RMVette

Just a comment. Seems everytime I order something and try and make it fit, there's something aligned wrong or I have to work at it to make it fit. :smash: Anyone else have this problem? :seeya

Twin_Turbo

All the repro stuff that I ever ordered was pretty much like that. Almost everything needed some trimming/modding to make it fit. Some stuff just plain does NOT fit. A good example is mu Ecklers shifter plate, it has a flaw on the front edge and doesn't fit really well (I suspect they ship all the crappy stuff to us Europeans, we can't do hardly anything about it). I bought a NOS GM plate and it fits like a glove.

Other examples: wiper control bezel, headlight bezels, front marker bezels (bolt holes in wrong places) and I probably have the worst fitting rear fiberglass bumper EVER. The cheapo JCWhitney hood fits like a glove so maybe cheat stuff fits better and if it doesn't fit you won't feel as sorry about it.

Some people say it's like that with all cars but that's not true, ever saw jaguar repro stuff? That stuff is top notch quality and fits every time (and not much more expensive).

Marck

7t2vette

I too have had problems with repop stuff not fitting.....poor finish, bolt holes don't line up, wrong dimensions, parts missing from kits, ect... I don't know how much money and time I have wasted on usless repop parts that I threw out and ended up using the old part or finding a suitable NOS or used part, that is why I always save the original until I am absolutely sure that I don't need it anymore. Since I am in Canada, and all the parts come from the US, financialy it is not even worth it to send the usless parts back.

Cooter Tech

I had my Olds in for service at a dealership and in the magazine rack was a magazine that compared factory replacement sheetmetal to reproductions. They compared the type of metal, thickness, finish bolt hole alignment and defects in the metal, they tried to put it on the fixture and it would not fit etc. The reproduction parts failed in almsot all categories that were checked. I don't think that the after market vendors really care about the qulaity of their replacement parts that are found in factory replacement parts. Another example is hoses, belts and wiring. Original radiator hoses, belts and wires will last several years, and go over 100,000 miles. Go to a parts store and the replacement parts will last one to two years and be junk. Roger L. Gibbons

paintdaddy

Yep its a common problem ecspecially with body parts .After market body parts used to be a horrible fit .Now they will fit ,it just takes some finesse and coaxing and :cuss :seeya

Sleestak

Not one reproduction interior piece I bought for car went in the way it was supposed to. Everything needed some sort of modifying. The biggest problem was screw holes drilled in the wrong spots. One of the holes in the sail panels was over two inches off. Why do they even attempt to pre-drill the holes if they're not going to make an attemt to at least try to get it right? :smash:

A C

Yes! Repro interior trim parts suck in general! :yesnod:

AC

vettes1st

What can we as a group do to get the vendors/ manufacturers attention on this issue? I don't think we have enough numbers that a boycott would be effective. You got any ideas? :mad

virtue4u

I noticed this on a GM and non-GM heater core. The tubes did not fit well.

redwingvette

I've been in the auto industry for many years and spend a lot of time with fit and finish issues before a OEM will sign off on parts. When I see the car in the dealership I wonder what happened.
Aftermarket venders don't want to spend the time or money to make sure the parts are correct because they know most people are going to do what ever it takes to make it work instead of returning them. They don't always have good part information because changes are being made all the time and not being documented. I was suprised to find out how many parts are still availible from a dealer. I puchased a back window trim plate from a vender and it was stil in the box from my local dealer where the vender got it. I'm sure I didn't pay more for that :lol: :lol: :lol: Ya right.