Repro Parts Are Awful
March 18th, 2021, 05:05 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 156
Repro Parts Are Awful
As a recreational restorer of cars for 20 years, restoring and selling 8 AMC cars - got out of that because they had no value despite being rare. Have now owned and sold in the past 5 years a - 79 Hurst Olds - 79 Hurst Olds clone - 88 Cutlass Supreme Classic - 86 442 T-Top.
After saying I'm not doing this anymore at 57 years of age, I bought a 1980 442 about a year ago. Black/Gold -Vin is correct - quite an original car - just one respray some long time ago. Price was awesome and it was in descent shape considering it say for quite a while thanks god in a barn.
Funny thing is there is another one 3 miles away - exact same car color- Vin number correct too. What's the chances.
Any how, I guess I'm on here because as much as I liked, or thought I liked, AMC cars cause they had their follower, TO ME Oldsmobile Cutlass's are the smoothest running, driving and solid cars I've ever seen.
However I as most of you know am going to vent about Repro parts. I understand that when a part is remade it can't be exact to the factory original.
But here are a few items that to me are just a pain in the *** to work with. Maybe I'm not doing it correctly but I doubt it.
Door weather- roof rail weather- strip.
These never are cut and curved the same as the factory. Push pin holes don't line up. The rubber is squarer or chunkier on each end and aren't cut correctly for the window on each side of the door. So the window hits it incorrectly. The white push pins are smaller and don't push in as tight around the bottom of the door.
Outer top of the door trim dew sweep. Horrible.
Not cut correct length - gap on one side or the other. The weather- strip holes don't line up or not cut at all.
Rocker molding clips are a nightmare.
You out there know how much rocker trim is on a 1978-80 Cutlass.
Bought the white rectangular clips for down the side areas and doors. THEY DON'T WORK and are around 1/4 inch too high top to bottom. You can push down from the top of the molding as hard as one wants - the antenna tension - and the clip will not go under the lip of the molding at the bottom EVEN WHEN NOT ON THE CAR and is in your hand.
On my 79 Hurst Olds and Clone - I had no issues on them and they look the same. Obviously these are cut a little bit wrong.
Instead of sending then back - I literally had to cut the clip across the bottom and then grind it at and angle so the bottom edge molding slipped under. I thought that was ingenious but was tedious. The tension antenna at the top is so firm that that worked. The molding pushed upward with the tension and it attached nicely at the bottom.
Maybe I'm missing something. I know on the rocker molding there is notches in the edge of the trim to slide the clip in. Yeah it's easy to do when not on the car.
Did the factory put the clips on the car, then attach the molding in those notches while on the car and the slide the molding???? I can't see how you wouldn't scratch the paint.
Obviously some of the molding is held on with round clips and screws at the bottom. boy would that have been easier on the whole car.
I'm just venting because most like the last car I will do.
Thanks for the site and it's good to read other posts.
After saying I'm not doing this anymore at 57 years of age, I bought a 1980 442 about a year ago. Black/Gold -Vin is correct - quite an original car - just one respray some long time ago. Price was awesome and it was in descent shape considering it say for quite a while thanks god in a barn.
Funny thing is there is another one 3 miles away - exact same car color- Vin number correct too. What's the chances.
Any how, I guess I'm on here because as much as I liked, or thought I liked, AMC cars cause they had their follower, TO ME Oldsmobile Cutlass's are the smoothest running, driving and solid cars I've ever seen.
However I as most of you know am going to vent about Repro parts. I understand that when a part is remade it can't be exact to the factory original.
But here are a few items that to me are just a pain in the *** to work with. Maybe I'm not doing it correctly but I doubt it.
Door weather- roof rail weather- strip.
These never are cut and curved the same as the factory. Push pin holes don't line up. The rubber is squarer or chunkier on each end and aren't cut correctly for the window on each side of the door. So the window hits it incorrectly. The white push pins are smaller and don't push in as tight around the bottom of the door.
Outer top of the door trim dew sweep. Horrible.
Not cut correct length - gap on one side or the other. The weather- strip holes don't line up or not cut at all.
Rocker molding clips are a nightmare.
You out there know how much rocker trim is on a 1978-80 Cutlass.
Bought the white rectangular clips for down the side areas and doors. THEY DON'T WORK and are around 1/4 inch too high top to bottom. You can push down from the top of the molding as hard as one wants - the antenna tension - and the clip will not go under the lip of the molding at the bottom EVEN WHEN NOT ON THE CAR and is in your hand.
On my 79 Hurst Olds and Clone - I had no issues on them and they look the same. Obviously these are cut a little bit wrong.
Instead of sending then back - I literally had to cut the clip across the bottom and then grind it at and angle so the bottom edge molding slipped under. I thought that was ingenious but was tedious. The tension antenna at the top is so firm that that worked. The molding pushed upward with the tension and it attached nicely at the bottom.
Maybe I'm missing something. I know on the rocker molding there is notches in the edge of the trim to slide the clip in. Yeah it's easy to do when not on the car.
Did the factory put the clips on the car, then attach the molding in those notches while on the car and the slide the molding???? I can't see how you wouldn't scratch the paint.
Obviously some of the molding is held on with round clips and screws at the bottom. boy would that have been easier on the whole car.
I'm just venting because most like the last car I will do.
Thanks for the site and it's good to read other posts.
Last edited by firstoldsmobile; March 18th, 2021 at 05:08 AM.
March 18th, 2021, 06:30 AM
#2
72 Olds CS
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 6,657
Yeah generally speaking good used OEM or NOS are the best bet for replacement parts. Theres plenty of decent repro stuff but maybe just as much not that great repro stuff. Coming from AMC you know we should all be happy to have any repro items 
March 19th, 2021, 06:51 AM
#5
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 156
It's just frustrating for anybody trying to restore a car correctly. For sure cars at the time weren't meant to be taken apart 30 years later and put back together.
No wonder these coach builders like Kindig or others take forever to get cars perfect. It'd take all day just to put weather-stripping on perfectly.
No wonder these coach builders like Kindig or others take forever to get cars perfect. It'd take all day just to put weather-stripping on perfectly.
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