Mopar Muscle Association UK

Well, we all know the story about poorly reproduced repro parts. I was talking this over with big John today. It finally sunk in just how poor some of these parts can be.

If you are doing a resto, or getting someone else to do it for you, bare in mind you will buy a lot of stuff that has to be messed around with, or just binned, because it rarely fits properly on the first go.

I can see why people want NOS, and are willing to pay so much for it. In the long run, its cheaper because you don't have to pay for so much of someones time to tailor it.

Well I have a problem with the use of the word "restoration" as it is used these days. And I blame the Yanks.

We have all fallen into the trap of thinking restoration mean "replacement". It does not.

A correctly restored car has ALL of the original parts (or as much as possible) restored to original condition or made as good as possible.

Years ago people used to repare and make good every single part and re-use it. THAT is restoration. If you replace a part it makes the car less original.

You can't get the yanks to see that though. Or us these days either.

Dave,

I bought a full set of brake lines (repro), and some other stuff from Fine Lines. I went to great lengths to ensure I bought the right parts. John has fitted what he could but the rest of it has to be made, because it just isnt right.

Body panels are worse. I think people buy them and give them to someone to put on, and they just don't fit. JPC spend a long time getting these things to look right - most people think they are direct replacements and life just isnt that easy.

It
s an eye opener.

Clivey wrote:Dave,

I bought a full set of brake lines (repro), and some other stuff from Fine Lines. I went to great lengths to ensure I bought the right parts. John has fitted what he could but the rest of it has to be made, because it just isnt right.

Body panels are worse. I think people buy them and give them to someone to put on, and they just don't fit. JPC spend a long time getting these things to look right - most people think they are direct replacements and life just isnt that easy.

It
s an eye opener.

true , these guys go to all that trouble to repop this stuff & most of it is just not quite correct ..if thats the best way of discribing it .... & a few parts crap . why can't they make it exact ???

Well if you can't be arsed to "restore" the original piece you deserve the pain!!!
If you can't handle that.....................Cut it up and race it!!

Kev , mmm...thats why all my winter money has been spent on going faster.
The rust remains

You D man! Small Block = Big Cock

Kev wrote:You D man! Small Block = Big Cock

Potty mouth!

After what you said about that temp avatar of mine as well.

Come on now David, we all know you have big feet............

Big Block = Small Willy (but substitute another word for willy that rhymes with block but means the same thing as willy)
Is that more correct, Mr G? (As in Geordie)

Kev wrote:Well if you can't be arsed to "restore" the original piece you deserve the pain!!!
If you can't handle that.....................Cut it up and race it!!

yep your right Kev , restored every thing that i could , then had to spend hours , fiddling with the repoped parts to get them fitting as i wanted , think the only things that did not need work to get then to fit correctly , was the M&H harnesses , tank sender, windscreen gasket legendary seat covers , vinyl top , spent over $ 400 all the rubber weather strips , after hours & hours of adjusting , then leaving the doors shut for a year ..did not compress enough , was a real nice product but it was just a smigin too big & the rubber was too dence .
ended up cleaning up my original ones , door clicks shut with no effort . only used the cats wiskers after that along the tops , $90 still did not fit how i wanted
another one is the front parking/turn signal lamps ...mine were cracked , thought yippeee , they re pop them ..looked real good like most pattern part till you fit them , did not follow the contours on the front vallance it was better if you swapped L to R visea versa .. had a to modify them to fit as i wanted , bolt them up mark them , shape it with a DA & re paint ..nother 3 hours .... yep i'm waffling on now , as i have just fitted my new dash dimmer switch , even that you have to take appart the three pin block conector & swap around two wires .... then they give you studs to mount it ..but you can't eve do the nut up , & hardly get a screwdriver in there no biggie but why .....

Kev wrote: Is that more correct, Mr G? (As in Geordie)

Hey, Clivey, reckon it's gonna look the business when finished, such a shame that the US re-pop market don't use Chinese Technology and precision...........

Dave wrote:

Kev wrote: Is that more correct, Mr G? (As in Geordie)

You sound like an annoying southerner now!!!

Kev wrote:Well if you can't be arsed to "restore" the original piece you deserve the pain!!!
If you can't handle that.....................Cut it up and race it!!

Kev, some things are beyond restoration, hence the need to buy reproduced parts. cutting up and racing it is the easy way out