoration of parts to Replacement of Parts, ...and how this has not necessarily been a good thing.

Ironically, we are seeing a trend where my customers are wanting us to Restore instead of Replace. Not trying to take food away from Model-A reproduction parts manufacturer's mouths, but take a moment to consider this. If two Model-As were hypothetically restored at the same time (-lets say 25 years ago) with equal quality craftsmanship, HOWEVER one Model-A was restored with all NOS parts, ...and the other one was restored with all Reproduction parts. Would you say after 25 years and them both driven 25,000 miles, that both cars would drive/function the same, -or would one of the Restorations be better in quality and functionality than the other?

I think we know the answer in this. It is my belief that the 25 year old reproduction plated parts would have prematurely corroded by now, and likely the Ammeter would have failed before the 25k miles were driven, and the repro Hoses would have cracked by now, etc. etc.

Additionally, after those 25k miles, what condition would repro brake parts be in, or the offshore repro transmission gears, or repro steering components, repro shocks, ...and the list goes on and on, and on comparing the Repro vs NOS items.

Now in fairness, some NOS parts might be marginally better than quality Reproduction parts, -and some might be the same, ...however will there be a large list of items that are not the same quality of the ones that were installed as NOS? So ...did we really save money on buying reproduction parts when we consider the value differences of our Model-A today??

Brent/ all,


I agree 100% with the analogy of the 25 year difference, and I'll take the matter a step forward...I also have a car shop and I explain constantly to my customers that I prefer to remove/ replace with factory (OEM) parts rather than aftermarket. The shock hits the customers when they see the price difference. My justification is this: if the removed factory part was removed at 90k plus miles, then you'll probably get the same results with the OEM replacement part. However, the aftermarket part may only get you down the road at say 30K miles or so. Then its time to replace again.



Moral of the story is, quality over cheap.



Well said Brent.


Paul

 

[ronn]

Paul, good point except many people who have a 100k car, arent expecting to own it at 200k and just want an extra yr or two.


I have been of that mindset, knowing Im selling the car or truck 3 months out and just wanting it fixed to sell. Of course I am speaking of a 10 yr old car, not a model A.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Paul, good point except many people who have a 100k car, arent expecting to own it at 200k and just want an extra yr or two.


I have been of that mindset, knowing Im selling the car or truck 3 months out and just wanting it fixed to sell. Of course I am speaking of a 10 yr old car, not a model A.

True however the flip side is while most likely don't intend to own it at 200k, they often do ...unless it suddenly creates stress for them. Breaking down at an inopportune time just 30k down the road generally causes major time & financial stresses.

 

[ModelA29]

......If a vendor wants a part made in Asia, say, and they send a copy of the original drawings, they are the customer (of the manufacturer). They then become the supplier when they sell on the part to their customers. .....

I disagree the vendor who had the part made is the manufacturer. They just chose to farm the work out. It's up to them to assure that "their" shop is making the parts to meet the specs they set out in their agreement.

If someone is producing and selling a part on their own to multiple vendors then yes they are the manufacturer. Then the vendor has little to say about the quality - beyond refusing to buy.

Think of Burtz. He is the manufacturer of his engine. He has contracted the casting and machine work out. He's still the one ultimately responsible for the quality and tolerances of his product.